The Michigan Wolverines' football team redshirted 17 of its 25 freshmen in 2019, with only eight members of the class burning their redshirts this season.
The eight freshmen who played in more than four games in 2019 were running back Zach Charbonnet, safety Daxton Hill, wide receiver Giles Jackson, wideout Mike Sainristil, tight end Erick All, defensive tackle Chris Hinton, receiver Cornelius Johnson and linebacker Anthony Solomon.
That total is more than double the amount of the freshmen who burned their redshirts in 2018, when only three did — wideout Ronnie Bell, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and kicker Jake Moody.
Believe it or not, none of the 2019 freshmen's redshirts were even in question heading into Wednesday's Citrus Bowl against Alabama, with cornerback D.J. Turner the only player who was remotely close to the four-game threshold (every other freshman had either played in at least 11 contests, or two or fewer).
Turner's appearance against the Crimson Tide was his fourth of the year, meaning he stayed below the five-game breaking point and will be a redshirt freshman in 2020.
It was fairly evident that the U-M coaching staff knew from an early juncture which freshmen they did and didn't want to redshirt in 2019, based on the fact that all eight whose were burned played in at least 12 games.
Freshmen Statistics
• RB Zach Charbonnet — Led the team in carries (149), rushing yards (726) and rushing touchdowns (11), while averaging 4.9 yards per attempt. His 11 TDs on the ground were the fourth most in the Big Ten and were the most by a Michigan freshman in school history (Mike Hart and Tyrone Wheatley had held the previous record with nine).
• S Daxton Hill — Racked up 36 tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception, three pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. His lone pick occurred in the Nov. 23 win at Indiana, while one of his three pass breakups led to an Ambry Thomas interception against Iowa on Oct. 5. Hill also started the final three games of the season in the wake of junior safety Brad Hawkins' injury.
• WR Giles Jackson — Caught nine passes for 142 yards, with his lone TD reception occurring in the Sept. 28 win over Rutgers. Jackson also served as Michigan's primary kick returner in 2019, averaging 25.9 yards (fourth best average in the Big Ten) on 24 attempts, and taking one 97 yards to the house in the Nov. 2 win at Maryland. He received 10 carries for 69 rushing yards as well, including a 22-yard TD run against Ohio State on Nov. 30.
• WR Mike Sainristil — Reeled in eight receptions for 145 yards, averaging 18.1 yards per catch. His lone touchdown grab of the year was on a 26-yard catch in the Oct. 26 blowout of Notre Dame.
• TE Erick All — Caught one pass for 10 yards on the season, primarily serving as a blocker on offense. The only game he missed was the Oct. 12 win at Illinois, due to injury.
• DT Chris Hinton — Accumulated 10 tackles and half a stop behind the line of scrimmage. Hinton played nine snaps or fewer in each of Michigan's first 10 games, but then saw his playing time explode in late November. He received 21 snaps on Nov. 23 at Indiana and then a career best 39 against Ohio State, before earning his first-ever start and receiving 36 snaps in the Citrus Bowl against Alabama.
• WR Cornelius Johnson — Hauled in four receptions for 61 yards and one score, with his most memorable play of the season occurring when he grabbed a 39-yard touchdown catch with two minutes to go in the 44-10 destruction of MSU on Nov. 16.
• LB Anthony Solomon — Tallied one tackle, with all but three of his snaps on the season coming on special teams.
• CB D.J. Turner — Did not log any statistics, with all 33 of his snaps occurring on special teams.
• OT Karsen Barnhart — Played a total of 13 offensive snaps — six in the opener against Middle Tennessee State and seven in the Sept. 28 victory over Rutgers.
• DT Mazi Smith — Didn't post any stats, only seeing the field for a combined seven plays between the Maryland and Alabama contests.
• LB Charles Thomas — Never appeared in the box score, playing just 17 special teams snaps in 2019.
• LB Joey Velazquez — Saw a special teams snap against Michigan State for his lone action of the year.
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