Michigan football has long been known for producing All-American talent. 131 Wolverines throughout history have been given the distinguished honor of being named a first-team All-American. The list includes head coach Jim Harbaugh, for his 1986 season as the Maize and Blue's signal-caller, and five standouts that played for Harbaugh. The most recent is linebacker Devin Bush in 2018. Before that, it was defensive tackle Maurice Hurst (2017), tight end Jake Butt (2015 & 2016), cornerback Jourdan Lewis (2015 & 2016) and viper Jabrill Peppers (2016).

Enough about the past. We're looking for who's next. Earlier this week, we provided the list of the 13 preseason All-Americans U-M will face this season. But here, we break down the list of the Wolverines most likely to land on an All-America squad in 2020.

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The junior defensive end has to top this list. Hutchinson is the only U-M player to be recognized as a preseason All-American in 2020, with Athlon Sports tabbing him as a third-teamer.

The Plymouth, Mich. native's combination of power, technique and motor make him a load for opposing offensive linemen to deal with on the strong-side end. Hutchinson made 68 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, six pass breakups, four quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles during his breakout sophomore season in 2019. He'll look to build off that this upcoming season, as well as become even more of a leader for the defense to lean on.

The senior wideout may not have led U-M in receptions or receiving yards last season, but he was dynamic, especially catching the ball downfield and having the ability to find the endzone. He reeled in a team-high seven touchdown catches on the season on 37 receptions, with 729 yards. His 19.7 yards per catch average was the highest mark in the Big Ten and 15th in the country last season.

What makes Collins so dangerous down the field is his size, route-running ability and large catch radius. After returning for his senior season and forgoing a shot at being drafted by an NFL team, he's ready to show even more of what he's made of. He's already one of the best pass-catchers in the conference and can prove to be one of the best in the nation if he takes another leap forward in his development.

The senior cornerback proved quite a bit last season, coming off of a battle with colitis and getting himself ready for game one, where he shined from the get-go. All in all, he finished the year with 38 tackles, 3.0 for loss, seven pass breakups, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

It's now Thomas' turn to become U-M's next great cornerback. His athleticism and explosiveness, coupled with the technique he's been able to develop under position coach Michael Zordich, has him primed to surprise some people in 2020.

The Grand Rapids, Mich. native was thrown into the fire from game one last season, but held his own as a redshirt freshman playing right tackle on a veteran line. He especially impressed when going up against Ohio State All-American defensive end Chase Young. The No. 2 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft received double-teams at times, but when he was lined up against Mayfield, it was one-on-one more times than not, and Mayfield kept him out of the backfield.

He's beginning to pop up on early 2021 mock drafts as a first-round pick, with many citing his performance against the Buckeyes as a big reason. He's the only returner on a young offensive line after showing promise in 2019.

A former five-star safety recruit, he's only a sophomore, but anyone who watched the Maize and Blue last season saw Hill show massive strides each week. He's the best talent on the back end Harbaugh has had to work with while in Ann Arbor. He showed flashes of that towards the end of the year in 2019, but now that he's the full-time starter, he's expected to be even better.

Hill adds the element of being able to make plays others just simply can't. His speed and instincts allow him to do just that. Take his batted pass against Iowa that ended up in an interception for Thomas, for example. He was behind the his man on fourth-down, but made up for it in a hurry and came up with a huge play.

He and Hutchinson are the perfect complement to each other on opposite ends of the defensive line, with Paye more of a speed rusher and Hutchinson known as a power rusher / anchor.

The senior led U-M in tackles for loss last season with 12.5, while adding 50 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He appears to be more of a leader this season and a captain candidate. Paye is going to be in opposing backfields, and if his numbers stack up nationally, he could very well find himself on an All-America list.

McGrone is another who broke out in 2019. He stepped in during the Wisconsin game following Josh Ross' injury, and was a force in the middle of the Wolverine defense ever since. His speed at the Mike linebacker spot is valuable, with the ability to run sideline-to-sideline but also to plug holes between the tackles.

His stat line for his redshirt freshman season was 66 tackles, 9.5 for loss, 4.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. Those will likely go up if he plays the entire season in 2020 as expected, and with one more offseason under his belt, he should be even more improved.

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