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While we didn’t have spring practice to inform just where Michigan stands in terms of who the starters will be, who’s been taking big steps forward and who’s emerging as viable candidates for backups, the offseason is still a good time to prognosticate just who will be seeing action for the maize and blue in 2020.
There will be a lot of new faces and a handful of heated competitions across the board.
WolverinesWire brings you an estimation of what the team could look like this fall, utilizing both some inside intel as well as some guesswork. These are the players you can expect to see in 2020 as well as some who could emerge either as surprises or as players who could work themselves into the two-deep.
Offense
Quarterback
| Joe Milton |
| Dylan McCaffrey |
| Cade McNamara |
We’re starting off with the most contested position on the roster.
There’s a lot of debate as to whether it will be fourth-year runner Dylan McCaffrey who gets the nod or strong-arm third-year Joe Milton. We’re going with Milton, because he has the intangibles, assuming he finds his touch — which he worked on all last year. With Milton under center, Michigan’s offense stands to be more versatile, but if McCaffrey wins the job, it’s not like it will fall off a cliff or anything. Regardless, the offense in its second year under Josh Gattis should take a step forward, especially since this is the first time since 2016 that the starting QB will have a second-straight year with the same offensive mind leading the charge — even as a first-year starter.
We’re projecting Milton to win the job, but it might not be so certain until there’s a few games under the belt. Expect both Milton and McCaffrey to get playing time, especially in the early going.
Don’t count out: Cade McNamara, the former four-star from Reno (NV) Damonte Ranch. He didn’t get any play as a true freshman a year ago, but he’s had a year to learn the offense and get acclimated to a college system for the first time. He should make a big jump, but probably isn’t quite at the level of the two players ahead of him on the depth chart.