Look Ahead: Will Michigan Be Better At Running Back In 2020?

With Zach Charbonnet and Hassan Haskins leading the Wolverines in rushing as freshmen it is easy to forecast a very bright future for Michigan at the running back position. How good U-M will be in 2020 depends on their growth and the emergence of a third ball carrier.

Charbonnet and Haskins' 985 combined rushing yards this season and 13 total scores are among the best by a freshman duo in college football, trailing only freshman tandems from Memphis (1,124 yards) and Ole Miss (1,028 yards). 

Charbonnet already has the Michigan true freshman rushing touchdown record with 11 TDs and while you can never say anything with certainty in college football anymore, he has the look of a four-year player (a lack of breakaway speed probably prevents him from being the type of NFL Draft prospect that would lead to an early-departure decision). 

Haskins, on the other hand, has more speed than his teammate and could be a more intriguing prospect someday. Still, they're both guaranteed to return in 2020 and likely 2021 (Charbonnet has to, Haskins could theoretically leave after 2020 as he would be three years out of high school, but it's unlikely). 

With those two back in the fold, it's no wonder that Michigan fans are extremely optimistic about the Wolverines' backfield potential next season. 

In our final peek offensively to Michigan in 2020, will the Wolverines be better at running back?

— Michael Spath (@MichaelSpathITH) November 7, 2019

What the two will do for an encore in 2020 remains to be seen, but with what they have flashed this fall it is reasonable to project Haskins becoming a 1,000-yard back and Charbonnet rushing for 600-800 yards as his counterpart. 

The bigger question will focus on who slides into Tru Wilson's role as the third back on the team. Wilson's career comes to an end in 2019, and it will conclude with the Warren, Mich., native the most successful walk-on running back of all time (in my research I couldn't find a single walk-on with more than his 555 yards rushing). 

So who inherits Wilson's reps? 

2020 signee Blake Corum could make a case when he arrives on campus, putting together a terrific senior season. 

It probably won't be redshirt freshman Ben VanSumeren, who projects to be more of a hybrid 'bigger' back if there is such a position in the Wolverines' new offense. The 6-2, 244-pound VanSumeren has had just nine carries all year, including a lone touch in the past six games. 

A wildcard: Chris Evans. Suspended by the school indefinitely last winter and eventually removed as a student, Evans tweeted out a photo of himself earlier in the week wearing his Michigan uniform and proclaiming "I been in the dark, but I PROMISE you'll see a brighter me."

What that vague social media post means remains a guess, but even if Evans is re-admitted to the University, it is believed the coaching staff would like to see him spend a year as a full-time student, proving he can handle the academic workload and stress before allowing him back on the team. 

Redshirt freshman Christian Turner makes the most sense to take over for Wilson, but the 5-11, 200-pounder will surely be asking himself this offseason if he wants to settle for a career as the No. 3 rusher after spending the spring, preseason and month of September competing to be the top ball carrier on the team only to fall to fourth; after earning 31 carries in U-M's first four games, he's had just 13 touches in the past five games. 

In today's college football, with the presence of the transfer portal and an abundance of options at Group of 5 schools to star - nine of the Top 20 rushers in college football presently hail from Group of 5 programs and seven Group of 5 tailbacks were drafted in 2019 - Turner could opt for a clearer path to playing time, especially with three (if granted immediate eligibility) or two years (if he has to sit out one season) left to play. 

Regardless of what happens at the third tailback spot, Michigan has two burgeoning talents at running back with Charbonnet and Haskins, and that's quite enough. A third ball carrier is a luxury, not a necessity.