Michigan Football's Top 20 Under 20

How bright is Joe Milton's future? Dax Hill's? Chris Hinton's? The three rank among the best young prospects on the Michigan roster heading into 2020.

Isaiah Hole Photography

1. Aidan Hutchinson: Young for his class, Hutchinson doesn't even turn 20 until August so imagine what he's capable of as he continues to mature and grow into his frame. The 6-6, 278-pounder was Michigan's best defensive player in 2019, and while he lacks the explosion to be a speed rusher (and thus a likely double-digit sack performer), he's the closest thing U-M has had to Glen Steele in two decades. 

2. Jalen Mayfield: U-M hasn't had a first-team All-American right tackle since Jon Jansen in 1998. Mayfield, who turns 20 in May, should vie for such distinction before his career ends. It's possible I'm higher on Mayfield than most - though line coach Ed Warriner recently spoke glowingly about his right tackle - but I see a player with a ceiling as high as some of Michigan's great offensive tackles. 

3. Dax Hill: I was recently asked for an apt former player comparison to Hill, and even with a depth of Michigan football history, I couldn't think of one that boasts the speed, athleticism and yet physicality of the 19-year old who will turn 20 the fifth week of the 2020 season. The best I could do was a combination of DeWayne Patmon and Tommy Hendricks, safeties that started side-by-side in 1998-99.  

4. Cam McGrone: If we're being honest, it was an uneven season for McGrone - flashes of a brilliant skillset every bit as physically impressive as predecessor Devin Bush Jr., but more than a few no-show games (in 10 starts, he had four games of three tackles or less) with just three tackles for loss in U-M's final six contests. 

But the redshirt sophomore, turning 20 June 22, has only begun scratching the surface of his potential and with a year of experience, he should ball out in 2020.

Insert Here Zach Charbonnet: When you have a brain freeze moment and completely forget to include someone very deserving you drop him in after the fact, acknowledge your mistake and move on. 

Charbonnet only recently turned 19 (in early January) and represents a likely four-year contributor, someone that if he maintained his current pace of 726 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns would finish with 2,904 yards and 44 scores, marks that would rank him 10th all time at U-M in career rushing production and the third most prolific ground-game scorer in school history. 

He's not a game-breaking back - just three of his 149 runs went for 20 yards or more (2.0 percent) - but he had 21 rushes of 10+ yards (14.1 percent) and picked up first downs on 37 carries (24.8 percent). Efficiency better than Karan Higdon during his 1,000-yard campaign in 2018 (12.1 percent on 10+ yard runs and 23.7 percent on first-down carries). 

Faster and more explosive than former Wolverine runner De'Veon Smith, Charbonnet is an ideal complementary ball carrier and should have the chance to go down as one of the best No. 2 tailbacks U-M has ever had.   

5. Giles Jackson: Breaston, Carter, Howard, Jackson? In addition to being Michigan's greatest returnmen - for which Jackson made a bold opening statement, averaging 25.9 yards and scoring on a 97-yard kickoff return - they were some of the Wolverines' most dynamic wide receivers. 

It's way premature to predict Jackson, who only turned 18 in December, will belong in that company someday, but he is uniquely skilled and can be dangerous in the slot, outside or out of the backfield.  

6. Chris Hinton: Michigan hasn't had a five-star interior defensive lineman since Gabe Watson in 2002-05. Watson was twice an All-Big Ten first-team selection and the hope is Hinton makes the sort of substantive impact at tackle of a Willie Henry or Alan Branch - similarly 300-plus pounders that wrecked offensive game plans with their ability to get penetration into the backfield or occupy multiple blockers. 

Hinton, who turns 20 in September, had taken snaps away from Michael Dwumfour over the final few games, signaling his time is coming quickly. 

7. Joe Milton: Prior to the Ohio State game, Brandon Brown and I sat in the press box and watched Milton throw 50-yard bullets flat-footed from midfield in pre-game warmups before rolling right and dropping a 60-yard dime throwing across his body. Milton has, arguably, the most impressive arm in Michigan football history (or at least since Drew Henson in 2000). 

Will that physical skill translate into great quarterback play from the redshirt sophomore (turning 20 in March)? Or will he follow in the footsteps of, say, Shane Morris, who had a big arm but never put it together? 

8. Ryan Hayes: A high school tight end with a big 6-7 frame but not the size to go with it (271 pounds as a freshman), Hayes was viewed as a relatively long-term project for the Michigan offensive line, if all went according to plan, capable of competing in 2021. Instead, circumstances and his exponential growth, dictated an earlier-than-expected debut as he started two games in place of injured left tackle Jon Runyan Jr., to begin the 2019 season. 

Hayes was named the offensive player of the game by Michigan in the opener, demonstrating his incredible high ceiling, and while there were bumpier moments in Week 2, he showcased plenty of good over the course of the season to believe he can bookend with Mayfield at left tackle for the next 2-3 years. 

9. Mike Sainristil: The preview of Sainristil in the spring of 2019 - he and Ronnie Bell both looked comfortable and capable as "speed-in-space" receivers - and the contribution during the season didn't mesh, but that happens often with true freshmen, who must battle through the preseason and in-season grind and don't always thrive at first. 

Sainristil did finish his rookie campaign with eight catches for 145 yards and a touchdown, and the 5-10, 183-pounder, who turns 20 in October, has the skill set necessary to flourish in Josh Gattis' offense. 

