8 Michigan football position battles that we will see Week 1

Jim Harbaugh has emphasized time and time again that he intends to use the “Michigan Method” to determine the number of Michigan football position battles this year. From quarterbacks to cornerbacks and more, here are eight position battles that fans will likely get to see during Week 1 against East Carolina in Ann Arbor.

What is Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Method?

First off, let’s go over what this “Michigan Method” is. According to Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, this method is essentially what the Wolverines did with the quarterback battle a season ago — Cade McNamara started game one, JJ McCarthy started game two, and by Week 3, the battle was over.

“No, I definitely think you’re gonna see the Michigan method in play at offensive tackle,” Jim Harbaugh said during fall camp. “There’s two starters on the left, there’s two starters on the right. There are four starting tackles that we have. It’ll go through camp — I envision starting two tackles in one game and two tackles in the second game. I see that happening at edge, which could be the case at center. Probably will be the case at corner. Those would be the main ones.

“… I read that another team was doing that for their quarterbacks,” Harbaugh continued. “‘Michigan Method.’ I like the way that sounds. Who plays? Who gets discovered? The best players. How do you know who the best player is? They play the best.  To define what the Michigan method is would define it well. Those certain positions — quarterback last year, not this year — tackle this year, center, corner edge. It’s so close, and there are multiple guys that are starters that practice may define it over 29 days, but it may not, and have to go to find the separation in the game to find out who the best player is because they will play with us.”

Michigan football position battles on offense

When Michigan football takes the field for the first time this fall, its opponent is not exactly a powerhouse — it’s East Carolina of the AAC. Because of this, I expect that there will be a good amount of rotation throughout the game, especially when the game reaches its later stages. Here are the eight Michigan football position battles that I am eager to see during Week 1.

Offensive tackles (right and left)

The only two offensive line spots that are set in stone right now are at right and left guard. Aside from those two, Michigan still needs to find a full-time starting center and name starters at right and left tackle. On the left side, LaDarius Henderson and Karsen Barnhart have been battling it out during fall camp; on the right, it appears that the race is between Trente Jones and new transfer tackle Myles Hinton from Stanford.

Center

Speaking of center, Michigan football is still yet to name a starter in the middle of its elite offensive line. There are a few names in the running the replace Olu Oluwatimi (last year’s center), though I anticipate Stanford transfer Drake Nugent will lock the job down early on in the year.

Backup quarterback

Another battle that has reportedly been very close is for the QB2 role on this year’s team. JJ McCarthy is undoubtedly the starter for Michigan football, though fall camp reports show that Davis Warren and Jack Tuttle have been neck and neck thus far. That said, it sounds like Warren may have an edge right now. If/when JJ McCarthy is pulled on September 2nd, keep an eye on who his first replacement is and how his backups perform. Overall, this position group is looking fantastic right now.

Wide receiver

“Position battle” may not be the perfect phrase for this, seeing as Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson will both be starters, but Michigan football needs a true WR1 to step up on offense this year. Over the past few years, Ronnie Bell was always the go-to guy; however, now that he is in the NFL, one of the Wolverines’ veteran wideouts needs to embrace this role and help JJ McCarthy get out of tough situations. Sophomore Tyler Morris is also being talked about, so keep an eye on No. 8 making a push for this role.

Tight ends

Like the wide receiver battle, I am not sure that this is entirely a “position battle” so much as Michigan football needs to see who steps up the most. Both Colston Loveland and AJ Barner will see the field a lot this year, likely at the same time more often than not. Still, from a blocking a receiving standpoint, it will be good to get a sense of who is TE1 and who is TE2 during Week 1.

Michigan football position battles on defense

Edge rusher

Now, for the defense. One of the most talked about battles this fall has been at edge rusher, where the Wolverines have a very good problem. Similar to the offensive line, Michigan’s edge rushing corps is loaded this year, and choosing just two guys to start will be quite hard for the coaching staff. Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor have been standing out a lot so far, though Coastal Carolina transfer Josaiah Stewart and others are also in the mix right now leading up to Week 1.

Linebacker

The top linebacker on this year’s roster is third-year star Junior Colson, who stood out as a full-time starter in 2022. Just below Colson, there is a heated battle for a starting role between Nebraska transfer Ernest Hausmann and long-time Wolverine Mike Barrett, who have been turning heads throughout spring ball and fall camp. Once again, Michigan football will likely rotate them a good bit, but only one can be a starter, so keep an eye on how these two perform against ECU.

Cornerback

The Michigan football position battle at cornerback has arguably been the most talked about battle on the team heading into the 2023 season. While CB depth was a concern a few months ago, Amorion Walker (a converted wide receiver) and UMass transfer Josh Wallace have been in a tight race for the CB2 role across from sophomore superstar Will Johnson.

Amorion Walker was a bit banged up just over a week ago, so perhaps Wallace has a slight edge right now, but come Week 1, we should have a much better feel for how the Michigan football cornerback room will look by the time Big Ten play rolls around.

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