The best "backups" on projected Michigan depth chart

In football, depth matters.

Michigan believes it has plenty of it.

With 19 fifth- or sixth-year seniors and 24 fourth-year seniors, the Wolverines have the most seniority of any Jim Harbaugh team before it.

"That's almost double or triple what we've had in the past," Harbaugh said on the In The Trenches podcast when asked about the seniors. "You talk about the leadership but also just players who are good at football and have stayed in the program."

And the eighth-year head coach thinks it gives his team an advantage.

"I think it does, yeah. Guys that know the program and have excelled in it or found something they like about it can pass it down to younger players," he said when asked if the team seniority gives them an advantage. "Even the sophomore class has exactly 36 players in it, while we have exactly 36 freshmen. Every class right now is solid, and they're just going about their business, taking care of their business, and to my eye: thriving in the program."

Throughout his 45-minute spot on the show, Harbaugh went on to namedrop several players who will be in the two-deep or lower that impressed him during the first week of camp.

With all of the buzz surrounding Michigan's never-ending carousel of a depth chart -- an annual tradition like no other -- why not dive in and look at how talented Michigan's depth is?

Given what we know, what sources are telling us, and what Harbaugh said on Monday, here are a few "backups" to keep an eye on as potential contributors or future starters this season.

And, no, J.J. McCarthy doesn't count.

Haven't looked at our projected depth chart for the 2022 season? Check it out here, it's updated weekly!

All that seniority talk, and we lead things off with a true freshman from Idaho.

Loveland is a superstar in the making, and that's the consensus within Schembechler Hall.

The 6-foot-5, 237-pound tight end moves like a wideout with legitimate 4.7 speed and a wingspan around 79-to-80 inches.

A former wideout who transformed his body into a tight end, Loveland also played H-Back in high school, carrying the ball 33 times for 352 yards and four touchdowns as a senior.

His wingspan and strong hands allow him to high point the ball well, which naturally complements his leaping ability and makes him a deadly vertical threat for a program with a rich tradition of throwing to its tight ends.

Speaking of tight ends, Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker's play in camp have Harbaugh convinced they're the best duo in the country, so it's hard to predict Loveland will showcase his ceiling in 2022.

Still, I think we'll see him scratch the surface with meaningful time in the non-conference games, where he will have the opportunity to earn some keep on five-wide and even red zone sets if he proves to be the threat the staff believes he is on that side of the field.

An electrifying third-string tight end.

Barnhart would be a starting tackle on almost every roster in the Big Ten.

Yet, as a fourth-year senior, he remains a backup to Ryan Hayes and essentially the offensive line's sixth-man.

Barnhart is as experienced as any backup lineman in college football. He has four starts at tackle, but he's versatile enough to start at guard, which he did twice last year, too.

Since Michigan's 2-4 season in 2020, when Barnhart last started, his play, like the rest of the roster, is a night and day difference from two seasons ago. Harbaugh often brags on Barnhart when he's discussing the offensive line. The senior is also active with community outreach within the program, working various summer camps during the offseason alongside other Wolverines.

He is undoubtedly one of the leaders in the locker room, despite his non-starter status, and his impact on the program is invaluable from an on- and off-the-field standpoint.

Michigan has Ryan Hayes ahead of Barnhart at left tackle, and Trente Jones remains the leader on the opposite side. Hayes won't lose his spot, but Barnhart could push Jones during camp or in-season. Despite Jones being the consensus favorite within the program to win that spot, it's not over until the season is.

The advantage of depth isn't that you can start all 22 of your good players. It's the safety net of having that "next man up" who can play four different spots on the line if needed.

Barrett is a Don Brown project leftover from his time here recruiting the viper position that no longer exists in the new defensive scheme.

With six starts at viper in 2020 and over 30 appearances on special teams, where he is a key factor, his experience and ability to angle and finish through tackles make him an intriguing depth piece.

At 6-feet, 233 pounds, he is bigger and more suited for an outside linebacker role. Our projected depth chart has him backing up Taylor Harrell at the strongside linebacker position.

Given how often Michigan subbed out defensively last season under Mike Macdonald and how similar Jesse Minter's defense will be, I expect to see blitz packages where Barrett comes off the edge, similar to Dax Hill's role in blitz packages in 2021.

Hill hit and finished hits like a pro. His instinctive blitz ability was only one trait on the long list of those that vaulted him to a first-round draft pick.

Barrett isn't Hill in coverage, nor can he drop back and be the safety of his caliber. He likely won't play in the NFL. He's a small linebacker with a lot to learn before he's an outside linebacker on an NFL roster.

However, I think Barrett can close on the quarterback with an aggressive pursuit and drive in his finish. He has that combination of raw skills to be quick in his attack angles, and he's strong enough to provide the flattening ability that made Hill so dangerous off the edge last year.

If Barrett only plays a dozen snaps defensively per game with a handful of them lining him up on the edge in blitz packages, he can be an impactful big-play piece for the Wolverines' defense despite a low snap count.

Because there are too many options, I made a list of others who fit the mold of the starter-level depth we've gone over throughout the list.

Regarding the wide receiver room, you could realistically rattle five players from that position group because nobody is a guarantee in the two-deep at any wideout spot right now besides -- maybe -- Ronnie Bell.

Here's the list:

WR Darrius Clemons: Physically ready is an understatement. Differentiator because he has a physicality, size, and speed combination eerily similar to D.K. Metcalf at his age. Had a big spring game.

DTs Mason Graham/Kenneth Grant: Opportunity. Outside of Mazi Smith, nothing is a sure thing at defensive tackle with Kris Jenkins, Rayshaun Benny, UCF transfer Cam Goode, George Rooks, and Ike Iwunnah battling it out. There's no convincing me that Graham and Grant are worse than anyone on that list besides Smith. Jenkins sounds like he'll be the guy opposite Smith more and more by the day. Even if he starts all 12 games, given the way Michigan subs, there's almost zero doubt these two will see the field in some capacity past the non-conference. And multiple sources believe they can find their way to contributing all season as freshmen, while others have gone as far as to say one will eventually start.

WR/CB Mike Sainristil: I only include Sainristil, so people don't ask why I didn't. Technically, Sainristil won't be listed as a top-two corner, who I think will be D.J. Turner and Gemon Green. However, he's lighting the world on fire at nickel and, according to Harbaugh, spending 80 percent of practice reps on defense. I fully expect him to start at nickel.

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