Fall camp is underway for Michigan football and it seems like a great opportunity for our final depth chart projection before the 2023 season.
Believe it or not, Michigan football is back on the practice field as fall camp started on Wednesday. The Wolverines are a month away from their season opener against East Carolina, but you can almost taste it.
There haven’t been any rumblings yet about fall camp. Michigan football keeps things pretty tight-lipped. Some of the local reporters will have some intel but the Wolverines don’t open up their practices to the media very often, so there’s limited info in fall camp.
That’s the way it’s always been. Michigan football does send out some videos and photos to satisfy our appetites for fall camp info, but it’s not much.
There are a few things to learn and one thing we know is that this Michigan football team is loaded with talent. Jim Harbaugh recently told The Athletic that the Wolverines could have as many as 20 players drafted.
It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Michigan is as deep as it has ever been under Jim Harbaugh. It also has by far the best quarterback of the Harbaugh era, and potentially one of the best Michigan football has ever had at the position.
There are going to be some interesting position battles to watch and here is our final depth chart projection for the 2023 Michigan football season.
Quarterback
Starter: J.J. McCarthy
This is an easy choice. Unlike last season, there’s no debate about who Michigan football will start at quarterback against East Carolina.
Jim Harbaugh said McCarthy is a generational quarterback for Michigan at Big Ten Media Days. He’s right about that and I could easily see McCarthy turning into a Heisman contender.
McCarthy was really good last season but should be even better in 2023. His arm talent is on par with anyone in college football, he’s also accurate, athletic, and just a winner as evidenced by his 13-1 record as a starter.
Michigan football has lost three games since McCarthy stepped on campus and that’s not a coincidence.
Backup: Davis Warren, Jack Tuttle, and Alex Orji
This is one of the most interesting training camp battles. Warren looks like a potential future starter, but Tuttle has Big Ten experience and started games at Indiana.
Alex Orji is a spectacular athlete. However, he impressed me with his arm in the spring. The four-star recruit could also have a special package to take advantage of his athleticism, but I’d rather McCarthy take every snap possible.
Running back
Starter(s): Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards
I refuse to call Donovan Edwards a backup. Corum will technically be the starter this season and deservedly so but co-starters are legitimate in my opinion.
Last season, Corum and Edwards rushed for over 2,400 yards and Edwards was nine yards short of 1,000. This year, I think both backs will get 1,000 yards on the ground. Corum probably won’t see as many carries as he did last season and he shouldn’t.
Michigan football needs him healthy for November, December, and January. The same can be said for Edwards. The Wolverines have the best running back duo in the country but need both backs healthy when it counts or it won’t matter.
Backups: Benjamin Hall, CJ Stokes, Cole Cabana, Tavi Dunlap, and Kalel Mullings
Hall stood out this spring for Michigan football. We’ll see if that carries over to fall camp and the regular season. I’m excited to see what Cole Cabana can do and he might be my bet to have the biggest role of a third back on the team, just based on what he can do as a receiver.
Overall, Michigan football is pretty deep at running back and my hope is that the Wolverines aren’t afraid to share the wealth especially early in the season.
Wide receiver
Starters: Roman Wilson, Cornelius Johnson, and Tyler Morris
Most pundits talk about the wide receivers when addressing Michigan football’s weaknesses in the 2023 season, but I certainly don’t share that feeling.
Maybe there isn’t a dominant No. 1 like Marvin Harrison Jr. But Roman Wilson is dynamic and seems poised for a breakout performance this season. Just look at what he was able to do in the Fiesta Bowl last season.
Cornelius Johnson had a huge game against Ohio State, but he’s been a consistent producer throughout his career. He’ll be a solid No. 2 this season and Tyler Morris will take on the Ronnie Bell role and shine.
Backups: Darrius Clemons, Peyton O’Leary, Semaj Morgan, Frederick Moore, Karmello English, and Christian Dixon
Michigan has a bunch of depth at wideout. Darrius Clemons is also a breakout candidate and I fully expect him to have a solid season in the 400-500 yard range. O’Leary had a big spring game and we’ll see if that carries over.
Morris and Clemons were part of a touted freshmen class in 2022 at the position. This fall, they’ll get their chance to show what they can do.
Morgan, Moore, and English also have a chance to play. I’ve always thought Morgan had the best chance of the freshmen receivers to play early, but all three could have a chance to see the field this season and could even burn their redshirt.
Tight end
Starter(s): Colston Loveland and A.J. Barner
This is another position that will be tough to call in fall camp. Colston Loveland is likely going to play the most snaps this season and former Michigan football tight end Jake Butt said that Loveland could be the best to ever play the position for Michigan.
The way Loveland closed the season — with catches of 20 yards or more against Illinois, Ohio State, and Purdue in the Big Ten title game, he showed he’s ready for primetime.
Michigan football is known for its running back tandem, but the tight-end duo is also one of the best in college football.
Backups: Matthew Hibner, Zach Marshall, Deakon Tonielli, Marlin Klein and Max Bredeson.
The Wolverines are pretty deep at tight end too. Hibner had an impressive spring. We’ve heard good things about the freshman and Bredeson is tough as nails. Michigan football loves to throw to tight ends but it also loves to use them in the running game so expect lots of tight ends to get snaps for Michigan football in 2023.
