Stellar, Standard & Subpar: Mike Sainristil In 2020

Many expect Mike Sainristil to make a big jump in year two.

Author:
Brandon Brown
Updated:
Jul 7, 2020 2:42 PM EDT
Original:
Jul 7, 2020

We continue our series as we look at each potential contributor on Michigan's roster in numerical order and look at what would be a stellar, standard and subpar season in 2020.

We're on to No. 19, sophomore wide receiver Mike Sainristil.

As a true freshman in 2019, Sainristil appeared in all 13 games with one start at wide receiver. As a pass catcher, he caught eight passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. He also played special teams and made a tackle.

As an early enrollee, Sainristil immediately started to generate a lot of buzz because of his speed, quickness and ability to get open. That created high expectations for him that he didn't quite live up to. He flashed some of those abilities, especially against Notre Dame where he finished with three catches for 73 yards and a score, but his season totals weren't necessarily eye popping.

The 5-10, 183-pounder is poised for a big season in 2020 with Donovan Peoples-Jones off to the NFL and Tarik Black off to Texas. He'll be battling for snaps with classmates Giles Jackson and Cornelius Johnson, along with incoming freshmen AJ Henning and Roman Wilson, but Sainristil has shown that he's got some juice.

He's got a chance to be a big weapon in Michigan's offense, but how big? That's the question...

Stellar

Nico Collins and Ronnie Bell are going to be the top two pass catching options for the Wolverines in 2020 but Sainristil could come in at No. 3 in a stellar scenario. He wasn't quite as productive as Jackson last year, but the two played a similar amount of snaps. He lined up in the backfield occasionally but wasn't really a threat there. Could that change in 2020? Perhaps. If it does, he becomes even more versatile and productive.

If he is able to carve out a role as the No. 3 wide receiver, he could and should at least triple his production. That would come out to 24 catches for 519 yards and three touchdowns. That would be a pretty productive year and would really make for a dynamic receiving corps if Jackson is in the same neighborhood production wise and Johnson takes a big step as well.

Standard

A standard season would be quite a bit better than last year, but less productive than the stellar scenario. If that happens, it would be completely understandable and not a bad thing. With Jackson and Johnson, along with Henning and Wilson, plus tight ends Erick All, Nick Eubanks and Luke Schoonmaker, and even running back Chris Evans all at the quarterback's disposal, there are just a ton of weapons to choose from.

If Sainristil ends up with just twice as much production — 16 catches for 346 yards and two touchdowns — that would be pretty solid with Collins and Bell potentially blowing up with regular contributions from everyone else.

Subpar

When you're as dynamic and capable as Sainristil is, repeating his 2019 season with a slight uptick just won't be good enough in 2020. If Sainristil finishes with 10-15 catches, around 200 yards and a score or two, that just won't be the kind of trajectory people are expecting for the second year in a row. If that does happen, it's probably because Jackson and Johnson took a bigger step than expected and younger guys are stepping up as well. Again, not necessarily a bad thing overall, but not ideal for Sainristil's sophomore campaign.

My Thoughts

Because of his quickness, versatility and expected increased role, I have Sainristil at No. 7 on my breakout players list . I think he'll finish with at least three touchdowns and more than 500 yards of offense. Sprinkle in some explosive plays out of the backfield or on jet sweeps, and Sainristil should approach the stellar scenario outlines above.