Michigan Football is loaded at running back, who will get the carries?

Michigan football has a ton of talent at running back and here’s a look at how the carries will be distributed.

One of the more intriguing questions for the Michigan football team in the fall will be how the carries are distributed? The backfield is loaded with talent that includes Zach Charbonnet, Hassan Haskins, Chris Evans, Christian Turner, and Blake Corum.

In Josh Gattis‘ first year as the offensive coordinator, the Wolverines ran the ball 495 times for 1,959 yards and 26 touchdowns.

The two main options were Charbonnet and Haskins as they combined to rush for 1,348 yards and 15 TDs. Tru Wilson and Turner had lesser roles in the offense but still produced 392 yards.

Under Gattis, Michigan football ran the ball 55 percent of the time and it had tons of success behind a veteran offensive line. Keep in mind, the two-headed monster of Charbonnet and Haskins were first-year backs at the college level.

Michigan football is losing Tru Wilson, a fan favorite, for 2020 and they are gaining an old friend in Chris Evans, who is returning after missing 2019 due to academic issues.

Blake Corum is the newcomer to the group and he will be looking to make an impact as a true freshman just as Charbonnet did last season. He put up some eye-popping stats in high school rushing for 1,266 yards and reaching the endzone 19 times as a senior.

How will Gattis distribute carries amongst the talented group?

Josh Gattis must smile ear to ear every time that he thinks about his running backs. The group is star-studded and ready to take the next step in 2020. Utilizing each player’s strengths will be important because there is still only one ball.

Zach Charbonnet was one of the top running backs coming out of the 2019 class and he proved that as a freshman. He showed that he’s a power back with a penchant for getting to the endzone.

The California native rushed 149 times last season, the most of any ball carrier. He should eclipse that number as a sophomore. Zach has the talent to carry the ball 15-20 times a game.

Haskins emerged on the scene last season as a reliable option to carry the rock and will look to carry that momentum into the upcoming season. The linebacker turned running back had two 100-yard games in 2019.

Haskins found a way to get yards all season and was the jelly to Charbonnet’s peanut butter. Defenses got no breaks when one back would take a breather.

With Hassan finding his role, he should see more carries as well. Charbonnet and Haskins will continue to be a great 1-2 punch.

The most interesting running back on the roster might be Evans. In the three seasons before his suspension, all he did was rush for 1,722 yards and 14 TDs along with 40 catches for 392 yards and 2 TDs.

He can be an x-factor on offense because he has the ability to beat opposing defenses with his running and receiving skills. Evans has plenty of game tape showing his ability to make defenders miss with the ball in his hands.

Gattis’ offense has the ability to showcase both of those skills as we saw in year one. As long as he can knock off the rust, Chris Evans can be the perfect hybrid back for Michigan football.

That brings us to Turner and Corum. Turner had some bright spots last season including leading the team in rushing against Rutgers. Yet, he was passed on the depth chart by Haskins halfway through the season.

Turner will have to fight for carries in 2020. He has shown flashes of his potential but faces an uphill battle to rise up the depth chart.

Corum is the new kid on the block. He enrolled early in hopes of getting up to speed with the offense during spring ball. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen because of COVID-19. Blake will have to learn the playbook under these unique circumstances until off-season activities can resume.

The Maryland native has a chance to play as a true freshman, just look at what Charbonnet was able to do last season. He will get an opportunity to showcase his abilities and learn from a talented group of running backs.

Running back will be a position of strength for the 2020 Wolverines. They are oozing talent and a great offensive mind leading the charge. There may only be one football, but Coach Gattis will utilize everyone to the best of their abilities.