Michigan football is loaded with talent but in order to keep up with the elite teams in the Big Ten, it needs these five guys to step up big in 2018.
The Michigan football team has high expectations for the 2018 season and one reason for that is an abundance of talent. The Wolverines are loaded and if some of the young players who got their feet wet last season develop into stars, UM could be scary.
Obviously, that’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s not bold analysis to say if players become stars Michigan football will win. Duh. Yet, the point there is going to be to identify exactly who those guys are and why it’s so important for them to take their game to the next level.
In the Big Ten East, nothing is going to come easy. Ohio State, even with the Urban Meyer scandal, is still the team to beat. Michigan State is acting like it’s the big brother and Penn State, despite losing Saquan Barkley, is still dangerous.
So if Michigan is going to compete for a Big Ten championship or a spot in the College Football Playoff, it needs some of these young guys to fulfill their potential.
A perfect example of guys taking the leap in 2017 was Rashan Gary and Devin Bush Jr. Bush, who will be a junior this season, went from 11 tackles in 2016 to 95 in 2017. He also notched 5.5 sacks, 10 TFL, and an interception. Gary also upped his stats in every category and both players earned All Big-Ten honors.
This season, Michigan football has some great candidates to make that leap and others that need to step up in order to fill the void of guys that are gone and here are five that fit that mold.