The Michigan Wolverines' football program will embark on Year Two of the Josh Gattis era in 2020, with redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton set to run the club's offense.
A new man at quarterback and revamped units along the offensive and receiving crew will be some of the biggest storylines to watch in Ann Arbor, with how quickly the aforementioned groups progress likely defining how successful U-M is this fall.
Below are the statistics and figures to know on the offensive side of the ball heading into the season.
0 Career plays in redshirt freshman quarterback Cade McNamara's career, who is expected to serve as Milton's backup this season. Twelve of Michigan's 25 freshmen saw the field for at least one snap last season, but McNamara was not one of them.
1 Scholarship receiver who stands 6-1 or taller on Michigan's entire 2020 roster (assuming senior Nico Collins remains in the NFL Draft), in sophomore Cornelius Johnson. He stands 6-3 and hauled in 61 yards last season as a freshman.
1st Player in Michigan football history to wear the No. 0 jersey when sophomore wideout Giles Jackson takes the field (he rocked the No. 15 last year as a freshman). Freshman cornerback Andre Seldon is also slated to wear No. 0 on defense.
4 New starters on U-M's offensive line in 2020, with redshirt sophomore right tackle Jalen Mayfield being the lone returnee. Two of the expected new starters nevertheless have past starting experience under their belts, in redshirt sophomore left tackle Ryan Hayes (began the first two games of last year) and redshirt junior right guard Andrew Stueber (started the final two contests of 2018).
6-5 Is how tall Milton stands, meaning four of the last five quarterbacks who have started for Michigan have stood 6-4 or taller. Wilton Speight was 6-6, Brandon Peters stood 6-5 and John O'Korn resided at 6-4.
11 Career pass attempts for Milton, to go along with 117 yards and just a 55 completion percentage. The redshirt sophomore also has thrown one touchdown and two picks in his career.
71 Or more receiving yards for junior receiver Ronnie Bell in seven of Michigan's 13 outings last year. Bell led the team in both catches and yards, hauling in 48 of the former and 758 of the latter. To compare, Collins reeled in 71 or more yards just twice last season, while current Cleveland Browns wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones did so only once.
107 Of Jackson's 142 receiving yards last year occurred in Michigan's final three games. Big plays also became more prevalent for Jackson late in the year, with the Antioch, Calif., native reeling in a 40-yard reception in the bowl loss to Alabama, a 50-yard catch in the 39-14 beatdown at Indiana on Nov. 23, and a 22-yard touchdown run in the Nov. 30 loss to Ohio State.
302 Pounds is how much four of Michigan's five projected starting offensive linemen weigh (assuming redshirt junior Chuck Filiaga wins the left guard spot). The lone exception is fifth-year senior center Andrew Vastardis, who checks in 296 pounds. Filiaga is the heaviest of the five, weighing 345 pounds. Four of the five also stand 6-5 or taller.
423.5 Yards per game Michigan's offense averaged over its final eight outings in 2019, after averaging 367.8 through the first five. U-M's offensive attack seemingly clicked in the Oct. 12 win at Illinois (42 points and 489 yards), following what had been a dreadful offensive showing the previous week in a 10-3 win over Iowa (just 271 yards).
726 Rushing yards for current sophomore running back Zach Charbonnet last year, marking the first time a freshman led U-M in rushing since Mike Hart racked up 1,455 yards in 2004. Charbonnet's 11 rushing touchdowns last year also set a school freshman record. The Maize and Blue will have three different runners on their 2020 roster who have compiled 622 or more yards in a single campaign, in Charbonnet, fifth-year senior Chris Evans and redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins.
1,722 Career rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns for Evans, after he ran for 614 yards as a freshman in 2016, 685 yards in 2017 and 423 in 2018. Evans was suspended for the entire 2019 campaign, but has been reinstated and is expected to serve as a veteran leader in what is an extremely young Wolverine backfield as a whole.
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