Michigan Football: To win BIG, youngsters must come of age quickly
Michigan football is considered one of the best teams in the country, despite losing 18 players to the NFL and that is thanks to an incredible amount of young talent.
When you look at the current Michigan football roster, it’s hard not to be excited. The talent and the youth is overflowing and you get the feeling, something special is on the horizon.
Related Story: Predicting Michigan's offensive line starters for 2017
However, with youth and inexperience, come growing pains. On the defensive side of the ball alone, Michigan football is down 10 starters. And the offense, isn’t much better.
Three starters on the offensive line are gone. Jake Butt is gone at tight end, along with Jehu Chesson and Amara Darbogh. De’Veon Smith is another veteran gone and so it goes.
Certainly, it helps having Wilton Speight back at quarterback, if he can hold off Brandon Peters. And Chris Evans leads a running back committee that returns three of its top four rushers from last season.
On defense, there are also some key returners. Mike McCray is back at linebacker and even though none of the front four technically started, Rashan Gary, Brian Mone, Maurice Hurst and Chase Winovich, all played significant snaps.
Winvoch and Hurst each had five sacks, tying them for third on the team. Furthermore, it Hurst had declared for the NFL draft, he might have been a first-round pick, if not a second or third.
At linebacker, Devin Bush Jr. and Josh Metellus both gained valuable, but limited experience in 2016. Metellus, who started in the Orange Bowl, will likely fill Jabrill Peppers role as the viper. Sophomore Khaleke Hudson could see time there too.
Michigan Wolverines Football
The secondary is extremely young and so are the wide receivers.
Eddie McDoom and Kekoa Crawford are projected to be the top wide outs. Both sophomores are likely to start. Grant Perry, if he returns is the other veteran presence. Beyond that, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black, Nico Collins and Oliver Martin will all have a chance to play right away as freshmen.
Peoples-Jones, the top wide receiver recruit in the country according to 247sports, can be special. If Perry is allowed to play, which is a big if, Michigan will have three talented veterans, along with four of the top 28 wide receiver recruits in the nation.
That’s just one example of a position that is young, but loaded with talent. The secondary is much the same. LaVert Hill, Keith Washington, Ambry Thomas, David Long, Ben St. Juste, all have a chance to start as freshmen or sophomores.
Hudson will likely start at safety along with Tyree Kinnel. Jaylen Kelly-Powell, is a four-star freshman that may also have a chance to compete for snaps.
The bottom line, is that Michigan football is going to play a ton of youngsters this season. And it will have far fewer players picked in next year’s NFL draft, because a lot less will be eligible.
Make no mistake, there are plenty of talented veterans and that group of core players is good enough to carry this team to at least eight wins.
Next: Top 10 Michigan Running Backs of All Time
But if the Wolverines really want to be transcendent this season and contend for a Big Ten or even a National Title, the youth needs to come of age quickly. In the long run, it certainly will, but how it will go in 2017, is still to be determined.