Every preseason, the staff of The Wolverine votes on the 25 most indispensable Michigan Wolverines for the upcoming football season. Our list kicks continues today, with Nos. 20-16 below:
If you missed part one, Nos. 25-21 can be found here.
No. 20 — Sophomore kicker Jake Moody
Moody stepped into the placekicking job late in the year, and set a program record with six field goals against Indiana. He wound up knocking through 10 of 11 attempts, including a career-long 48-yarder in the Peach Bowl against Florida.
Harbaugh hopes he’ll be notching more point after attempts and fewer field goals, but Moody proved reliable on both. He also handled kickoffs last year, averaging 58.1 yards on 89 tries, while U-M checked in 19th nationally by allowing an average of just 18.07 yards per runback.
No. 19 — Redshirt junior linebacker Devin Gil
Gil has played in 26 straight games with 14 starts for the Wolverines, a veteran who knows exactly want defensive coordinator Don Brown wants out of his defense. Last year, Gil made 33 stops, posted 1.5 sacks among 3.5 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble.
With Michigan needing all hands on deck to cover for significant personnel losses, Gil will be looked up to take the next step.
No. 18 — Senior running back Tru Wilson
Here’s a former walk-on making it big in Ann Arbor. Wilson stepped up last season to become a reliable running back (5.9-yard average on 62 totes), and Michigan’s best pass protector since Mike Hart fought off the behemoths.
Wilson entered fall camp as U-M’s No. 1 back, albeit with no lack of challengers. At the very least, he’ll provide a trustworthy cog in the Wolverines’ new attack.
No. 17 — Redshirt junior punter Will Hart
Hart is another that went from a walk-on in the shadows to a key component last year, a Sports Illustrated second-team All-American, semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award given to the nation’s best at his position and the Big Ten Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year.
He averaged an eye-popping 47.0 yards per punt — a new school record by nearly two yards — on 43 attempts last season, with 19 that traveled 50 yards or more. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis hopes to keep him more rested this year, but Hart’s a good weapon to possess.
No. 16 — Senior defensive tackle Carlo Kemp
For those questioning the interior of Michigan’s defensive line this season, the newly elected captain is one of many aiming to provide a rock-solid response. He stepped up to deliver a whole lot of lane clogging a year ago, with 17 tackles and half a sack among 2.5 tackles for loss.
Kemp spoke in the spring about his deep personal motivation to avenge U-M’s late-season defensive struggles, and will be in position to do something about it.
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