Does Michigan Have The Deepest Backfield In Big Ten?

If you take a look around the Big Ten conference, there are some talented running backs. There are also teams with question marks at the position, after Javon Ringer and Shonn Greene left.

With great field vision, Evan Royster is one of those backs who can rush for 1200 yards off a great combination of size and speed. He's accompanied by Stephon Green's top end speed.

At first glance, John Clay is a traditional Wisconsin back; phenomenal size and the ability to bang it out between the tackles.

However, with a second look, we see that Clay has another gear very similar to Beanie Wells; and is probably the most NFL ready back in the conference.

Even without Wells, Dan Herron and Brandon Saine could keep Ohio State's running game to being more than just a respectable compliment to Terrelle Pryor.

Further out west is Iowa's Jewel Hampton. A proven back who average 5 yards per carry, and rushed for 500 yards with 7 touchdowns on limited carries. With more of a work load, we can expect a huge year from the Hawkeye.

But among the Big 12 teams, there may not be one squad with more depth and talent at RB than the Wolverines.

In 2008, Brandon Minor finished with 533 yards rushing, nine touchdowns and a 5.2 yards per carry average in only four starts. Minor has accumulated 1156 yards and 12 touchdowns in his short career at Michigan.

One of his fellow backs, Carlos Brown, has recorded 545 yards and four touchdowns in his career. Although the stats may seem minuscule, its due to minimal reps last year because of injuries.

The same goes for Kevin Grady who started out the season hot, and then tore his ACL, which kept him out of action the whole season. To this point, he's rushed for 703 rushing yards and scored nine touchdowns.

Senior Carlos Brown (545 yards, four TD's in career) and Sophomore Michael Shaw (215 yards and 5.1 yards per carry last season) have also seen limited opportunities. The former due to other backs in front of him and injuries; the latter to playing as a freshmen last year. 

With this arsenal of backs, and newly minted enrollee Vincent Smith, the Wolverines will have various ways of attacking their opponents.

Ultimately, this is a group that has suffered a combination of sitting behind Mike Hart, learning a new system behind an inexperienced offensive line, and some tough luck staying healthy.

However, it's not crazy to think that this group is going to have a breakout year. It's also hard to argue against UM having the deepest RB corps in the Big Ten.

This article can also be found at http://wolverinesmix.com/