Offensive line
Starters: LaDarius Henderson, Trevor Keegan, Drake Nugent, Zak Zinter, Karsen Barnhart;
Backups: Myles Hinton, Jeffrey Persi, Giovanni El-Hadi, Greg Crippen, Raheem Anderson, and Trente Jones.
The Michigan football offensive line is absolutely loaded. There are guys that are technically third-string on the depth chart for the Wolverines that would start for other Big Ten teams and I’m talking about the majority of teams in the league.
Jim Harbaugh recently said there were 10 offensive line starters for five spots. Seven offensive linemen are on the Senior Bowl watch list and frankly, every guy listed above will probably end up in the NFL when it’s all said and done.
The main position battles are left tackle, center, and right tackle. Keegan and Zinter are starting. They could be playing in the NFL this season. Harbaugh said that Nugent and Crippen are both All-Big Ten caliber centers so I’m wondering how that position battle will play out.
You also have Trente Jones, Karsen Barnhart, Myles Hinton, and Jeffrey Persi battling it out at tackle. They have all started games before. Barnhart is likely to win the job at right tackle, but again, we’ll see more than five guys playing in most games this season.
Interior Defensive line
Starters: Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Kris Jenkins;
Backups: Rayshaun Benny, Cam Goode
There are five guys that should see the majority of the snaps on the defensive line this season. Michigan football sometimes uses just two defensive linemen and sometimes there are three.
Regardless, Kris Jenkins is going to be a starter. He’s been projected as a first-round pick and this is another dude that could easily be getting regular snaps in the NFL right now.
Michigan football fans should be incredibly excited to see the next step in the development of Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. Both made immediate impacts as freshmen and they are likely going to take a huge leap in 2023.
Benny could start for most Big Ten teams. It’s incredible to have him coming off the bench and Goode is another quality defensive lineman with some pass-rush ability.
EDGE
Starters: Braiden McGregor and Jaylen Harrell; Backups: Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart
Just like the interior defensive line, Michigan football is really deep at the EDGE position and has four players that are all capable of being highly productive.
Braiden McGregor finally started to live up to his potential last season and he was flat-out dominant at times down the stretch. I’m not saying he’s going to have an Aidan Hutchinson kind of season but I wouldn’t rule him out as a top-60 draft pick in the next year or two.
Moore is another sophomore set to take a huge leap and Jaylen Harrell — he’s just one of the most underrated players on the team. Harrell is great at setting the edge. He can also cover and rush the quarterback.
Josaiah Stewart shouldn’t be overlooked at all. You could argue that Stewart and Moore might be the best pure pass rushers at EDGE. Altogether, I feel very comfortable with his room going into the 2023 season.
Linebackers
Starters: Junior Colson, Michael Barrett, and Ernest Hausmann;
Backups: Jimmy Rolder, Jaydon Hood, Micah Pollard
Another position group where the Wolverines are really deep. Colson is going to be an All-American and a day-two draft pick after this season.
The former high school wide receiver can do everything you want in a three-down linebacker. He can pressure, cover, and is a great tackler.
Michael Barrett and Ernest Hausmann will share some snaps but all three of them are going to play a lot. Jimmy Rolder and Jaydon Hood are other guys that are certainly good enough to start for other Big Ten teams.
But when you have three NFL-caliber players in front of you, including Hausmann who was rated as a top-five overall transfer by 247 Sports this offseason, there’s no shame in being relegated to the bench, although Rolder will play just as he did last season.
Secondary
Starters: Will Johnson (CB), Mike Sainristil (CB) Josh Wallace (CB), Rod Moore (S), and Makari Paige (S)
Backups: Amorion Walker (CB), Ja’Den McBurrows (CB), Myles Pollard (CB); Zeke Berry (S), and Keon Sabb (S)
Another key position battle for Michigan football this fall is cornerback. We know Will Johnson is going to start as long as he’s 100 percent healthy, but we don’t know about the starter opposite of him. We also know Mike Sainristil will handle the nickel role and probably some outside cornerback more this season.
The Wolverines added Josh Wallace from UMass late in the offseason. He’s an experienced guy with nearly 2,000 snaps under his belt. Amorion Walker, Ja’Den McBurrows, and even Myles Pollard are all names to watch at cornerback. Freshman Jyaire Hill too.
In terms of safety, there’s no doubt about who will start. Rod Moore and Makari Paige are one of the best safety tandems in college football. Zeke Berry and Keon Sabb are both future starters and I expect each to have bigger impacts this season.
Specialists
Kicker: James Turner; Punter: Tommy Doman; PR/KR: Roman Wilson; LS: William Wagner
James Turner was added via the transfer portal from Louisville. He’s a Michigan native and made 90 percent of his field goal attempts last season. His career accuracy percentage is 80.7 percent. Adam Samaha is a three-star kicker from the 2023 class and could very well be in the mix.
Doman sounds like he has the punter job locked down. Roman Wilson should be returning kicks and punts this season, although Cole Cabana is another guy I’d like to see on kickoff returns. Semaj Morgan has also returned punts and kicks and is another name to watch for those roles.