Michigan Football Breakout Players For 2020: No. 9 — Mazi Smith

Mazi Smith is going to be needed on the interior of the defensive line.

Everyone is hoping and praying that football will start on time. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but eventually, there will be a "next" season. Whenever that is, Michigan is going to get some major contributions from some new faces.

Continuing the new series of 10 breakout players from Michigan's roster, here's No. 9 as we work our way to the top. 

No. 9 — Mazi Smith

Coming out of high school, Smith was a four-star prospect who tipped the scales at 290 pounds. He was labeled as extremely strong, very quick and dynamic as an athlete for his size. As an early enrollee, it seemed like the formula for Smith to contribute a lot as a true freshman, but that didn't happen. Last year, Smith played in just two games and wasn't brought up by the coaches during the season like he was during spring ball.

Now at 305 pounds and in much better shape, Smith has to be on the field whenever football starts again. He's the heaviest defensive lineman on the roster and Michigan simply doesn't have enough options at defensive tackle. He's needed.

What would a successful year look like for Smith? Playing in all 12-plus games would be a start. He wasn't always the most reliable in high school, so hopefully he's turned a corner in that regard at U-M. He definitely has the size, skill and athleticism to be an every-down contributor, but the fact that he couldn't find the field last year even when U-M needed help in the middle of the defensive line, is a bit telling.

I'm not sure he'll breakout because he's so good or ready, but he needs to breakout in order to shore up U-M's interior defensive line that consists of just Carlo Kemp and Christopher Hinton in terms of guys who have done it.

Top Ten Breakout Players For 2020

No. 10 — Erick All