Michigan Wolverines football redshirt sophomore running back Christian Turner announced on Twitter today he has decided not to play in 2020, becoming the first member of the Maize and Blue roster to make such a decision.
The parents of sophomore defensive tackle Chris Hinton have also made it clear their son may not play in 2020 if a season is held, though no final decision has been made publicly on the matter.
Turner was expected to be fourth-string (at best) on Michigan's running back depth chart in 2020, behind the likes of sophomore Zach Charbonnet, redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins, fifth-year senior Chris Evans, and potentially even freshman Blake Corum.
He actually began last year with a bit of a bang, rushing for 49 yards in the season-opening win over Middle Tennessee State and averaging 7.7 carries through Michigan's first four games.
Turner then fell out of favor with fumbling issues being a primary reason why, receiving just 13 carries from Oct. 5 on and finishing the year with 171 yards and a lone touchdown.
It's important to note, however, that he injured himself at an unknown juncture late in the season, and was spotted on crutches at Michigan's postseason awards banquet in December.
The Buford, Ga., native would have had an uphill battle to work himself back into the rotation in 2020, though some prognosticators had him pegged as being a contributor once again.
Several of the Big Ten's most prominent players have also announced they won't play in 2020, with Minnesota junior wideout Rashod Bateman, Penn State junior linebacker Micah Parsons and Purdue redshirt sophomore wideout Rondale Moore being the three most notable ones to do so.
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