Fall preview: Michigan football key position battles to watch, predicting winners

With fall camp underway, here some are key things to watch heading into the football season.

Blue Team quarterback Alex Orji (10) runs for a touchdown against Maize Team during the first half of the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fall camp is underway in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The reigning national champions are taking to the field under a mostly new coaching staff and with so many veterans from '23 in the NFL, there is some competition brewing. We know who is going to start at most positions in 2024 for the Wolverines. Michigan has some stars such as Donovan Edwards, Colston Loveland, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Will Johnson, among others. But there are also some unknowns at some big positions heading into the fall.

Here are some of the position battles to closely watch as fall rolls along and I'm going to predict my winner at each position.

Quarterback:

This is the position that's going to grab everyone's attention from Michigan fans, to rivals, to the national media. Who is going to step up and take over for J.J. McCarthy -- a quarterback who went 27-1 as a starter and won a national title for the Wolverines. Not an easy feat, but Michigan doesn't necessarily need a McCarthy this season. The Wolverines need someone to step in, move the chains, and don't make many mistakes.

Heading into fall camp it feels like a Alex Orji vs. Jack Tuttle battle. But don't count out Davis Warren just yet either. And if you listen to offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell, everyone has equal footing as fall camp began. He said all five scholarship quarterbacks would have a chance to earn the starting spot.

But when you dive a little deeper, Tuttle came back for his seventh year for a reason. He believes he has a chance to start for Michigan. He's been behind Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy at both Indiana and Michigan. If he's ever going to become a starter it's this year. But Alex Orji was the primarly backup last year to McCarthy -- although all he did was run the football. Orji has one career passing attempt to his name. He did look good enough during the spring game in April and settled in nicely. As long as Orji can effectively throw the football, he would add a whole new dimension to the Wolverines' offense with his running ability.

You've got to believe whoever gets the nod for Fresno State will had to of shown they can take great care of the football and limit those costly mistakes in practice. They will be going up against one of the best defenses in football during fall camp, which can only be a good thing for the quarterback battle.

Predicted winner: Alex Orji

Running back No. 3:

Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings are locked into the 1A and 1B roles heading into the season. As we've grown to see the last few years, the Wolverines want to have that No. 3 running back they can lean on when needed. Last year that was Mullings, so who is going to take that role in '24?

Michigan has quite a few players who could fill that role. Sophomore's Ben Hall and Cole Cabana. Senior Tavierre Dunlap and true freshman Jordan Marshall could all make a compelling case. Cabana has struggled with injuries so far and Dunlap hasn't been able to fully make that leap just yet. But both have those qualities Michigan is looking for in a running back. Cabana has elite speed and Dunlap is a strong runner.

However, I think it comes down to Hall and Marshall. Sherrone Moore has said Marshall has a little Blake Corum in him which is music to Michigan fan's ears. Hall is entering his second year in the program and was fantastic in his first spring game appearance. He runs like a bowling ball but also has underrated speed.

Taking care of the football and making the right reads during fall camp will go a long way to getting more touches in 2024.

Projected winner: Ben Hall

Center:

Three offensive line starters are all but written in permanent marker. At left tackle Michigan has Myles Hinton and at the guard spots the Wolverines have Josh Priebe and Giovanni El-Haid. But according to Sherrone Moore at Big Ten Media Days, there are two position battles: center and right tackle.

It's a two-man battle at center between seniors Greg Crippen and Raheem Anderson. Both came in as highly-rated four-star recruits in the 2021 recruiting class. But neither have been able to see much of the field with so many guys in front of them. Crippen has been the primary backup at center the past few years. Since he's been at that spot he's been behind both Olu Oluwatimi and Drake Nugent -- a couple of good ones.

Last season, Crippen saw 98 snaps and Anderson saw just one. Crippen was actually the second-best pass blocker on the team during his limited time on the field. He graded out with a 79.4 pass-blocking grade per PFF.

This year Michigan didn't go to the transfer portal to bring in a center which means it has full trust in both Crippen and Anderson. Anderson has some guard ability which I believe could be crucial at some point in time during the year if an injury occurs. I look for Anderson to become that super-utility lineman in '24 with Crippen starting.

Projected winner: Greg Crippen

Right tackle:

This one feels like it's more of a battle than the center position. You've got two guys in Andrew Gentry and Jeff Persi who have seen playing time, but neither has had a ton of it. In 2023, Persi had 78 snaps and Gentry had 52 snaps.

