Michigan Football: Christian Turner, a Heisman candidate?

Michigan football’s running back Christan Turner is one part of fierce competition for the starting position against the likes of Tru Wilson and incoming freshman Zach Charbonnet. Despite that, Bleacher Report is saying he’s one of the few underclassmen in the country with the best shot at the 2019 trophy.

Bleacher Reports Brad Shepard created a list last month highlighting the top ten underclassmen with the best shot at the 2019 Heisman Trophy, which included Christian Turner. The Michigan football running back has been plagued by injuries this offseason and has not been able to practice until this week and yet Shepard is taking a leap of faith with the young star.

Brad Shepard wrote:

"Redshirt freshman running back Christian Turner is another wild card.Featuring a player with just 20 collegiate carries for 95 yards requires a leap of faith, but things are lining up for the Michigan Wolverines runner. Not only is incoming true freshman Zach Charbonnet out this spring, but Turner is turning heads. Plus, Karan Higdon is gone, which creates a 1,178-yard hole that needs filling.New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has a seasoned quarterback in Shea Patterson and a bunch of capable receivers, but he needs a workhorse toting the rock. The 5’11”, 200-pound Turner can run between the tackles and kick it up a notch after getting through the second level.“I’m happy with our running backs,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh told WolverineWire’s Isaiah Hole. “Christian Turner has surged from bowl practices to bowl game and then since then, he’s been A++ in terms of how he’s going about his business. He is really becoming a rising player, no question about it.”The Buford, Georgia native will wind up becoming yet another Peach State steal for Harbaugh.College teams need multiple running backs in today’s game, and Charbonnet is good enough to take carries away from Turner. But the latter will be the offense’s bell-cow back, and running the ball effectively is important in the Big Ten.Turner is a star in the making. All he needs is an opportunity, and he’ll get that in 2019."

Brad mentioned new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis as one of his reasonings, and from what Gattis had to say about Turner, Shepard’s prediction could have some validity.

"“Yeah, Christian was able to come back towards the end,” Gattis said. “Obviously, we were able to see him early on. He’s such an explosive player as a runner. He’s often a guy – the message from me to Christian is: ‘Slow down, sometimes.’ Everything doesn’t have to be so fast. I’m excited about the skillset that he brings, just from his explosive nature as a running back. He’s got great balance, vision and body control – everything you need to be an elite running back. And so I’m really excited about, when we get him back fully, Coach Jay Harbaugh being able to take his development to the next level and make him an elite player."

Although running backs coach Jay Harbaugh isn’t so sure how much time Christian will spend at the starting position.

https://twitter.com/UMichFootball/status/1118887626600341506

"“We’re not going to end spring knowing who’s going to be our top guy, for sure, for the first game,” Jay Harbaugh said. “There’s a lot more work to be done throughout summer. Those guys know that they’re building a body of work throughout — of how reliable I can be, (and) what’s the strength staff’s opinion of me through July.“It’s a marathon. The sprint of spring is important, but you’ve got to be able to sustain. That’s the good thing for those guys that are out — they know they can get back into the fight.”"

While it’s nice to see Michigan football players getting early praise, it’s way too early to tell who will be in the running and Vegas doesn’t even list Turner in their odds to win the Heisman. In fact, the only Wolverine to make the list was Shea Patterson with +3300 odds, according to Bovada.

However, at the end of the day, last years starting running back is gone and the position is up for grabs. Also, four of the five starters on the offensive line are back aligning all the pieces for a breakout rushing season.