Tag: 2020 season countdown

2020 Season Countdown: #19 Zach Charbonnet

Name: Zach Charbonnet
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 220 lbs.
High school: Sherman Oaks (CA) Oaks Christian
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #24
Last year: I ranked Charbonnet #19 and said he would be the starting running back with 120 carries for 600 yards and 8 touchdowns (LINK). He ran 149 times for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with making 8 catches for 30 yards.
TTB Rating: 90

Charbonnet came in at #19 last year. Normally a starting running back would probably rank higher, but he was a freshman coming off knee surgery. He ended up having one of the best freshman seasons for any Michigan back in history. Charbonnet was mostly very efficient and steady, but he didn’t show the explosiveness that some – including me – expected coming out of high school.

After starting off with a bang (8 carries for 90 yards) against Middle Tennessee, he averaged 3.0 to 3.2 yards per carry in three out of his next four games. He hit 100 yards for the first time against Army in week two, plus 3 touchdowns, but that was on just 3.03 yards a pop. He saved his worst for the Ohio State game, when he averaged just 1.75 yards per carry on 4 attempts.

Word out of camp this fall is that Charbonnet is a different guy. Players are saying he’s more explosive and working extremely hard. How much of that is camp hype, and how much of it is the natural maturation from freshman to sophomore year? We’ll see.

At the very least, we should expect some continued Steady Eddie performances, hopefully with a few more big runs. Charbonnet should be at or near the top of the depth chart, along with Chris Evans, who sat out 2019 due to a suspension. Evans has a little more big play ability, so they would be a nice 1-2 punch.

Prediction: Part-time starting running back

Hit the jump for some of his 2019 highlights.

2020 Season Countdown: #20 Andrew Stueber

Name: Andrew Stueber
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 339 lbs.
High school: Darien (CT) Darien
Position: Offensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #71
Last year: I ranked Stueber #29 and said he would be the starting right offensive tackle (LINK). He tore his ACL in the pre-season and did not play.
TTB Rating: 82

Every year it seems like Michigan suffers a debilitating injury either in the pre-season or the spring that affects the season in a significant way. In 2019 it was an ACL tear for Stueber in the pre-season. He and Jalen Mayfield were supposedly in a dogfight for the right tackle job, and it went to Mayfield by default once Stueber was injured in mid-August. Maybe that would have been the choice, anyway, since Mayfield showed to be worthy of being pegged as a potential first-rounder for 2021.

But this isn’t about Mayfield. It’s about Stueber.

I still have high hopes for him after watching him play some key minutes down the stretch in 2018. He’s massive at 339 pounds, and apparently he’s agile enough to get a strong look at tackle. I like moving guys with tackle ability into the interior, and it looks as if Stueber will be the replacement for Michael Onwenu at right guard. I have no idea if the 2020 season will be played or what it will look like, but I do think Stueber will be a solid player at guard before his career is over, as long as his knee is back to full strength.

Prediction: Starting right guard

2020 Season Countdown: #21 Zach Carpenter

Name: Zach Carpenter
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 329 lbs.
High school: Cincinnati (OH) Moeller
Position: Offensive guard
Class: Redshirt reshman
Jersey number: #58
Last year: I ranked Carpenter #86 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He redshirted.
TTB Rating: 73

When Carpentered entered college, most assumed he would end up playing offensive guard. Not only was he ranked as a guard, but Michigan had highly touted interior lineman Nolan Rumler in the 2019 class, and Rumler was reportedly likely to transition to center. Anyway, Carpenter had two seniors starting at guard and a future 1st rounder starting at center ahead of him, so he wasn’t needed last year.

Fast forward one season, and all those guys are gone. Carpenter and Karsen Barnhart earned a ton of buzz last year, and the conclusion going into the spring was that Carpenter had the inside track on the center gig. The stiffest competition was thought to be coming from walk-on Andrew Vastardis.

The most recent rumors suggest that Vastardis has been getting first team reps at center, partly because Carpenter has been missing from practice due to health issues. Center is a key position, so I have Carpenter ranked here at #21, but Vastardis or Rumler could be the man if/when there’s a season.

Prediction: Starting center

2020 Season Countdown: #22 Michael Barrett

Name: Michael Barrett
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 224 lbs.
High school: Valdosta (GA) Lowndes
Position: Viper
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #6
Last year: I ranked Barrett #53 and said he would be a backup Viper (LINK). He made 7 tackles, rushed 1 time for 14 yards, and completed a 25-yard pass.
TTB Rating: 82

Barrett had a very interesting 2019 season. Playing behind eventual 5th round draft pick Khaleke Hudson, Barrett did not see a lot of time on the field since it’s a position that rarely rotates. The Viper is usually one of the most versatile all-around football players on the field. It made sense in Jabrill Peppers’s case (he played QB/WR/RB/LB/CB/PR/KR) in his college career, and it made sense for Hudson (he was a standout RB/S in high school).

So whomever the coaches peg to take over for Hudson must be highly valued as an athlete. Barrett is no slouch, either, when it comes to positional versatility. He was a high school QB who has bounced between linebacker and slot receiver in college. Michigan used him as an upback on the punt team in 2019, allowing him to run a couple fake punts – one for a 14-yard rush and another for a pass that turned into a 25-yard completion to Dax Hill against Army.

On the one hand, I don’t have much tangible evidence to say that Barrett can be an impact Viper. After all, I evaluated him as an offensive player and he’s been on campus for two years without playing much defense.

On the other hand, it seems like we can trust the coaches to pick the right Viper based on the two guys who have manned the position over the past four years (along with Don Brown’s previous contributors there, including current NFLer Matt Milano).

I probably should rank Barrett higher, because the linebacker unit is very inexperienced behind the starting crew. The backup is probably either sophomore Anthony Solomon, who also plays some WILL, or a true freshman. But because Barrett has little experience, I can’t place too much faith in him just yet. Hopefully he’s a pleasant surprise this season.

Prediction: Starting Viper

2020 Season Countdown: #23 Ben Mason

Name: Ben Mason
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 254 lbs.
High school: Newtown (CT) Newtown
Position: Fullback
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #42
Last year: I ranked Mason #41 and said he would be the starting fullback and a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He ran the ball 1 time for 3 yards and made 7 tackles.
TTB Rating: 74

Mason was probably the most controversial player on the 2019 squad. He came to Michigan as a linebacker/fullback, and prior to last year, he bulked up to play defensive tackle. That seemed somewhat forced – and perhaps frustratingly necessary – because Michigan was both thin at the defensive tackle position and switching to an offense that de-emphasized fullbacks. Early in the season, Michigan messed around with him on the defensive line, and it did not go well. By the end of the year, Mason was basically a “sniffer” fullback, a guy who rarely ran or caught the ball and acted like a pulling guard.

Since last year Mason has dropped 16 pounds and defensive tackle no longer appears to be an option. That was a failed half-year experiment.

I like what Mason brings to the table. He’s tough and loves to hit, and he would have been a stud fullback when it really mattered. The position utilization has dwindled, but it’s a nice change-up in a spread offense. Most teams running a spread use a 10, 11, or 12 personnel, and those tight ends usually hate blocking. Mason gives Michigan a little more toughness at the point of attack, a guy who can effectively kick out a defensive end, wham a defensive tackle, or lead on a linebacker.

Prediction: Starting fullback