10. Zach Carpenter: Appearing on Jon Jansen's "In The Trenches" podcast this past week, Warriner went out of his way to praise Carpenter, who must beat out a walk-on (fifth-year senior Andrew Vastardis) to earn the starting center job. 

The 6-5, 320-pounder, who won't even turn 19 until May, was Michigan's Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, is the odds-on favorite to take over for departing center Cesar Ruiz, and could lock up the position for four years. 

11. Andre Seldon: The first incoming freshman to appear on this list, Seldon is an early enrollee, and with the opportunity to go through winter conditioning and spring ball, should compete for Michigan's nickel corner position next fall. 

The 5-8, 154-pounder is the program's highest-ranked cornerback signee (No. 10 per 247Sports.com) since David Long in the 2016 class (No. 7), and what he lacks in size, he makes up for in ferociousness, technique and ball-in-the-air skills. 

12. Mazi Smith: Considering the need along the interior of the defensive line, and his physical stature - he's the biggest defensive lineman on the team at 305 pounds - the complete no-show of Smith was a huge disappointment in 2019 (he appeared in just two games). 

However, some players need a full redshirt to adapt physically, mentally and emotionally to the college game - after all, he will only turn 19 in June - and with that year, Smith should position himself to be a major contributor in 2020 

13. Blake Corum: Our second true freshman on this list, Corum is, at the very least next fall, a possible big-play runner for a Maize and Blue ground game that ranked 80th last year with just 15 plays of 20 yards or more; Hassan Haskins led all Wolverines with seven while Zach Charbonnet had three. 

He'll have to outrank senior Chris Evans, who had 17 rushes of 20 yards or more from 2016-18 and is returning to the team following a year out of school, but as an early enrollee, Corum should get every chance to do so. Could he be more than a home-run threat? Could be the complete back Michigan did not have a year ago? It's possible, though the competition will be fierce. 

14. Erick All: The 19-year old turning 20 in September played in 11 of 13 games as a true freshman for the Wolverines in 2019 and had a single reception, good for 10 yards and a first down at Penn State. More was expected of the 6-4, 229-pounder after he showed out in the spring as an early enrollee - and considering how much in-season time he got - but there's no shame in playing a complementary role to veteran tight ends Sean McKeon and Nick Eubanks. 

McKeon is gone and there is no proven pass catcher after Eubanks, nor a stud freshman in this class, so All should see a fair number of targets in the fall.  

15. Cornelius Johnson: One of the reasons Michigan probably won't miss early departing outside wide receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black is because Johnson appears capable of taking their reps and matching their production. 

The 6-3, 209-pounder played in all 13 games for the Maize and Blue in 2019 and had four catches for 61 yards and a score as a rookie. Turning 20 in late November, he should have more than 20 receptions by the time he gets to celebrate. 

16. Karsen Barnhart: Though only the fourth highest-ranked offensive lineman Michigan signed in the 2019 class, Barnhart was singled out by Warriner as a fast-rising prospect that could challenge for either a guard or tackle starting spot for the Wolverines as early as the 2020 season. 

The 6-4, 301-pounder from Paw Paw, Mich. (that is a real place) turns 19 on March 2 and has a bright future. He could be a top reserve for U-M next fall, though he is setting his sights on winning either the left guard or left tackle gig. 

17. Anthony Solomon: Two years ago, Josh Ross was a Swiss-army knife at linebacker, getting meaningful minutes at both the MIKE and the WILL as a backup to Devin Bush and Devin Gil. In 2019, the Maize and Blue didn't have a player like that (it didn't help that Ross missed nine games due to injury) as Cam McGrone and Jordan Glasgow played the majority of snaps. 

Though he was billed as a potential viper too, the 6-1, 205-pound Solomon, a participant in 10 games a year ago and turning 19 Feb. 27, is expected to spell McGrone and Ross next season at middle and weakside linebacker. He has reportedly gained 12-15 pounds already and should play north of 220 in the fall. 

18. Jalen Perry: Perry will probably object to Seldon being ranked ahead of him and the notion that Seldon, and not Perry, will be the nickel cornerback in 2019. He'll get his fair shot this spring and next August to push Seldon down the depth chart and even compete with redshirt sophomore Vincent Gray to start opposite senior Ambry Thomas (Thomas will not be losing his job to anyone). 

The 6-0, 190-pounder turns 20 in September, and could be one of three breakout stars from Georgia this season, joining Hinton and redshirt sophomore viper Michael Barrett. 

19. Braiden McGregor: Michigan's highest rated prospect in the 2020 signing class at No. 122, six spots ahead of Corum, McGregor benefits from enrolling early as he seeks to crack the two-deep rotation next season. 

He has two things working in his favor - he's big enough at 6-6, 260 (and likely 270 by August) to play the strongside defensive end position and there's no sure-thing backup to junior Aidan Hutchinson; redshirt sophomore Julius Welschof (who admittedly the staff is high on) has appeared in one career contest. 

20. David Ojabo: More than a few players could have seized the last spot but I went with Ojabo because no one on the defensive line possesses as much raw talent as the 6-5 245-pounder weakside end originally from Scotland. 

Turning 20 this May, Ojabo was Michigan's Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year for 2019 and while redshirt junior Luiji Villain has reportedly looked his best yet as he prepares to make a difference following debilitating injuries early in his career, Ojabo will have the opportunity to edge Villain as they vie to backup senior Kwity Paye and add a pass-rushing presence from U-M's second string.