Five players Michigan football can't live without next season

The Detroit News
It takes a team, naturally, to win games and make a run at any sort of championship. But within that concept, there are individual players whose presence as leaders and whose productivity are difference-makers, and that makes them difficult to replace.
With that in mind, as Michigan approaches the start of preseason camp on Aug. 1 with its sights set on a third consecutive Big Ten title, there are a handful of players the Wolverines can’t live without this season.
Here’s a look at those players:
▶ J.J. McCarthy: He won the starting job in Week 2 last season as a sophomore (Cade McNamara started the first game) and never looked back, leading the Wolverines to a 13-1 record. The Wolverines relied on their running game as their bread and butter, but McCarthy was 208 of 322 passing for 2,719 yards, 22 touchdowns and five interceptions and ran for 306 yards and five scores on 70 attempts. He has added 10 pounds in the offseason and said in the spring he has worked on improving his decision-making. McCarthy’s teammates, when asked about their quarterback during spring practices, referred to him doing “J.J. things,” which means using his ability to scramble while utilizing his strong arm to find playmakers. Backing up McCarthy are Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle, who was a captain with the Hoosiers, and Davis Warren.
▶ Blake Corum/Donovan Edwards: It’s difficult to pick between the nicknamed duo of “Lightning and Lightning” because both are indispensable due to their skill and experience. Corum returns after suffering a knee injury in Michigan’s final home game last season and is confident that post-surgery he can resume his pace that put him in the Heisman Trophy conversation. He rushed for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns on his way to becoming a first-team All-American. Then there’s Edwards, who has distinguished himself for his effectiveness catching the ball out of the backfield as well as his running. He also dealt with injuries and finished last season with 991 rushing yards and 200 receiving yards. When Michigan needed him most, at Ohio State in the first game when Corum couldn’t go, Edwards, wearing a cast on his left hand, had 22 carries for 216 yards and two touchdowns, including scoring runs of 75 and 85 yards in the second half. In the Big Ten title game against Purdue, a day after Corum underwent surgery, Edwards had 185 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown and was the game’s MVP. In Michigan’s national semifinal loss to TCU, he had 119 yards on 23 carries.
▶ Kris Jenkins: Michigan has developed depth on the defensive line and many of the younger players earned valuable experience last season, but Jenkins decided to come back for another year because he feels he has plenty to prove. He is respected among his teammates as a leader and likely will be a captain this fall. Jenkins, as a starting defensive tackle last season, had 54 tackles, including 3½ tackles for loss and two sacks. The 6-foot-3 Jenkins is up to 310 pounds — he was 280 at the end of last season. He said improving his pass rush has been the focus this offseason and wants “10-plus” sacks this season. He is a versatile player, but it is his leadership that would be a challenge to replace on the defensive line and overall on defense.
▶ Junior Colson: There often is concern about a potential drop-off after a successful freshman season, but Colson had a dominant season at linebacker last fall, particularly considering the absence of injured Nikhai Hill-Green. Colson led the Wolverines in 2022 with 101 tackles, including six for loss and two sacks, and had a pass breakup. He was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches. Colson was heavily relied on last season because of the injury to Hill-Green, which left the linebacker corps fairly depleted in terms of experienced players. Michael Barrett also saw more playing time, took advantage of that situation and returns this season. Colson is the undeniable leader of the linebackers, which received a major boost with the transfer of Ernest Hausmann, who was a starter as a freshman at Nebraska last season and had 54 tackles. Jimmy Rolder and Micah Pollard gained experience last season and will be relied on this fall, but Colson is the key.
▶ Mike Sainristil: He made a pivotal move from receiver to the defensive secondary, where he made 11 starts last season at cornerback. He recorded 58 tackles, including 6½ for loss and two sacks, one interception and eight pass breakups en route to earning All-Big Ten honorable mention honors. Is he as skilled as cornerback Will Johnson, a former five-star recruit who is expecting to make an enormous impact this fall as a freshman? No, but don’t forget he spent his first three seasons at receiver before taking over at nickel corner, which had been Dax Hill’s role before heading to the NFL. He filled a huge void. By no means is Sainristil, voted a team captain, a finished product, but that’s part of the reason why he returned for a fifth season. He is smart, a leader and versatile, and while Michigan searches for a starter to play opposite Johnson, there’s no reason why Sainristil can’t be that guy. That’s why he’s so valuable.