Michigan Football: Front four depth an area of concern

Michigan football is poised for another big season on the field, but a lack of experience on the depth chart regarding the front four is an area of concern.

Last season, the Wolverines were loaded with talent at every position. The backups at every position were able to get meaningful reps in meaningful games.

Heading into every new college football season, there are multiple positions that have last season’s backup as the new starter. That is the case for Michigan football, especially on defense, but the problem is, this season’s backups, haven’t seen much playing time.

On offense, the Maize and Blue are still seen to have one of the best offensive lines in the country, the wide receiver core is back with the addition of Ronnie Bell, and the running back room could arguably be better than last season.

The quarterback situation is the main topic of conversation when talking about the offense. Does head coach Jim Harbaugh start Cade McNamara or J.J. McCarthy?

Michigan football’s front four depth is an area of concern

Nobody knows what the starting lineup is going to look like exactly, but what we do know is that some young players are going to get a chance to prove themselves early on.

Mike Morris, Mazi Smith, Kris Jenkins, and Taylor Upshaw will more than likely be the front four to start the season based on experience. They are players that have gotten reps in big-time games.

The assumption in terms of depth players on the front four consist of redshirt freshman TJ Guy, redshirt freshman Rayshaun Benny, redshirt freshman George Rooks, junior Jaylen Harrell, and junior Braiden McGregor.

Outside of Harrell, nobody else on the depth of the front four has played that much. Other players to put into the mix on the front four are true freshman Derrick Moore and Mason Graham. I would expect Moore to get into some games early on with the hope that he can earn a spot in the rotation as he was highly recruited.

The inexperience on the depth chart is a concern heading into the season. The front four has been a major factor in the Wolverines’ success on defense since Jim Harbaugh returned to Ann Arbor. When they’re good, the defense is good. When they struggle, the defense struggles, it’s football.

New Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston has his work cut out for him heading into the season and needs to get these players ready to seize the opportunity that is in front of them. If he can do that, Michigan football is in a great spot to feed off their success from last season.