Seven returning starters aren't that many; however, they are projecting 4 or so guys opting for the draft:
14 starters Michigan football might need to replace next season and options to take over those spots
Jim Harbaugh could lose more than half of team’s starters this off-season
Michigan football will see plenty of turnover on both sides of the ball this off-season due to graduation and players leaving for the NFL draft. Who will take over those open spots?
The Wolverines were preseason Big Ten favorites heading into 2019 because of the number of returning starters. That won’t be the case next season, as more than half of Michigan’s starters could be moving on.
Some of the possible replacements have already seen significant playing time. Others haven’t seen the field at all. There will be even more unanswered questions heading into September next year.
Here’s a look at the players Michigan could lose, along with the most likely replacements.
QB Shea Patterson
Status: Graduating
Shea Patterson finished the season strong after a shaky start, passing for 2,828 yards and 22 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He also scored five rushing touchdowns and completed 57.3% of his pass attempts.
When he transferred to Michigan from Ole Miss two seasons ago, Patterson was hailed as a former five-star recruit and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2016 class. He never quite tapped into that elite billing, but he provided stability for a Michigan offense through a drastic system change.
Patterson saved his best performance for the rivalry game against Michigan State, throwing for 384 yards and two touchdowns. He tossed five more touchdown passes the following week against Indiana.
Overall, Patterson’s career in Ann Arbor was a good one, but the Wolverines will now look to a group of relative unknowns.
Replacement: Dylan McCaffrey
Other possibilities: Joe Milton
There’s no doubt quarterback will be the talk of the town next summer, as three former four-star recruits -- Dylan McCaffrey, Joe Milton and Cade McNamara -- duke it out for the starting spot.
McCaffrey has been the backup the last two years, suggesting he has a leg up on the competition. The brother of NFL star Christian McCaffrey has thrown 35 passes in his career, completing 18 of them for 242 yards and three touchdowns.
Mobility has been a strength for McCaffrey in his brief stints on the field. He’s gained 166 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns.
That mobility has been a blessing and a curse, though. McCaffrey has missed significant time each of the last two seasons after taking massive hits while running the ball.
The Wolverines haven’t had an elite playmaker at the quarterback position in more than a decade. Is McCaffrey that guy? He hasn’t had a chance to really showcase it yet, but we’re finally going to find out.
WR Nico Collins
Status: Possible early NFL draft entrant
The most painful loss for the offense this season will be if Nico Collins declares for the NFL draft, which seems exceedingly likely. Collins finished second on the team with 33 catches and 681 receiving yards. He led the team with seven touchdown catches.
The raw numbers don’t tell the full story of Collins’ production. He drew a ton of pass interference penalties this year and moved the chains on plenty of critical downs. His true breakout game was at Indiana, when he caught six passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns.
Michigan has plenty of talented receivers, but Collins is the best. His combination of size, speed and reliable hands made him a jump ball specialist as well as a home run threat after the catch. He’ll be an early draft pick, whether that’s in 2020 or 2021.
Replacement: Cornelius Johnson
Other possibilities: A.J. Henning, Roman Wilson
Wide receiver is the position in which Jim Harbaugh has been most willing to use true freshmen, as evidenced by Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones two years ago and a handful of players this season. For that reason, four-star commits A.J. Henning and Roman Wilson can’t be counted out as major contributors as soon as they step on campus.
Cornelius Johnson is the only player who can come close to matching the size and speed combination of Collins, though. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and has already displayed flashes of his talent as a true freshman.
Johnson only caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown this year, but he was on the field quite a bit. His biggest moment was a 39-yard touchdown catch late in the Michigan State victory.
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
Status: Possible early NFL draft entrant
It would be a blow for Michigan’s offense to lose both Collins and Peoples-Jones, but that feels like the most likely scenario.
Peoples-Jones was the No. 1 receiver in the 2017 recruiting class and the top player in the state of Michigan. That talent really started to come out when he returned from injury this season.
The junior wasn’t healthy until the Rutgers game, but he finished as the third-most productive receiver on the team with 33 catches for 404 yards and six touchdowns. He also returned 23 punts for an average of 7.6 yards.
Replacement: Mike Sainristil
Other possibilities: Giles Jackson, Henning, Wilson
Mike Sainristil was one of the talks of the off-season when he enrolled early and got comfortable in Josh Gattis’ offense, but he had a mostly quiet true freshman season.
He came to life toward the end of the year, though, catching six passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in the second half of the season. His speed and ability to make big plays after the catch make him a logical replacement for Peoples-Jones, if necessary.
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Entire article:
https://www.clickondetroit.com/spor...-season-and-options-to-take-over-those-spots/
