Four Michigan Wolverines named top 100 players of 2022 college football season
ESPN.com released its list of the top 100 college football players in 2022, and four Michigan Wolverines football players from the Big Ten championship winning team made the cut.
The site’s Bill Connelly explained his methodology: “Voters were presented with a series of one-on-one votes. For example, ‘Who was better in 2022: [Tennessee wide receiver] Jalin Hyatt or [USC quarterback] Caleb Williams?’ Think of it as an Oklahoma Drill of statistical reasoning. More than 10,000 votes later, these were the results.”
Michigan is tied with Tennessee for having the sixth-most selections on ESPN’s rankings. Georgia (7), Alabama (6), USC (5), Ohio State (5) and TCU (5) are the programs with more picks. Nine Big Ten teams had at least one player make the cut, but Michigan and Ohio State combined to account for for nine of the 19 appearances. The Maize and Blue are one of 13 programs in the nation to have multiple top-50 choices.
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The Maize and Blue were led by junior running back Blake Corum at No. 10. Corum’s standing is a bit surprising, considering he finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. He was the second-highest rated running back, behind Texas’ Bijan Robinson at No. 5.
“Corum, a unanimous All-American, first-team All-Big Ten and the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football winner, won the Big Ten’s Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year,” Connelly wrote. “Corum spearheaded a Michigan running game that averaged 238.9 yards, which was fifth in the FBS, and his career-high 243 yards in a 34-27 win over Maryland on Sept. 24 began a stretch of eight consecutive 100-yard games. His 1,463 rushing yards were third in the Big Ten while his 18 touchdowns were second in the league to Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim.”
Here’s a look at the other three Michigan players to make the cut.
C Olusegun Oluwatimi: No. 26
Graduate center Olusegun Oluwatimi won the Rimington and Outland trophies for the nation’s best center and interior lineman on either side of the ball, respectively.
“Oluwatimi’s transition from Virginia to Michigan was seamless this season as the graduate transfer center served as the linchpin for the Wolverines’ strong offensive line,” Connelly wrote. “Oluwatimi won both the Rimington Trophy (third in Michigan history) and Outland Trophy (first in Michigan history) this season as [head coach] Jim Harbaugh‘s team averaged 243 rushing yards a game — fifth in the FBS.”
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CB DJ Turner: No. 75
Michigan senior cornerback DJ Turner became the team’s best cover man this year, allowing just 33 receptions for 408 yards and 2 touchdowns on 71 targets, according to PFF.
“Turner was an All-Big Ten selection this season and won defensive player of the week multiple times for his play in the secondary,” Connelly wrote. “Turner had 36 total tackles this season with one interception and 10 pass breakups. He was a leader in the secondary and a part of a Michigan defense that suffocated opponents in the second half all season.”
Turner declared for the 2023 NFL Draft last week.
EDGE Mike Morris: No. 99
Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year Mike Morris enjoyed a stellar senior season, ranking tied for second in the Big Ten in sacks.
“Prior to the season, there were questions about where Michigan would get a pass rush after losing Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo to the NFL. Morris answered those questions quickly and became a defensive force up front all season. He led the team with 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss with four quarterback hurries in 11 games. Injury kept him out of a few games this season, but he still proved he was one of the best defenders in the Big Ten.”
