Charbonnet: RB Room Rallying Around Chris Evans

As a freshman, Zach Charbonnet quickly made his impact felt on the field with a three touchdown, 100-yard performance against Army. From there, the freshman battled injury to pick up 726 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on a team that very much needed an identity on the ground with Hassan Haskins also coming into his own.

Now a year older in 2020, Charbonnet and Haskins are part of a running back room that is stronger than ever under Jim Harbaugh. For the first time since 2018, the Wolverines will feature Chris Evans out of the backfield (and likely the slot as well), and that addition has U-M's running backs eager to take the field once again.

Outside of Evans' return, Charbonnet has noticed strong fall camp efforts from true freshman receiver Roman Wilson and quarterback Cade McNamara. Those two players have excelled during practice despite their youth, and that is another sign of optimism for the young ball carrier ahead of the Wolverines' season opener against Minnesota on Saturday.

Evans is expected to have a large role in the offense this year, while Wilson and McNamara may only see the field in specialized situations, so it is difficult to predict their impact. However, Charbonnet already sees flashes of greatness coming from that group, so it sounds as if they will be ready when their time eventually comes.

Which freshman do you think are going to take the Wolverines by storm this year? Will it be one of the players Charbonnet mentioned or another player looking to stake his claim on the field this fall? Let us know!