birk's eye view: Michigan football recruits will compete for immediate playing time

Running back

Because of injuries (Vincent Smith) and graduation (Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, Kevin Grady), both White and Hopkins should be in the mix for playing time this fall.

Mike Shaw, Mike Cox and Fitzgerald Toussaint will get first crack at the starting job this spring, and Smith, who tore his ACL in the Ohio State game, is expected back by August. Shaw is the most experienced of that group, while Toussaint was a head-turner on the scout team last year and Smith is the wild card depending on his recovery.

White, a 4-star recruit according to Scout.com, has the physical tools to fit Michigan’s spread offense, while Hopkins is a bigger back in the mold of Brandon Minor. If Smith’s injury lingers, both could play. Otherwise, there doesn’t seem to be enough room in the rotation for 6 backs, and spacing out scholarships is a concern.

With neither Hopkins nor White expected to start, who ultimately plays a bigger role will depend on their physical maturity and perhaps ability to contribute on special teams.

Wide receiver
Michigan didn’t get great or steady production out of its receivers last year, though Roy Roundtree, Junior Hemingway and Darryl Stonum all showed flashes of brilliance.

Roundtree and Martavious Odoms will enter the fall as Michigan’s top slot receivers, with Hemingway and Stonum the projected starters on the outside. Je’Ron Stokes caught 2 passes in 6 games last year as a true freshman, and redshirt freshmen Jeremy Gallon (a slot) and Cam Gordon should be in the playing mix as well.

That’s a lot of bodies considering just 4 receivers caught more than 15 passes last year, but since no one emerged as a go-to threat on the outside, there’s opportunity for 1 of Michigan’s early enrollees to play a major role. Ricardo Miller might be the most physically ready of the incoming group, but don’t discount Jerald Robinson or Jeremy Jackson. The son of Michigan running backs coach Fred Jackson, Jeremy Jackson is a polished receiver who grew up around the program.

Offensive line
Seven players enrolled early for Michigan last year, and only 2 - Smith and quarterback Tate Forcier - played anything close to key roles. Undoubtedly, it’s difficult for an offensive lineman to make an impact as a true freshman, and that’s the spot Christian Pace will find himself in.

A center, Pace also finds himself blocked on the depth chart by David Molk, arguably Michigan’s best lineman. Molk, coming off knee and foot injuries, is expected to miss spring practice, so Pace will compete with Rocko Khoury for the backup job in the even Molk gets hurt again.

Most importantly, he’s around to learn the system and live in the weight room so when the opportunity arises for playing time he’s firmly in the mix.

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.