Michigan Football: Predicting the Starters for Each Wolverines Position in 2016
Returning starters are a primary reason the Michigan football program is already a trendy College Football Playoff and Big Ten Championship pick for the 2016 season.
The Wolverines return eight starters on the offense as well as six starters and six key rotational pieces defensively.
Many names—like Jehu Chesson, Jake Butt, Jabrill Peppers and Jourdan Lewis—are obvious starters, but Michigan will have a couple of new and important faces in the lineup.
Broken down by position, this list identifies leading candidates, top competition and possible developments before offering a final prediction for 2016 starters.
Quarterback
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"If you have two quarterbacks, you have none," the saying goes. For now, the Wolverines have five.
Wilton Speight served as the backup to Jake Rudock in 2015, initially as a way to preserve Shane Morris' redshirt season but eventually as the true second-stringer.
Following the win over Minnesota, Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com noted head coach Jim Harbaugh said he stopped being nervous when Speight threw the ball.
Gaining Harbaugh's trust like Speight did is imperative. Otherwise, none of the other four challengers have a chance at grabbing the starting role.
Morris has never reached his potential. While there's hope he can improve under Harbaugh and quarterbacks coach Jedd Fisch, everyone is receiving the same coaching. Morris is already behind Speight now, and that may not change.
John O'Korn started 16 games at Houston before transferring. Alex Malzone and early-enrolling freshman Brandon Peters will also be factors in the chase.
Seven months out, though, trust wins.
Running Back
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Compared to the madness under center, running back is simple.
De'Veon Smith was the leading rusher in 2014 and 2015, officially holding the No. 1 role last season. Whether or not he's the starter for 2016 could be a matter of semantics.
Drake Johnson and Kareem Walker figure to be rotational pieces, and they might take the first snap instead of Smith, consequently receiving the "start."
The Wolverines will have two proven, capable backs as well as a highly touted freshman. As long as Walker impresses in practice, he should register a handful of carries per game.
Smith gets the early nod over Johnson and Walker, but they'll be near the top of the depth chart.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
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No controversy here.
Amara Darboh and Chesson secured their starting jobs, and Butt was the Big Ten Player of the Year at tight end.
Michigan will be looking for more contributions from the reserve receivers, such as Grant Perry, Drake Harris and Maurice Ways. Perry, the offense's No. 3 wideout in 2015, only had 14 catches.
Now, the No. 2 tight end is important. A.J. Williams did an excellent job as a blocker, but he's out of eligibility. Ian Bunting, Khalid Hill and Henry Poggi logged some snaps, though often mildly successful at best.
We know the starters, but the Wolverines need improvement from their depth.
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Offensive Line
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Michigan has four returning starters on the offensive line—and options.
Though Mason Cole was a mainstay at left tackle in 2014 and 2015, he could move to center and replace the departing Graham Glasgow. That would open the door for Grant Newsome on the outside.
Cole could also stick at left tackle, in which case the Wolverines replace one spot. Patrick Kugler is in the mix at center, and Texas graduate transfer Jake Raulerson recently visited Ann Arbor.
Erik Magnuson was solid on the right edge, while left guard Ben Braden and right guard Kyle Kalis are back. David Dawson and a couple of freshmen could push Braden and Kalis for playing time.
For now, though, the leading option is Kugler entering the starting lineup flanked by four returners, and No. 2 is Newsome at left tackle with Cole at center.
Defensive Line
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Ryan Glasgow and Chris Wormley will headline Michigan's defensive line in 2016, but for Wormley, the question is where.
Defensive end Willie Henry bolted for the NFL, and Bryan Mone will be available after missing 2015 due to an ankle injury. If the Wolverines play Glasgow at nose tackle and Mone at defensive tackle, Wormley could shift out to D-end, where he started two games last year.
That seems like the best option given two of Michigan's best three reserve pieces—Maurice Hurst and Matt Godin—are tackles. Taco Charlton is the top end behind Wormley, and Lawrence Marshall could be a factor as an edge-rusher.
Rashan Gary, the No. 1 recruit of the 2016 class, could work his way into the lineup immediately if he ultimately heads to Ann Arbor.
Glasgow and Wormley will start, while Mone and Wormley are the favorites to join them if Michigan sticks with a 4-2-5 alignment.
Linebackers
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As of this moment, we don't know how many linebackers new defensive coordinator Don Brown will utilize in his base unit at Michigan.
He could stick with what the Wolverines know, using a 3-4 with an edge-rushing "Buck" linebacker. However, the defense also leaned heavily on the 4-2-5 last season.
Harbaugh and his staff might think otherwise, and I certainly wouldn't disagree with them. But a 4-2-5 alignment seems to best fit Michigan's 2016 personnel.
Ben Gedeon is a near-certain starter. He logged 34 tackles in 2015, which is 26 more than the remainder of the returning linebackers combined. Due to that inexperience, 4-star freshman Devin Bush Jr. can sneak into the lineup.
Don't rule out the Wolverines grabbing a graduate transfer to start, but Gedeon and Bush have a slight edge over Noah Furbush, Chase Winovich, Allen Gant and Mike McCray.
Secondary
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Barring injury, Lewis is a lock to start at cornerback. The second-team All-American deserved every bit of that honor, and he could be even better next season.
Peppers will also start, though he'll likely be moved around at cornerback or safety. Peppers' versatility will allow Michigan to experiment at filling Jarrod Wilson's void at free safety.
Delano Hill and Dymonte Thomas each started at least five games, and one will replace Wilson. Jeremy Clark and Channing Stribling logged plenty of snaps at cornerback.
Should the Wolverines use five defensive backs, Lewis and Clark—quite perfectly—are the leaders for the outside. Thomas has the edge on Hill for safety.
Like running back, though, the remainder of the starters could be a matter of semantics. Peppers might open a game as an outside corner, nickelback or strong safety. Hill could line up where Peppers isn't, or Stribling can enter at either corner or nickel.
Assuming the 4-2-5 alignment, Lewis, Clark, Peppers, Thomas and Hill are likely to record the most starts—even if the position changes for the latter three.
Specialists
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The one-man show isn't quite a rarity, but Kenny Allen could join a rather exclusive club.
After cementing his spot as the placekicker thanks to a 15-of-16 mark inside 40 yards, Allen is the favorite to replace Blake O'Neill as punter.
Overall, the now-senior hit all 46 extra points and 18 of 22 field-goal attempts. Allen's only misses came from 44, 47, 37 and 42 yards. He also served as the kickoff specialist, recording 34 touchbacks on 78 kicks.
Allen also stepped in for O'Neill during the Citrus Bowl when the regular punter was sidelined. Barring a graduate transfer, Allen is the leader over Ryan Tice and Andrew David.
All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
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