With the Michigan Wolverines' football roster all but set for the 2020 campaign, we've decided to take a look at the club's three strongest position units heading into next season.
The starters at each spot were weighed the most heavily while we were making our decisions, though depth was taken into consideration as well.
Note: each player's class below refers to what year they'll be in 2020.
3. Running Back
The duo of sophomore Zach Charbonnet and redshirt sophomore Hassan Haskins are the reason this position checks in at No. 3 on the list, after the tandem rushed for 726 and 622 yards, respectively, in 2019.
Running back was viewed as arguably the weakest position on Michigan's whole team prior to last season, but the emergence of the two aforementioned runners have helped turn it into one of the strongest in 2020.
Depth has finally been built at the position as well, most notably in the forms of freshman Blake Corum, fifth-year senior Chris Evans and redshirt sophomore Christian Turner.
Corum was rated as the No. 104 prospect nationally out of high school and is expected to be a contributor from day one, while Evans is an experienced veteran who has 1,722 career rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns under his belt.
There is bound to be some rust for the fifth-year senior after he was suspended for the entire 2019 campaign, though it should be noted that he gained some valuable practice time with the team during their Citrus Bowl prep.
Turner, meanwhile, averaged 7.7 carries through Michigan's first four games last year before fading as the season went on, and will undoubtedly need to show significant improvement if he wants to be a part of the rotation again next year.
U-M's running back stable should be the best head coach Jim Harbaugh has had during his time at Michigan, and should also be the Wolverines' best in recent memory (perhaps since Lloyd Carr's final season of 2007).
Though both Charbonnet and Haskins appear capable of shouldering the load, it's fair to expect them to split carries in 2020 and basically be co-starters again.
2. Cornerback
This may come as a surprise to some due to the lack of experienced depth at the position, but the expected starting tandem of senior Ambry Thomas and redshirt sophomore Vincent Gray make up for it.
Both of them were outstanding in 2019, and Gray will now be able to take on an even larger role with Lavert Hill off to the NFL.
The redshirt sophomore was viewed as the third option behind Thomas and Hill in 2019, but was actually neck-and-neck with the aforementioned duo in regards to playing time, receiving just 25 fewer snaps than Hill throughout the entirety of the season.
Thomas, meanwhile, recovered from a case of offseason colitis and came back better than ever, proving to be a play maker while showing a consistent knack for being around the ball.
He broke up four passes on the year, while his three interceptions and two fumble recoveries both tied for the team lead.
Today's college football requires a third cornerback to be on the field on a regular basis, and the player who will serve that role for U-M in 2020 remains a mystery.
The reason the nickel spot shouldn't be a concern for Michigan, however, is due to one man … position coach Mike Zordich.
As a whole, he has been the Maize and Blue's best position coach during Harbaugh's entire tenure in Ann Arbor, with his personnel consistently producing at an elite level.
NFL talent has come and gone at cornerback over the last five years and Zordich has found adequate replacements each time, and there's no reason to think he won't do so once again in 2020.
Redshirt freshman D.J. Turner, redshirt sophomore Gemon Green and freshman Darion Green-Warren appear to be the most likely candidates to emerge as the club's third cornerback, though none of them have ever played meaningful defensive snaps at U-M.
Thomas and Gray are what make this position so strong, however, as the duo should be one of the best corner tandems in the Big Ten and perhaps even the country.
1. Wide Receiver
Nico Collins' return for his senior season is why this position group checks in No. 1 on the list, as he and junior Ronnie Bell return a combined 1,487 yards and eight touchdowns from last season.
Donovan Peoples-Jones' early departure for the NFL and Tarik Black's transfer make the rest of the position incredibly young behind Collins and Bell, but there is plenty of talent and potential amongst the youth.
A trio of sophomores in Mike Sainristil, Giles Jackson and Cornelius Johnson will be the next most likely contributors at the spot, after they reeled in a combined 21 catches for 348 yards and three scores as freshmen in 2019.
It would not be a surprise if one of the freshmen winds up being a contributor next season either, with A.J. Henning being the most likely candidate (he was rated as the No. 111 prospect nationally out of high school).
U-M's passing attack showed what it was capable of in November once offensive coordinator Josh Gattis' system finally clicked, with quarterback Shea Patterson averaging 351.6 passing yards per game over the final three contests of the regular-season against Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio State.
At 6-4, 222 pounds, Collins has consistently been a big-play threat down the field during his time at U-M, with his 19.7 yards per catch checking in as the second highest average in the Big Ten last year.
Bell, meanwhile, racked up 454 yards after the catch on the season, which were 220 more than any other Wolverine on the roster.
It will be important for at least one of Sainristil, Jackson or Johnson to also emerge as a reliable threat in 2020, but having Collins and Bell as the leaders of the unit once again will take pressure off of the young trio for having to become go-to targets before they're ready.
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