Michigan football depth chart 2023 prediction: Who starts opener vs. East Carolina

The college football season has all but officially arrived.

In exactly one week, Michigan football will kick off a 2023 campaign as hyped as any in recent memory.

Jim Harbaugh's program comes into the year on the heels of two straight victories over Ohio State and two straight outright Big Ten championships. Now, the Wolverines look to achieve a first in program history: Three consecutive outright Big Ten championships en route to the program's first national title since 1997.

They'll start their chase against one of the least challenging nonconference schedules in America, which will allow Harbaugh and his assistants time to work out a number of position battles before the meat of the schedule arrives.

Earlier this month, Harbaugh said U-M would employ the 'Michigan Method' — a phrase referencing Harbaugh's in-season approach to last year's quarterback competition — to determine starters at as many as six positions: both offensive tackles, both defensive edges, center and the second cornerback spot.

Although Harbaugh won't be on the field Saturday against East Carolina — he'll be serving the first game of his three-game program-imposed suspension — he, of course, remains the main arbiter of the depth chart.

Here's how we see the rotation entering Week 1 vs East Carolina.

Quarterback

Starter: J.J. McCarthy.

Reserves: Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, Alex Orji.

As a freshman, McCarthy had to adjust to the speed of the collegiate game. As a sophomore, he learned how to operate as a starter and lead a team through the ups and downs of a season. Now, as a junior and the unquestioned leader, there's the expectation he will deliver U-M to the promised land. Behind him, the Wolverines like stability and experience. Although Warren has more experience in the system, Tuttle — a former captain at Indiana — could be a better option as a trusted game-manager.

Running back

Starter: Blake Corum.

Reserves: Donovan Edwards, CJ Stokes, Kalel Mullings, Benjamin Hall, Tavierre Dunlap, Cole Cabana.

Corum and Edwards are expected to see roughly equivalent touches over the first three games, but without question, Corum is atop the depth chart. The senior was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award (best running back) last season, as well as U-M's first unanimous All-American running back since 1947, after he topped 1,500 all-purpose yards and scored 19 touchdowns. Edwards had nearly 1,100 yards from scrimmage plus nine scores and should easily pass those numbers again. The playing time likely drops off quickly after them: Stokes is a nice, shifty third piece while Mullings worked in a short-yardage role as the Wolverines retooled after Corum's knee injury late last season. Hall, a true freshman, was one of the stars of the spring game.

Receiver

Starters: Cornelius Johnson, Roman Wilson, Tyler Morris.

Reserves: Darrius Clemons, Peyton O'Leary, Fredrick Moore, Semaj Morgan, Karmello English.

Wilson spoke earlier this fall of the importance of stepping up as an established No. 1 receiver; although he has shown flashes in years past, this season is about consistency. The same goes for Johnson, U-M's top returning receiver. Morris, meanwhile, has chemistry with McCarthy going back more than half a dozen years to their time at Nazarene Academy in La Grange, Illinois.

Beyond the top three, assistant Ron Bellamy's room is murky. O'Leary shined in the spring game, but hasn't made much of an impression in fall camp. Clemons, long considered a potential breakout player, has been banged up. That leaves a trio of freshmen — English, Morgan and Moore — to get reps and earn praise.

Tight end

Starters: Colston Loveland, AJ Barner.

Reserves: Max Bredeson, Matthew Hibner, Max Klein.

The best season for a recent U-M tight end belongs to Jake Butt in 2016: 46 catches for 546 yards and four scores while winning the Mackey Award (top tight end). Over the final five games of his true freshman season, Loveland was on pace for 27 catches, 470 yards and five touchdowns; even a slight step forward gets him close to Butt's milestones. U-M added a big body in Barner, a 6-foot-5, 251-pound grad transfer from Indiana who can play more in-line as a physical blocker but also has the hands to make plays in the open field. Hibner, a senior who popped in the spring game, and Bredeson, a junior, are legitimate depth.

Offensive line

Starters: LT Karsen Barnhart, LG Trevor Keegan, C Drake Nugent, RG Zak Zinter, RT Trente Jones.

Reserves: LT LaDarius Henderson, LG Gio El-Hadi, C Greg Crippen, RG Jeff Persi, RT Myles Hinton, Andrew Gentry, Raheem Anderson.

Keegan and Zinter are locked in at their guard spots, but there are still a lot of players for the "Michigan Method" to sort out here: At left tackle, it seems like Barnhart (28 career games, 15 starts) will get the nod. Harbaugh said he'd had the best camp to date among the O-linemen. At center, Drake Nugent, a former captain at Stanford and "bulldog" (according to Keegan), seems to have the edge while Jones (26 games played) will pick up where he left off last season on the right side. Expect transfers Henderson (Arizona State) and Hinton (Stanford) to push for starting roles all season and for U-M to rotate linemen frequently over the first three games.

Defensive line

Starters: EDGE Jaylen Harrell, EDGE Braiden McGregor, DT Kris Jenkins, DT Mason Graham.

Reserves: EDGE Josaiah Stewart, EDGE Derrick Moore, DT Kenneth Grant, DT Cam Goode, TJ Guy, Rayshaun Benny, Reece Atterberry.

In this unit, everything starts with Jenkins, fondly known inside the program as "the mutant." Coming in at No. 6 on The Athletic's list of college football "freaks," the 6-3, 308-pound Jenkins is said to be giving the offensive line fits in practice. He lines up next to Graham, one of two freshmen Harbaugh called "a gift from the football gods" last year. On the edges, it's seniors Harrell (31 games, 16 starts) and McGregor (23 games, three starts). Harrell started 12 games in 2022 and finished with 30 tackles, including 7½ tackles for loss, 3½ sacks, five quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. McGregor, who had 16 tackles and five TFLs with 2½ sacks, has paid his dues and could be ready for a breakout season.

Still, the entire second unit — Stewart (an accomplished transfer from Coastal Carolina), Grant (the other "gift from the gods") Goode (a UCF transfer) and Moore (another potential breakout player) — is capable of starting at the Big Ten level and will rotate in frequently.

Linebacker

Starters: Junior Colson, Michael Barrett.

Reserves: Ernest Hausmann, Jimmy Rolder, Jaydon Hood.

Colson progressed from team Defensive Rookie of the Year as a freshman to second-team All-Big Ten last year. Barrett, now entering his sixth(!) season in Ann Arbor, was a third-team All-Big Ten player last year while earning the nod as U-M most improved player. U-M added Nebraska transfer Ernest Hausmann, rated by some ass the top available defender transferring. Although he won't begin as a starter, the sophomore who had 54 tackles and one sack last year is expected to be among the most important pieces by year's end. Hood has pushed for reps in the two-deep with Rolder, who filled in when Colson was banged up last season.

Defensive back

Starters: CB Will Johnson, CB Josh Wallace, S Rod Moore, S Makari Paige, DB Mike Sainristil.

Reserves: CB Amorion Walker, CB KeShaun Harris, S Ja'Den McBurrows, S Keon Sabb, DB Myles Pollard, Quinten Johnson, Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill, Cameron Calhoun, DJ Waller Jr.

Quietly, Michigan's secondary has become one of the best in the nation. Johnson, a sophomore, is the star of the group. As a true freshman, his 91.1 grade (from Pro Football Focus) in man coverage led all Power Five corners. Rod Moore, named a preseason third-team All-American by PFF, was one of just two Power Five safeties last year with a PFF grade topping 80 in both pass and run coverage. Sainristil graded out as PFF's top nickel back in his first year at the position. The prime battle this month has been over the starting spot opposite Johnson. Wallace, a multi-year captain from UMass, appears to be the leader at the spot, but Walker was a spring standout with next-level athleticism — before a lower body injury in fall camp sidelined him.

Special teams

Starters: K James Turner, P Tommy Doman, KR Kalel Mullings and Roman Wilson, PR Mike Sainristil.

Turner, who hails from Saline and transferred in from Louisville, will likely handle placekicking duties, replacing the best kicker in program history (Jake Moody, a third-round pick in April's NFL draft). Turner went 20-for-22 on field goals last season and was named third-team All-ACC. Beware, though: He has never connected on a field goal from 50 yards or farther in college. Doman, an Orchard Lake St. Mary's alumnus, appears set to replace another all-timer at punter (Brad Robbins, a sixth-round NFL pick in April). Doman is said to have a massive leg and may also handle kickoffs.

As for kick returns, Mullings and Wilson were among the first names supplied by Harbaugh, though he quipped — saying he'd need to see "better blocking" before he tried it in a game — about using backup quarterback Alex Orji, too. Sainristil will likely be at the top of the rotation for handling punts.

Contact Tony Garcia at apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him on X at @realtonygarcia.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's 2023 season opener starters: Our predictions