Michigan Football: 3 Thoughts on the return of Jalen Mayfield

Michigan football got some really good news Friday, as offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield opted back in for 2020. Here’s three thoughts on his impact.

One of the first questions asked when we learned that the Michigan football season was back on for 2020, was whether or not Jalen Mayfield and others would play?

Mayfield was one of two Wolverines, along with Ambry Thomas, who announced for the NFL draft before the Big Ten made its announcement about the restart.

Last season, in his first year as a starter, Mayfield acquitted himself quite well, especially against Ohio State and Chase Young. So he has been getting buzz as a first-round draft pick, so it made sense for the redshirt sophomore to declare and skip a spring season.

But once the Big Ten switched back to fall, the recruiting of Mayfield back to Michigan began. Offensive line coach Ed Warinner got to work as did offensive coordinator Josh Gattis and even new starting quarterback Joe Milton.

At some point, Mayfield’s family even started pushing for him to return and now, he will have a nine-game season to prove himself as first-round worthy to NFL scouts. For U-M, it means getting at least one starter back from a year ago.

Here are three other thoughts on the return of Mayfield, starting with what it could mean for Nico Collins:

Could Nico join Mayfield?

There was some reporting from Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider ($) that the return of Nico Collins was something that would really sway Mayfield to come back to the Wolverines.

And while there hasn’t been any word on Collins changing his mind at this point and to note, he has already signed with an agent, you have to wonder if there is some hope there.

Collins is another Michigan football player who has been projected to go in the early rounds of the NFL draft. However, a breakout senior season could really solidify him as a first-round pick and if Joe Milton lives up to the hype, it could really have a positive impact on Collins.

Either way, getting Mayfield back is a big deal as we’ll talk about more, and maybe it will get Collins thinking more about a return.