Michigan's National Championship team was filled with veterans thanks to a lack of portal attrition and the One More Year campaign that saw multiple starters return. Because of this, the 2023 freshmen class did not see a lot of action.

Still, many freshmen saw the field and burned redshirts last season. Whether as contributors, late in games, or on special teams. Let's start with those who burned redshirts.

Wide Receivers Semaj Morgan, Fred Moore, and Karmello English burned their redshirts, with Morgan becoming a consistent contributor in the back half of the season. With Cornelius Johnson heading to the NFL and Roman Wilson likely to join him, each will compete for starting roles next season.

DJ Waller was not the highest-rated cornerback in the 2023 class, but he saw lots of action this season. Waller played in 10 games, notching 10 tackles and a pass breakup. There will be a CB2 competition once again this offseason, and Waller is among the top players expected to battle for the starting job.

Trey Pierce saw the field in mop-up duty throughout the season, getting 3 pressures and a sack. With how Michigan rotates its defensive tackles, he could easily step into a role where he gets plenty of snaps filling in for Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.

Cam Brandt also saw action on the defensive line and at EDGE, and will be competing for two-deep reps next season.

Michigan got a late surprise addition to the 2023 class when Brandyn Hillman was released from his letter of intent to Notre Dame. Hillman got safety snaps this season but got a lot of run in special teams. Not a bad way to work your way into playing time in Ann Arbor. Michigan could be replacing as many as 3 players at safety next season.

Now, let's take a look at some of those who did not see the field in more than 4 games this season. Here are some picks for potential standouts next season from Michigan's 2023 redshirts.

Let's work our way down the depth chart and start with the obvious one. Benjamin Hall was the talk of spring camp last season. After an impressive spring camp, Hall was the star of the Maize and Blue Spring Game and some thought he left April the leader for RB3.

Hall looked poised to have a role early in the season before an ankle injury set him back. He would return midseason and get 9 carries for 58 yards against Indiana.

The redshirt freshmen could have a major role next season with Blake Corum and possibly Donovan Edwards leaving.

Already viewed as a project of sorts, Tonielli wouldn't see the field early in such a loaded tight end room. That said, Tonielli caught some attention early at fall camp last season when he showed up at 6'5" and 251 lbs, nearly 40 lbs over his listed weight as a recruit.

Tonielli's path to the field still won't be easy. but with AJ Barner likely headed to the NFL, Michigan will be looking for a consistent blocking tight end to pair with Colston Loveland.

Tonielli can catch the ball, but he also played defensive end in high school. His size and physicality could put him on the breakout track next year.

Enow Etta was one of the better recruits in Michigan's 2023 class. A standout EDGE from Texas, Etta had 122 total tackles, including 34.0 tackles for loss with 20.0 sacks, five forced fumbles, and two touchdowns in his senior season.

He saw the field in limited action last year, but that won't happen in 2024. Etta was up to 295 lbs to start his freshman year, so he is no longer a weak side EDGE. With Braiden McGregor likely headed to the NFL, Etta could become a rotational piece at the strong side EDGE. Depending on what Ben Herbert does with him this offseason, he could also be the DT/DE to replace Kris Jenkins.

A late add to the 2023 class, Jyaire Hill is also one of the top recruits Michigan added last season. Hill saw snaps in Michigan's first four games and looked like a competitor at CB2 before getting redshirted after 4 games.

He will compete with Waller and others like Amorion Walker for the CB2 role opposite Will Johnson. Like Waller and Walker, Hill has size and length and is very athletic for a larger corner.

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