Every year since 2009, I have counted down from the least important player on that year’s roster to the most important player, including starters, scholarship players, preferred walk-ons, special teams players, student body walk-ons, and everyone in between.
In case you want a look back at last year’s list, here it is (LINK). Michigan was very lucky to keep its top players healthy, including #1 overall J.J. McCarthy, who is poised to be a top-10 draft pick here in a few weeks.
YEARLY DISCLAIMER: The countdown is by the player’s importance to the team, not his overall talent. A talented player at a deep position won’t necessarily be missed a lot if he gets injured, but an injury to a moderately talented player at a thin position could be devastating. For example, I had cornerback Ambry Thomas ranked at #2 in 2020 because he was the team’s only proven cornerback. Naturally, he opted out of the season and the team as a whole was an unmitigated disaster. Meanwhile, first round pick Kwity Paye was #6 because more talent was returning on the defensive line.
Another thing to note is the transfer portal, which causes players to jump in and out with more frequency than in the past. So despite my having a list already put together, there are going to be guys who enter and leave the program in the interceding months between now and August.
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