Michigan Football: Discussing potential in-season position battles

Spring and fall camp is the time for players to step and earn their spot on the depth chart. While coaches will tell you every camp is an open competition, there are typically a few spots where everyone knows players are battling for a starting job.

Those battles don't always stop when the season begins. In fact, for the 2022 Michigan Wolverines, many of their position battles will either linger into the regular season or simply just begin. Michigan has a softer start to the season and a perfect opportunity to let things be settled on the field.

These are five position battles where a perceived starter could lose their job in-season.

JJ McCarthy's extended rehab from a shoulder injury threw cold water on what many thought would be the start of a QB battle this spring. McCarthy is now healthy and throwing meaning the competition can resume in the fall.

However, it is very unlikely Jim Harbaugh is going to take the starting job away from Cade McNamara before the season begins. JJ challenging Cade makes both quarterbacks better, so they will let the two fight it out, but Cade McNamara is the returning starter of the Big Ten Champions. He is the team leader after the departures of Aidan Hutchinson, Hassan Haskins, and Josh Ross.

JJ McCarthy was too good to keep off the field last season. He is not some glorified backup. He is not a player who only saw the field when the game was in hand. McCarthy got snaps in more and more crucial moments as the season went on. McCarthy is also a natural leader and is not going to cede that role to Cade.

JJ McCarthy will get snaps and likely even more than he saw last season. Will Michigan simply go with a 2 QB system all season? Can Cade put a gap between him and JJ where he secures the starting job? The biggest question is, if JJ McCarthy is clearly the better quarterback in the first few games, will Jim Harbaugh make the change. McCarthy clearly brings a skill set that McNamara doesn't have, at one point does it not make sense to split the reps to hedge anymore?

There is going to be a split at RB in 2022. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards are both too talented to not get significant snaps for the Wolverines. The two have a chance to be the best RB duo in all of college football, with both players having home run potential as runners and in the passing game.

In 2021, Blake Corum started the season as RB1B with Hassan Haskins. In fact, through the first 5 games Corum had more carries, yards, and touchdowns. Corum was dinged at Wisconsin and suffered an injury that saw his carries decrease significantly from MSU on. Haskins would have 123 carries for 571 yards and 8 touchdowns to finish off the season.

With Haskins gone there are an additional 270 carries to split up. While Kalel Mullings, Tavierre Dunlap, AJ Henning and others will surely get reps, none of them are at a level of Corum or Edwards. Corum starts the year as RB1A with Edwards RB1B. Edwards is going to be on the field a ton as he is a threat in the passing game Michigan hasn't had at RB, but he is no slouch carrying the ball. When Michigan gets into the thick of the B1G schedule it will need a back it can lean on in crucial short-yardage situations and will likely need 20+ carries. Time will tell if that is Corum or if his role stays similar while Edwards slides into the top role.

Ronnie Bell led the Wolverines in receptions and yards in both 2019 and 2020. With Bell out with a torn ACL, Cornelius Johnson led the team in receptions and yards. Both receivers are back, Bell is expected to be healthy by fall. Both receivers are slotted to be starters in a loaded WR group.

Starter is a loaded word of course because Michigan will rotate their receivers, constantly. They will also exploit matchups, so a WR could have 0 targets one game and then lead the team the next. Especially early on in the season, Michigan is going to be trying out a lot of different rotations and experimenting with different route trees. It is a huge opportunity for some of the underclassmen to make a mark and earn reps early.

Truthfully, I think Cornelius is set up for a huge season, but it is not impossible to imagine one of the younger guys having a breakout. Darrius Clemons is just a freshman but he has already impressed coaches and teammates alike with his knowledge of the playbook and routes, his work ethic in the practice facility, and his ability to take coaching. Clemons is set up to be X the receiver just like Johnson, they do a lot of the same things well. But Clemons is bigger and faster. Johnson has a huge advantage as a senior, but Clemons is one of those prospects that is so good early, that you can't keep him off the field.

Ahead of Clemons is a receiver who already had a breakout of sorts as a freshman. Anthony was brought along slowly by Michigan as he learned the offense. When the time came Michigan let the freshman loose in his hometown of East Lansing. Anthony played every game after, notching a single reception in each game. Anthony was pictured with fellow freshman Donovan Edwards and JJ McCarthy after the Georgia game as they took in the other team's celebration. The three have a clear bond and are ready to run with the baton that has been passed to them. All three will be leaders at their position at some point, and all three have a chance to make that this season.

Gemon Green is a story of old-school player development. A recruit with a chip on his shoulder came to Michigan and redshirted his first season. Worked hard on the scout team to learn as much as he kid. As a sophomore he became a consistent contributor on special teams, again learning as much as he could, earning his way up. By his junior season, Gemon Green was a starting cornerback in the Wolverines' defense. Green started all 6 games in the shortened 2020 season and led the team with 9 pass breakups.

Green went into 2021 a starter again. Green played well but throughout the season battled injuries and a rising DJ Turner. As we head into 2022 DJ Turner is now CB1 while Gemon Green will start his third season in a row as the CB2. Now, Green is poised for a bounce-back campaign, especially if he can stay healthy, but he has players on his heels.

Ja'Den McBurrows was making noise in practice last season in his freshman campaign and once he hit the field he also hit anyone in his way. A physical force at corner, McBurrows is an incredibly unique talent in coverage. He suffered an injury late in the season that ended his year and lingered into spring camp. Expected to be healthy this fall, McBurrows is going to battle for playing time. He won't unseat Green preseason, but once games start McBurrows will have a chance to prove his value on the field.

He won't be the only one as Michigan has the best cornerback recruit in the country in legacy Will Johnson. Johnson already possesses the physical traits to contribute right away at 6'3" 190lbs. Thanks to depth and injury concerns, Johnson was given a lot of opportunities to run with the 1s and 2s during spring camp. In the Maize and Blue Spring Game, he saw significant snaps on the outside. While many thought his path to playing time was at nickel or even safety, Johnson's skill set makes him a perfect outside corner for some of the larger targets in the Big Ten. With the Mike Sainristil experiment a success so far, Johnson may be gunning for the CB2 spot this season. DB coach Steve Clinkscale has made it clear Johnson is too good not to play this season, meaning Johnson will have every chance to prove he is ready to start for the Wolverines.

RJ Moten came on quick last season in the Michigan secondary. With Michigan utilizing 3 safety looks and moving Dax in and out nickel, Moten was called on to play one of the box safeties. Moten contributed in all 14 games throughout the season including a big pass breakup against Ohio State.

With Daxton Hill and Brad Hawkins both in the NFL, both safety positions are looking for new starters. Rod Moore was a surprise breakout last season and is a lock to start at the FS/Rover position held by Hill. Moore is excellent in coverage making him perfect for the position as Jesse Minter will likely flex Moore in and out of man/zone coverage. Moten however is the bigger more physical safety and will be utilized as the strong safety who can also flex into the box like a linebacker.

I am hesitant to use the Don Brown term for a safety/LB hybrid, but there is a place for a similar player in this defense. While Moten has the clear edge heading into the start of the season, Michigan has recruited the secondary hard with an emphasis on the physical and versatile. Behind Moten is an elite crop of freshmen who each are way ahead of where most freshmen typically are when they arrive on campus. The previously mentioned Will Johnson as a path at safety with his cover skills and size.

Another player to watch is freshman Keon Sabb. Sabb often gets forgotten because of Johnson's connections to Michigan, but he is an absolute beast. Sabb has already been practicing at both safety and linebacker, meaning Michigan trusts him in a role where he could line up at either spot. Zeke Berry is another freshman who is not getting the attention he deserves. It is hard for freshmen to not only make an immediate impact but to earn a starting job. This class is unique in their talent and the face they were recruited specifically by the new staff to play in this defense. Moten is surely not going to hand the job over, but the freshman will have opportunities to try and have a Rod Moore-like impact next season.

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