Michigan Football: Early Look at Wolverines Roster for 2015 Season

Michigan is coachless and Devin Funchess-less.

But it’s not talentless.

As a matter of fact, the new regime—led by San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh or LSU’s Les Miles or whomever—will have plenty to work with, manipulate and move to its liking in 2015.

That’s the outlook right now, anyway.

Despite having lost just about everyone from their upcoming recruiting class, the Wolverines have enough on the defensive and offensive side of the ball to win on Saturdays. Really, they had that in 2014—the only thing missing was a coaching staff capable of widely developing athletes at each position, not just a few at select spots.

Jake Butt, a tight end (maybe receiver?), and wideout Amara Darboh will be obvious keys to success when it comes to moving the ball through the air, while De’Veon Smith, Derrick Green and Ty Isaac will have to carry the load via ground game.

In light of Ray Taylor’s expired eligibility, Jourdan Lewis and Blake Countess must return as the leaders of the defensive backfield. Forget Team 135’s 5-7 record for a moment and remember that Lewis’ stock rose in 2014. However, Countess took a few steps in the wrong direction, but that’s not to say that he can’t rebound as a senior.

Sure, the program seems to be in limbo at the moment. However, once talks lead to the hiring of a coach, Michigan can set its priorities on making sure the Wolverines won’t be the Big Ten’s doormat next season.

It’s time to take a look at some of the key positions and personnel, as they’ll determine the immediate fortunes of Michigan football. That said, a full breakdown will be in order after things settle. 

Player/Pos.	Yards	TD	Eligibility in 2015
Jake Butt TE	211 (21 catches)	2	Jr.
Amara Darboh WR	473 (36)	2	RS Jr.
Derrick Green RB	471 (82 attempts)	3	Jr.
De'Veon Smith RB	519 (108)	6	Jr.
Drake Johnson RB	361 (60)	4	RS Jr.

Who’s the Quarterback?

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Speculation, feelings and the direction of the wind are the only guides at the moment, as it's unlikely that the Wolverines have tabbed a leader at this juncture. 

But the next likely candidate is Shane Morris, who’ll be a junior returning with 389 passing yards and five picks. As a sophomore, he completed 14 of 40 attempts for 128 yards and three interceptions.

That said, he looked much better as a freshman reliever during Michigan’s 2014 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl loss to Kansas State than he did this past fall.

But for the sake of his development, Michigan’s next coach better hope that the kid still has confidence.

During the team’s 2014 media day, Morris said that he was “100 percent ready” to start. That mentality probably hasn’t changed. However, the new staff will certainly take hard looks at incoming 4-star freshman Alex Malzone and will-be-redshirt-frosh Wilton Speight before making any decisions on who gets the top nod.

At 6’1.5” and 200 pounds, Malzone has adequate size with an above average arm. At 6’6” and 234 pounds, Speight has ideal size and returns, arguably, the team’s top arm.

There isn’t a proven commodity, but Morris has wheels and can throw. Speight regularly threw 50-yard bombs during warm-ups. And then there’s the hometown kid (Malzone) who won Michigan’s Mr. Football honors out of Brother Rice.

Not proven, but far from slim pickings.

Defense has Upside

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Losing linebacker Jake Ryan and defensive end Brennen Beyer hurts. They were both among Big Ten leaders in tackles for loss during most of 2014. Ryan finished with 14 (No. 6 overall) and Beyer finished with 7.5, one behind Nebraska’s Randy Gregory, who was No. 20 in the league.

Defensive linemen Matt Godin, Taco Charlton and Bryan Mone are among logical successors to posts vacated by Beyer and Frank Clark, as are Willie Henry and Ondre Pipkins.

As a redshirt sophomore in 2014, Godin whet his appetite as a key backup for Greg Mattison’s No. 10-ranked total defense. The 6’6”, 286-pounder out finished with an unimpressive nine tackles but certainly showed a high motor.

It’s not every day that D-linemen get picks—he snagged one during Michigan’s ugly 10-9 road victory over Northwestern. Players such as Godin will help carry on the teachings of Mattison, who constructed a respectable corps in Ann Arbor during the past four years.

At 6’6” and 275 pounds, Charlton can do damage. He finished his sophomore year with 19 tackles, 5.5 of which were for a loss. Mone’s a bull. The 6’4”, 312-pounder should be one step closer to league-wide domination during his sophomore season.

And that’s even if Michigan isn’t very good overall. Mone dazzled when he was given the opportunity to smash someone.

Joe Bolden is another guy who’ll carry Mattison’s torch this fall.

As a junior, he displayed heart and leadership each week. He missed some tackles and wasn’t always in position, but he always took accountability for his transgressions—and those of others—and vowed to improve.  If anything, 2014 was a shocking learning experience that’ll aid the 6’3”, 231-pound linebacker this upcoming fall.

Along with James Ross and Royce Jenkins-Stone, his fellow-seniors-to-be, Bolden will likely be tasked with pushing underclassmen Noah Furbush, Mike McCray, Jared Wangler and Michael Ferns.

They won’t have to worry about junior Ben Gedeon. He’s on the up-and-up and could be the team’s top linebacker next season. The 6'3", 240-pounder has great instincts and knows how to hit. 

And they won't have to worry about Desmond Morgan, who sat out 2014 with an arm injury. The 6'1", 232-pounder has 31 starts to his credit. 

Special Teams

Now that kicker Matt Wile and punter Will Hagerup are out of the picture, it’s on Kenny Allen and Andrew David to split uprights and pin teams into corners. At 6’3” and 220 pounds, Allen has a ton of leg. David was the No. 7 kicker of the 2015 class, per 247Sports.

Stay Breezy

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Peppers spent his freshman year pumping iron, as evidenced by a photo tweeted by College Spun. Due to a lower-body and/or ankle injury, the former 5-star recruit saw action in just three games for Michigan in 2014.

He’s listed at 6’1” and 202 pounds. It’s safe to say he’s put on at least 15 pounds since arriving to Ann Arbor. What coach wouldn’t want to coach this kid? Peppers—despite not having the chance to show off the goods—remains Michigan’s most-hyped player in years.

Imagine what’ll happen once he’s a regular. That’s something to look forward to, despite the mayhem in Ann Arbor.

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer