Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh gave a detailed look at what the Wolverine depth chart looks like at the majority of the club's positions this morning on his 'Attack Each day' podcast.
Former U-M tight end Zach Gentry also joined the episode to discuss his time in Ann Arbor and his next steps are toward an NFL career.
Jim Harbaugh, on Michigan's Depth Chart:
"We have seven practices in the books now. [Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle] Donovan Jeter continues to cement his spot and his role, and will be a starter for us if he keeps going at the rate he's going.
"[Freshman receiver] Mike Sainristil is on his way to cementing his spot in the starting lineup as well, and is doing a great job at all the receiving positions. He's getting open and is fast, and has added a level of speed and quickness to our offense.
"He'll definitely do punt returns as well and is up to No. 2 on the depth chart there, and is also in the rotation at kick return — he's No. 4 there.
"[Senior tight end] Sean McKeon has become elite as a tight end in his blocking and route running, while [freshman] Erick All is doing an unbelievably great job there — everything he does is at full speed.
"[Redshirt freshman tight end Luke] Schoonmaker, [redshirt freshman tight end Mustapha] Muhammad and [redshirt junior tight end Nick] Eubanks are all progressing well. Eubanks and McKeon are the two starters, and Muhammad is in a backup role right now — he needs to be more consistent, and will be a big factor for us once he does.
"[Sophomore defensive end] Aidan Hutchinson has stepped up his game and is starting at the anchor position, while [junior defensive end] Kwity Paye is starting at defensive end.
"Donovan Jeter is starting at the 3-technique, and [senior defensive tackle] Carlo Kemp is our starting nose. We feel really good about the defensive front and are starting to know who the starters are.
"[Redshirt sophomore defensive end] Luiji Vilain is now in the two-deep and backing up Kwity Paye, while [freshman defensive tackle] Mazi Smith is backing up Carlo Kemp.
"[Junior linebacker Josh] Ross and [redshirt sophomore linebacker Jordan] Anthony are battling at the mike linebacker spot, and [redshirt junior Devin] Gil and [redshirt freshman Cam] McGrone are battling with each other as well.
"[Senior viper] Khaleke Hudson is still the head and shoulder viper, and [fifth-year senior Jordan] Glasgow is playing all three positions. [Senior Josh] Uche is solidly our starting sam linebacker.
"At cornerback, [redshirt freshman] Vince Gray is starting at left corner, while [junior] Ambry Thomas is starting at right corner. [Junior safety] Brad Hawkins is our starting nickel, and [senior safety Josh] Metellus and [junior safety J'Marick] Woods are cemented in at safety.
"[Junior] Ben Mason is backing up Jeter on the defensive line, but is also starting at our hybrid running back/tight end position. [Redshirt freshman] Ben VanSumeren is showing great speed at running back, along with a cutting ability we didn't know he had. He can also finish with a soft shoulder and come out strong on the other end.
"[Redshirt junior offensive lineman] Greg Robinson has emerged at tackle, and even Josh Gattis pointed him out on film several times when we were watching him. He's playing with a lot of savvy right now.
"There's a battle going on at kicker between [redshirt junior Quinn] Nordin and [sophomore Jake] Moody, while [redshirt junior] Will Hart is doing a great job at punter.
"[Redshirt junior Camaron] Cheeseman is having a very good spring as our long snapper, and we have a grad transfer coming in who we're excited about.
"Hart and [redshirt sophomore quarterback Dylan] McCaffrey are both holding, while [sophomore wideout Ronnie] Bell is our starting punt and kick returner.
"Ambry Thomas is backing Bell up at kick returner, while [redshirt sophomore receiver] Oliver Martin is our third punt returner and [redshirt freshman viper] Mike Barrett is the third kick returner and fourth punt returner.
"Sainristil and Martin are the fourth kick returners."
Zach Gentry, Reflecting on his Time at Michigan:
"I was originally committed to Texas when Charlie Strong was there, but decommitted once I found out he was going to be let go. I hadn't yet made it public, and Coach Harbaugh called me not knowing I had decommitted. He flew out with Coach Jedd Fisch and visited me, and I flew out to Michigan three or four days after that and fell in love with the campus, and committed on the visit.
"Moving to tight end was just better for my body type and better for me personally. We played BYU in 2015 and they had a tall receiver who looked exactly like me, so I served as that guy in practice, and it just kind of took off from there.
"I actually thought about transferring at one point, but I'm glad I stayed. I was uncertain about things, but Coach told me to stick it out and keep doing what I was doing. I'm happy I stayed.
"I've had private meetings and private workouts with a few NFL teams, and am flying out to check out someone's facilities in a few days."
Jim Harbaugh, on Zach Gentry:
"I started reaching out to all the top quarterbacks a few days after I got hired at Michigan — Sam Darnold, Ricky Town, Gentry, Tommy Stevens, Drew Lock and Joe Burrows.
"When I visited Zach's family in New Mexico, we were going to go see American Sniper in theaters but it was sold out — we wound up playing putt-putt golf instead. We also bowled on Zach's official visit here, and I realized nobody throws a harder ball than he does.
"Zach has been a first class guy his entire time here."
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook
