Michigan football: ESPN names six Wolverines to preseason top-100 players list
Michigan football heads into the 2023 season as the No. 2 team in the land, according to the AP and Coaches polls. That designation comes with the expectation that the team has some of the best players in the country.
ESPN agrees, listing six Michigan Wolverines in its ranking of the top 100 players in college football ahead of the 2023 season. Senior running back Blake Corum (No. 7), junior running back Donovan Edwards (No. 17), senior offensive guard Zak Zinter (No. 19), junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy (No. 30), sophomore cornerback Will Johnson (No. 55) and junior linebacker Junior Colson (No. 56) round out the list from The Worldwide Leader.
Ahead of Corum at No 6 are USC junior quarterback Caleb Williams, Georgia junior tight end Brock Bowers, Ohio State junior wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU sophomore linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., North Carolina redshirt sophomore Drake Maye and Washington graduate quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Florida State senior quarterback Jordan Travis, Florida State junior defensive lineman Jared Verse and Georgia sophomore EDGE Mykel Williams round out the top ten, respectively.
Below is what ESPN said about each of the Wolverines on the list:
RB Blake Corum – No. 7
“Corum, a driving force for Michigan’s drive to a second straight Big Ten title and CFP berth, was a Doak Walker finalist, unanimous All-American and Big Ten Running Back of the Year in 2022 (1,463 rushing yards and 18 TDs). He had eight straight 100-yard rushing games from Sept. 24 through Nov. 19 last season.”
RB Donovan Edwards – No. 17
“Edwards had 991 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. He established a career-high 216 rushing yards in Michigan’s 45-23 victory at Ohio State last year. He rushed for over 100 yards five times last season.”
OL Zak Zinter – No. 19
“A member of Michigan’s offensive line that won a second straight Joe Moore Award (best offensive line in the country), Zinter was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2022. The Wolverines rushed for 238.9 yards per game, fifth in the FBS.”
QB J.J. McCarthy – No. 30
“McCarthy was a Davey O’Brien semifinalist in 2022 with 2,719 passing yards and 22 passing TDs, helping pilot Michigan to a second straight College Football Playoff appearance. He added 306 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. He threw for a career-high 343 yards in the Wolverines’ loss to TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.”
CB Will Johnson – No. 55
“Johnson finished second on the Wolverines with three interceptions. He had a career-high eight tackles in Michigan’s decisive 45-23 victory at Ohio State while picking off two passes in a 43-22 victory over Purdue as the program claimed a second straight Big Ten title. Johnson was part of a secondary that ended the year sixth in the Big Ten in passing defense (191.8 YPG).”
LB Junior Colson – No. 56
“Colson recorded 101 tackles (42 solo) to lead a Wolverines’ defense that finished third in the country in rushing defense (85.2 YPG) and fifth in the FBS in scoring defense (13.4 PPG). He had double-digit tackles in four games last year, paced by 15 in a 43-22 victory over Purdue in the Big Ten championship.”
