Football has swiftly turned into a passing league which means the quarterback position is usually talked about the most. If your team doesn’t have a capable signal caller under center, then critics will be talking down your favorite team.
On Wednesday, college football analyst and writer, Pat Forde wrote an article for Sports Illustrated sharing his top 25 most intriguing non-quarterbacks for the 2022 football season.
Forde had two Michigan football players on his list, and the first one that was talked about was Ronnie Bell at No. 9.
9. Ronnie Bell, Michigan wide receiver. One of the most impressive aspects of the Wolverines’ 2021 season was making it to the College Football Playoff after losing Bell in the first game to a knee injury. Bell touched the ball twice in that game, scoring on a 76-yard pass and returning a punt 31 yards—hinting at the kind of season he was capable of having. The insatiable competitor is back for a fourth year as “Game Day Ronnie,” as quarterback Cade McNamara calls Bell. “His intensity goes up at least five notches.”
Bell led the team in receiving in 2019 and 2020, the 2019 season was especially impressive when the Wolverines still had Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones on the roster. Just on Tuesday, Ron Bellamy told the media that Bell reminded him of Steve Breaston — Bellamy’s former teammate at Michigan. Even though Michigan has a ton of talent at the receiver postion, Bell should position himself towards the top by week one.
The next player that Forde had listed on his list was Mazi Smith at No. 16.
16. Mazi Smith, Michigan defensive lineman. When you’re No. 1 on Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List at The Athletic, that merits some intrigue. The 6’3″, 337-pound Smith has an agility that is highly implausible for a massive man who is also capable of great feats of strength. On a defense that will be breaking in new edge rushers after losing a bookend pair of monsters, Smith’s ability to disrupt from the interior will be vital for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines lost Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, and Christopher Hinton to the NFL draft, so Smith is going to be asked to lead the defensive line this season. Coaches and players have been telling the media all spring how much of a leader Smith has been, and it sure sounds like he will have one heck of a season for the Wolverines in 2022.
Michigan opens up on Sept. 3 against Colorado State.
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