Michigan Football: 5 Wolverines freshmen that are needed in 2019

Michigan football brings in the top-ranked recruiting class in the Big Ten. Some new players are expected to play key roles and here are the five needed most.

One of the most interesting things about Big Ten Media Days for Michigan football was the confidence displayed by Jim Harbaugh in his team.

Harbaugh has always been a confident guy and someone that isn’t afraid to say what he thinks. That was obvious again when he spoke about mental health and also about Urban Meyer last week.

But if we focus on football, one of the key things Harbaugh said at the main press conference was telling. He was asked about Michigan’s status as the Big Ten favorite and responded by saying he agreed with that assessment.

Harbaugh then went on to talk about the quality of his coaching staff, as well as the talent of his players. In some ways, he’s correct. This Michigan football team is really talented and returns more players that earned All-Big Ten honors in 2018 than any other program.

The Wolverines also made key additions to their staff on both sides of the ball, with the hiring of Josh Gattis as offensive coordinator, as well as Shaun Nua as defensive line coach and Anthony Campanile, a former co-defensive coordinator at Boston College, as a defensive assistant, replacing Al Washington.

A new spread system that features more up-tempo and no-huddle, could be revolutionary with Shea Patterson and Dylan McCaffrey. The defense should also see some tweaks, but mostly, that side of the ball will benefit from depth and talent, including some key incoming freshmen.

While Michigan football won’t be relying on tons of incoming freshmen, here are five guys that need to contribute in one way or another in 2019.