Michigan Football: Who Will Be Wolverines' Leaders on the Field in 2015?

Michigan’s cream must rise to the top—either that, or it'll have another laughable football season in 2015.

With a new coach and new direction, the Wolverines' only choice is to start over. There aren’t many other options.

The 2015 season was supposed to be the real year of title contention under former coach Brady Hoke—instead, it’ll be Year 1 of another rebuild for the once-proud former pinnacle of the Big Ten.

Whomever adopts Team 136 won’t be short on talent—recruits, maybe, but not talent. The Wolverines have loaded classes stocked by Hoke, so finding guys to assume the role in between the lines shouldn’t be an issue for Jim Harbaugh or Guy No. 2.

The problem was never about the level of talent under Hoke; it was always about the lack of widespread development. Under the right tutelage, Michigan's roster will one day compete for conference championships and playoff bids.  

But that won't happen until the program finds firm, reliable leadership from within. Some of the following players could be of assistance. 

Leaders by Design

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Shane Morris, Wilton Speight and Alex Malzone were all praised for the leadership abilities in high school, and it’s doubtful that they’d make it this far had they been lacking in that department. Quarterbacks, especially at the Division I level, are usually the backbone of a team.

Defense wins championships. Great coaching does wonders. Wins come in the trenches…so on and so forth.

All of that is true. But without a real quarterback, a team is doomed. Ask Michigan, which hasn’t known what to do under center since Chad Henne left in 2008.

A junior this fall, Morris is an obvious choice for Michigan’s next starter. The 6’3”, 204-pound lefty has been around long enough and certainly realizes expectations—especially now, given the circumstances. He’s the most experienced signal-caller Michigan has, so he’ll always have that in his corner.

Plus he’s a local kid out of Warren De La Salle, and Michigan seems to be big on hometown heroes lately, just take a look at the courtship of San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh—who, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, is a candidate for the open job at Michigan. He also starred in Ann Arbor under the legendary Bo Schembechler.

Harbaugh and Morris could be a dream scenario come true, a match made in maize and blue heaven.

Speight is a high-character student-athlete, and there probably isn’t a coach in America who wouldn’t want the 6’6”, 234-pound freshman in his school’s uniform. Evident by a past interview, Speight is all about family and togetherness.

Those are nice qualities to have. People tend to like them in leaders.

That said, he’s also in possession of a right arm that’s capable of lighting up the field. Considering him as a go-to in 2015 isn’t too far of a stretch at all.

Michigan’s situation has to be rough on the players, both old and new.

Just think about it: Juniors and seniors who were once close to Hoke now must either accept the new guy or rebel against him, potentially causing the formation of factions or a split among the team. Now imagine walking into that as a true freshman; that’d be difficult for a veteran transfer to digest, let alone a kid who was in high school just months prior.

As a rule, first-year quarterbacks aren’t always looked upon for leadership. But Malzone is a local; the 6’1.5”, 200-pound 4-star prospect is coming off a spectacular and well-publicized career at Birmingham Brother Rice, one of the state’s top powerhouse prep mills.

Michigan’s offense needs an injection of something fresh, energetic and new. Malzone could help quench the fanbase’s thirst for more—the offense certainly could use him, as it’s been nothing short of painfully ineffective the past three seasons.

They Showed Glimpses in 2014

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Some would argue that the O-line was better in 2014 than it was in 2013. Back in early fall, De’Veon Smith, a junior running back and soon-to-be leader by proxy, said as much when asked about the line’s development this past season.

However, some would argue against that idea because Devin Gardner, to a lesser extent than he was in 2013, was still rag-dolled by opposing defenses. He was sacked 26 times (No. 28 overall) compared to 34 in 2013 (No. 3 overall). 

However, every now and then, the line showed some signs of progression but not quite enough to celebrate. That’ll have to change in 2015, and it’ll start with left tackle Mason Cole and center Jack Miller, two of the best the Wolverines have to offer.

As a true frosh, Cole demonstrated the ability to learn on the fly and hold his position. He made a lot of mistakes, but that goes with the territory when you're tasked with replacing a former All-American. He wasn't horrible, though. 

Miller helped at least solidify the once-pillow-soft interior. He always displayed a great deal of pride during press conferences this past season. He was always thoughtful, honest and accountable. 

Look no further than Mr. Jack Miller, Michigan fan. The 6'4", 299-pounder is certain to be a shining example on the field next fall. 

Video: Remember last time it hit the fan? Miller stood tall then, just like he should in 2015.

Upperclassman Honor

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The lack of experienced upperclassmen was the calling card of Hoke’s tenure. He’d often encourage spectators, fans and the like to be patient because, well, that was the only choice. Hoke often suggested that the Wolverines would be better led on and off the field once underclassmen mature.

Well, they have—and it’s their time.

Blake Countess, a corner, will be a senior. His counterpart in the backfield, Jarrod Wilson, will be a senior. The rest, such as Dymonte Thomas, Channing Stribling and Jeremy Clark will be juniors. Again, the secondary has enough manpower to make do.

Linebacker Joe Bolden will be a senior. His running mate, Ben Gedeon, will be a junior. Desmond Morgan will return for another senior year. The Wolverines will return some experience at the position, with Morgan’s 31 starts and Bolden’s 17 headlining the depth chart.

There are others. Dozens of them. Some have already been mentioned. Some have not. 

But to be fair, from behind a keyboard, it’s easy to say Player A could do “this” because he's been in tough spots before and has experience. It's easy to say that Player B could help save a sinking ship.

But really, the only guys who really know the deal are in the huddles. They’re at practices. They’re the ones who are enduring the dramatics of the post-Hoke era with their teammates.

And they’re the ones with the real answers.

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. Recruiting information via 247Sports.