The Michigan Wolverines have a lot of holes to replace on their football team this year.
The Michigan Wolverines enter the college football season in a few weeks looking to defend their national title. The Wolverines will have a new head coach, with a roster that has had a high turnover from players moving onto the NFL. The schedule is not easy and a Week 2 matchup against the Texas Longhorns looms. The Wolverines will need their players need to step up in 2024. These three players on the football team could have a big impact on the Michigan Wolverines this season.
Kalel Mullings, RB
Blake Corum has moved on, leaving the door open for Donovan Edwards to be the feature back. Michigan will depend even more on the running game early in the season, because of the inexperience at quarterback. Edwards has dealt with injuries throughout his three seasons at Michigan so there has to be depth behind him.
That depth should come in the form of Kalel Mullings, who played at linebacker before moving to running back in 2022. When Corum was out in 2022, Mullings saw more work, but had a costly fumble in the playoff game against TCU.
Mullings only had 36 rushing attempts last year but looked improved and comfortable at the position. Almost half of his runs in 2023 resulted in a first down. Mullings will be used as a change of pace back and get the gritty yards.
Mullings has never had more than eight touches in a game, but this team will need him to get into the double digits. He will also need to continue to be as efficient as he was in 2023, with over six yards a carry.
Rayshaun Benny, DL
The defensive line lost a couple key players to the NFL, but returns two of the top defensive tackles in Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham. Michigan likes to have a deep rotation, so even though Rashaun Benny will not be a starter he should plenty of time.
Benny is recovery from a leg injury that occurred in the Rose Bowl against Alabama, but should be good to go for the start of the season. He was a top 215 player and a four-star prospect coming out of high school, but saw little time in his freshman year.
Benny playing time in 2022, and continued to improve in 2023. He had a crucial forced fumble against quarterback Drew Allar in the Penn State game that helped Michigan come away with the victory.
Despite a tough four game stretch that included Penn State, Maryland, Ohio State, and Iowa, Benny had his best defensive grades of the season. While he primarily lines up at defensive tackle, the Michigan defense allows for versatility. He had 23 percent of his snaps either over the offensive tackle or outside the tackle, so there are situations where he can be on the field with Grant and Graham at the same time. Michigan is trying to replace linebackers Junior Colson and Michael Barrett, so Benny will be crucial in helping anchor the defensive line while the linebackers gain experience through the year.
Quinten Johnson, S
Originally, Quinten Johnson declared for the NFL Draft, but changed his mind after inking a NIL deal in Ann Arbor. Johnson was a three-star prospect coming out of high school but has steadily been increasing his role each year at Michigan. He has gone from nine, to 163, to 323 snaps – and should see that number even higher in 2024.
Johnson was fourth on the depth chart in 2023 behind Rod Moore, Keon Sabb, and Makari Paige. Michigan could be saved by Johnson’s decision to come back because Sabb transferred to Alabama and Moore had an ACL tear in spring practices.
Johnson does have competition for the starting safety spot with former four-star recruit Zeke Berry. In the Spring Game, Berry looked to be very involved. He could even find himself playing in the nickel back role that Mike Sainristil played the last two years.
Johnson only had 22 tackles last year and was only targeted 10 times. He did make critical plays for the defense and had the fourth highest coverage rating at 79.0 according to PFF. One memorable play was a big hit to knock the ball out of Emeka Egbuka’s hands on a big third down against Ohio State.
What. A. HIT. 😤💥@Umichfootball pic.twitter.com/dpGFabMd5Q
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 25, 2023
The secondary returns one of the best corners in Will Johnson but will be missing four big contributors in the secondary from last season. Johnson will need to continue his strong play in an expanded role if Michigan’s defense will be able to have another strong year.
Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.