Gentry came into Michigan as a major recruit during the Jim Harbaugh era and has all the tools to become a really, really good right tackle. But Persi is entering his fifth year and has that extra experience on Gentry since he's been in the system for a few more years.

As of now, this feels like a coin toss. Persi graded out a little better than Gentry during the limited snaps both saw in 2023. Persi could be a player who has a higher floor, but the ceiling Gentry has is sky-high. If Gentry shows plenty of promise during fall camp, Michigan will have to highly consider starting the junior.

Projected winner: Andrew Gentry

Linebacker No. 3:

Michigan will likely be in nickel or dime packages a lot in 2024 with all the passing in today's college football, but there will be plenty of times the Wolverines need three linebackers in the game. We know Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham are locked in as the starting two, but someone is going to need to emerge as that third linebacker during the fall.

Guys like Jimmy Rolder, Jaydon Hood, and Cole Sullivan are in the mix for that. It was a completely different story for both Rolder and Hood the past two years at Michigan. Hood, a rising senior, barely played his first two years before appearing in 12 games last year and six at linebacker for Michigan. Hood was talked about as someone who improved a ton last spring and it showed during his extended playing time.

Rolder, a rising junior, was one of the major contributors during his freshman year. He played in 13 games in 2022 and saw ample time at linebacker, but injuries slowed him down last season and played in just six games.

Sullivan is a true freshman and while he looks the part and is more than likely going to see some play time, he might be a year away from seeing a ton of field action. I think this is a Rolder vs. Hood battle and one of them will emerge as that third linebacker this fall.

Projected winner: Jimmy Rolder

Cornerback No. 2:

This is one of the larger position battles that will interest Michigan fans. Last year, the Wolverines went out a nabbed UMass transfer Josh Wallace who was a large part of the Michigan defense last year. But he's gone after one season and now the Wolverines need someone else to start across from All-American Will Johnson.

The two players competing for the spot are sophomore Jyaire Hill and FCS All-American Aamir Hall. Hall is just now with the team after coming over from Albany, while Hill has a whole year under his belt at Michigan.

Hill saw 56 total snaps during his freshman season at Michigan. While Hall had 57 tackles and five interceptions at Albany. According to PFF, Hall had an 85.7 overall grade last season, a 73.0 passer rating allowed, and an 88.3 Coverage grade.

While FCS football isn't the same as D-1, Big Ten football, Hall has that large experience gap over the talented sophomore. Look for both to see extensive playing time in 2024.

Projected winner: Aamir Hall

Nickel:

Like the corner spot, this is also a two-man race. Senior Ja'Den McBurrows and junior Zeke Berry are the two looking to lock down the nickel spot. Last season, McBurrows was the primary backup (182 snaps) to Mike Sainristil at nickel, while Berry played just 42 snaps in 2023.

Heading into fall camp, I had McBurrows penciled in as the starting nickel. It makes sense. He has the experience, he's been in the system a year longer and was the primary backup to Sainristil. McBurrows played well in the 182 snaps he was on the field last year. He was the No. 7 cover player on the Michigan defense last year with a 73.9 cover grade.

But listening to the coaches, it sounds like Zeke Berry has really made it tough on McBurrows this spring. Everyone you listen to usually brings up Berry's name as someone who has emerged. Recently, Wink Martindale spoke with the media and said Berry emerged with the first team. But McBurrows will have his chance to earn that back this fall.

Projected winner: Zeke Berry

Safety:

With Rod Moore injured, someone will have to start alongside Makari Paige. Michigan enjoys playing three safeties at times as we seen last year with how much Keon Sabb was on the field. You can argue there are three players really competing for the starting job alongside Paige: Quinten Johnson, Jaden Mangham, and Wesley Walker.

Johnson was the No. 4 safety on the Wolverines last year, but played some good football when he hit the field. Fans will remember the hit he had against the Buckeyes. But really, it still feels like Johnson is more of a depth piece who will rotate in with the starters. Which means it's a Wesley Walker vs. Jaden Mangham battle.

Mangham, a rising junior, came over from rival Michigan State. He started there and was a Big Ten honorable mention in 2023. He recorded 53 tackles, seven PBUs, and four interceptions. Walker, a sixth-year senior, was the starting safety at Tennessee last year. He had 53 tackles and didn't allow a single touchdown in 349 coverage snaps for the Vols.

Both have different skill sets. Walker might be a little better in coverage while Mangham is really quick to the line and getting to the ball carrier. Both should see the field plenty in 2024 while Michigan utilizes their skillset.

Projected winner: Wesley Walker

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