Michigan Football: 5 breakout candidates for Wolverines on defense

Michigan football will have some key holes to fill on defense heading into the 2020 season and here are five Wolverine defenders poised to breakout.

Now that recruiting for the 2020 season is all but over, outside of transfers, it seems like a great time to take stock of where Michigan football stands in terms of its roster.

We have already broken down and predicted both the offensive and defensive depth charts, as well as taking a look at five guys ready to step up on offense for Michigan football in 2020.

But what about defense?

The defense struggled mightily against Ohio State, Alabama and Wisconsin in losses last season and also gave up 28 points on the road against Penn State. That last game was one the offense could have won and it certainly could have performed better in the other defeats too, but the defense also needs to improve.

Namely, the Wolverines have to get better against the run. While the pass defense left much to be desired at times too, especially against Ohio State and Alabama, the run defense was the main culprit against the Buckeyes, Crimson Tide and Badgers.

Michigan football simply couldn’t hold up in the trenches and that was hard to watch. Getting beat by athletes is hard enough, but watching the Wolverines get bullied might be even worse.

With some of the guys coming up in the pipeline, there is a reason for optimism and here’s a look at five breakout candidates for Michigan’s defense heading into next season.