Michigan Football: The Top 10 Players for the 2012 Season

Every successful college football program has important players who have to perform well in order to win football games. Some of these players are more successful than others, as they may have a bigger workload or they are just simply more talented than the rest.

The Michigan Wolverines return 14 starters from last year, including eight starters on the defensive side of the ball. Many of those starters are key contributors, while some may be more replaceable with an experienced reserve or a talented freshman coming in. With concerns at receiver, along the defensive line and with the special teams unit, this makes a few players even more valuable to the football team moving forward.

As we inch that much closer to September, here are the top 10 most important players for the 2012 Michigan Wolverines football season.

10. Defensive End: Craig Roh

Craig Roh may have not lived up to the hype he had coming out of high school when he was considered one of the top defensive ends. But he has done his fair share on the defensive side of the ball, especially considering he has switched positions numerous times throughout his career. This season, the Wolverines will like to see him bulk up and become the strong side defensive end.

He is eating a ton and adding much-needed strength to become a force on this defensive line that lost many key contributors from a year ago. Roh had arguably his best season at Michigan last year, finishing with 32 tackles and four sacks.

Expect to see an improved player entering his senior season and somebody who will create many plays in the backfield.

9. The Punter

It's unclear who the punter for Michigan will be, but whoever it is, they must be an improvement from last season. The Wolverines averaged a horrible 38 yards per punt, which was 11th in the Big Ten and 101st in the country.

If the season was to start today, it would likely be the sophomore punter, Matt Wile, as the starter over junior Will Hagerup. Wile took the starting job last season and averaged 41 yards per punt, while Hagerup averaged only 35 yards a kick.

The punter may not get much credit for victories in football games, but a great special teams unit can go a long way. The punting simply has to be much better this time around if Michigan would like to repeat last year's success.

8. Left Tackle: Taylor Lewan

Michigan did a solid job in protecting the quarterback last season, allowing only 18 sacks on the year. Although with a few key members of that unit no longer on the roster, the returning starters must continue to play well.

Lewan is a 2011 All-Conference player who started all 13 games last season, and he had the most important job of protecting quarterback Denard Robinson's blindside. During the offseason, Lewan is emerging as one of the leaders on this offense and looks to take his game to the next level.

Another big season from this offensive lineman and he will likely be one of the first players taken in next year's 2013 NFL draft.

7. Wide Receiver: Roy Roundtree

Roundtree had a fabulous season in 2010, hauling in 72 passes for over 900 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2011, that production decreased drastically, as he only caught 19 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns. With several top receivers no longer on the roster, Roundtree will be expected to perform similar to how he did in 2010.

He is the most experienced receiver as he enters his senior season and he has shown what he is capable of already. It is time to provide quarterback Denard Robinson with a valuable receiving weapon so this offense isn't as one-dimensional as it was last season.

6. Center: Ricky Barnum

Michigan had one of the best centers in college football with David Molk leading the way, but he graduated during the offseason. That leaves things up to senior Ricky Barnum, who hasn't started much throughout his career at Michigan and hasn't played the center position very much, either. Despite the lack of experience, offensive coordinator Al Borges isn't too concerned.

When Molk missed a few snaps, Michigan saw ugly performances from replacement centers. Balls were snapped too low or too high, which really can turn the offensive performance into a disaster.

It is very important that Barnum and quarterback Denard Robinson are on the same page as the regular season quickly approaches.

5. Defensive Tackle: Will Campbell

Michigan lost a ton of depth along the defensive line, including players like Mike Martin and last year's sack leader Ryan Van Bergen. That is when a player such as Will Campbell must join the party and finally decide to contribute.

Campbell came to Michigan as one of the more talented defensive tackles. He was a 5-star recruit from the 2009 class and showed a scary combination of size and strength. Three years later, he only has two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss to his name.

The senior is capable of becoming a beast along the defensive line, we just have to start seeing it. For a team that finished with a solid 30 sacks last season, Campbell's production is going to be extremely important to repeat those numbers.

4. Linebacker: Kenny Demens

While the secondary has a lot of experience, the linebacker position has many underclassmen projected to start. Kenny Demens will be that senior in the middle of the bunch to help mentor some of the younger players and provide that playmaking ability. 

Last season, Demens was the Wolverines' leading tackler, finishing the year with 94 and three sacks. Much of the defensive turnaround was because of the improved play from the linebacker position; Demens is the leader of this group and arguably the best player on this entire defense.

An even bigger season this time around isn't out of the question.

3. Running Back: Fitzgerald Toussaint

Fitzgerald Toussaint really emerged last season, becoming the first Michigan player not named Denard Robinson since 2007 to rush for over 1,000 yards. He was an absolute beast last season, rushing for over 100 yards in five different games. In the two losses, he wasn't effective at all and combined for only 65 yards on the ground.

While opposing defenses know all about the Wolverines' dual-threat quarterback, it is Toussaint who can help take some of that pressure off and help create one of the best one-two punches in the country. The junior running back is extremely important to this team heading into the 2012 season.

2. Safety: Jordan Kovacs

Kovacs may not be the most athletic or talented player on this roster, but he is a solid football player overall and the leader of a talented secondary. You can see his story in the video, but he was not promised any playing time when he came to Michigan and had to overcome a knee injury throughout his career.

As he enters his senior season, he has shown nothing but consistency, finishing in the top two in tackles on this team the last three seasons in a row. Last season, he did a little bit of everything, finishing with 75 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks and an interception.

Michigan has struggled at the safety position over the years; Kovacs provides some stability and a tremendous work ethic in the defensive backfield.

1. Quarterback: Denard Robinson

Is there really a question as to why Denard Robinson is listed as the most important player for Michigan?

The last two seasons, he has led the Wolverines in passing yards and rushing yards. This offense will only go as far as he carries it, as he is one of the most explosive players in college football. There isn't much experience behind Robinson, so if he goes down, this offense will struggle mightily. 

The senior quarterback must improve his decision-making to take his game to the next level, but Robinson is without question the most important player on this Wolverines team and will be a huge reason for their success once again.