In a hypothetical world where you could add one Michigan player from 2023 onto this season’s squad, which player not named J.J. McCarthy would you want the most?
In a season in which most Michigan fans are yearning for last year’s success and rewatching the Rose Bowl and National Championship over and over again, I thought it would be fun to put out a hypothetical. Say you had the option to bring one of the departing Wolverines from the 2023 team back onto the 2024 team. Who would you choose?
Before we start, J.J. McCarthy has to be excluded here. Otherwise, he would receive 100 percent of the votes due to the current quarterback situation.
Of the remaining options, several stand out to me. Blake Corum was an all-time great at Michigan. Roman Wilson’s speed saved a handful of games, especially the Rose Bowl. Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan were stalwarts on the offensive line. A.J. Barner was a spectacular addition from the transfer portal and is playing well with the Seattle Seahawks . On defense, Kris Jenkins was the leader of the defensive line, Junior Colson was a tackling machine, and Mike Sainristil was a difference-maker in the secondary.
As you can see, there are tons of great options. Let’s narrow it down.
As great as Corum was, Michigan actually has a well-stocked running back room this season. Kalel Mullings has demonstrated he is a capable feature back, and Donovan Edwards has had some nice moments as well. Plus, the offensive line has struggled mightily, so the addition of Corum to the 2024 team would be muted somewhat.
Wilson would obviously upgrade the wide receiver room tremendously. However, Michigan’s quarterbacks have not proven to be able to effectively throw the ball deep, so I’d be hesitant to bring back a receiver.
Barner would be a nice luxury, but tight end play has been great thanks to Colston Loveland’s ascent to star status.
On the offensive line, both Zinter and Keegan would make a monstrous difference. An argument could also be made for Drake Nugent at the center position.
As good as Jenkins was, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Rayshaun Benny have picked up the slack at defensive tackle. The defensive line has been the strength of the 2024 team so I don’t think I’d bring back any lineman.
The same goes for Colson. As good as he was, the drop-off hasn’t been severe with Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham.
In the secondary, I’m highly tempted by Sainristil. Michigan has talent in the secondary this year but seems to lack leadership. Additionally, injuries have wreaked havoc between Will Johnson, Rod Moore, Jyaire Hill, and Ja’Den McBurrows.
For me, my decision would come down to Zinter vs. Sainristil. I would likely go with Zinter, as the 2024 offense needs significantly more help than the defense. Despite the positional redundancy, it would allow Michigan to push Gio El-Hadi out to tackle and significantly improve the offensive line play. Better blocking leads to better rushing which leads to better passing. A healthy Zinter is my choice.
What do you think? Who would you bring back in our hypothetical world? Would you go defense or offense? There are several directions you can take this, so let us know in the comments.