Michigan Football Breakout Players For 2020: No. 8 — Zach Carpenter
Everyone is hoping and praying that football will start on time. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but eventually, there will be a "next" season. Whenever that is, Michigan is going to get some major contributions from some new faces.
Continuing the new series of 10 breakout players from Michigan's roster, here's No. 8 as we work our way to the top.
No. 8 — Zach Carpenter
With Cesar Ruiz off to the NFL, the center spot is a pretty massive void along the offensive line and right now, redshirt freshman Zach Carpenter is probably the most likely candidate to win the job.
Despite not playing at all in 2019, Carpenter feels like the center of the future based on his size at 6-5, 320 pounds, strength and work ethic. Even though Carpenter didn't play in a game in 2019, he worked extremely hard at practice and was named the team's Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. That goes a long way with coaches and has also helped Carpenter develop quickly.
Coming out of high school, Carpenter wasn't rated very highly as a three-star guard, but he had a pretty impressive offer list of more than 20 schools and was wanted badly by Clemson. The in-state Buckeyes never offered Carpenter, so he was Michigan's to grab. In doing so, the Wolverines may have found a replacement for Ruiz and a potential four-year starter at one of the most important positions along the offensive line.
Obviously there aren't really stats to predict in order to project success for an offensive lineman, but keep a quarterback clean is measurable. Ruiz didn't give up a sack in 2019 and was also always very sound with the football in terms of snapping accurately. Ruiz was also dynamic as a puller, which could be a little tougher for Carpenter. The redshirt freshman is as strong as any offensive lineman on the team, but was never billed as an elite athlete. He's plenty athletic for the position, but likely won't be asked to do some of the things that Ruiz did so well.
I'm not positive that Carpenter will breakout in 2020 since he has to win the job first, but I think he will and he'll end up being a mainstay there for a few years to come.
