Michigan Football: 5 breakout candidates for spring 2019

Jim Harbaugh’s fifth season with Michigan football will come with plenty of expectations, but can he find some breakout candidates this spring?

Year four was supposed to be ‘the year’ that Jim Harbaugh broke through the ceiling and won his first Big Ten title. While he came close with a ‘tie’ for the division title with Ohio State, the Buckeyes won head-to-head and made the trip to the Big Ten title game.

The Wolverines are losing a lot of talent from last year’s Peach Bowl runner-up team, but they also bring back some young up-and-comers who have waited for their turn in the spotlight.

Which five Wolverines could break out this spring?

As one of the most touted prospects from the state of Michigan in the 2018 class, Aidan Hutchinson is gearing up to take over at defensive end, or at least push for some snaps.

No one really expected much out of Hutchinson as a freshman since Chase Winovich was coming back but he finished with 12 tackles and one for loss while rotating in quite a bit and causing some havoc while on the field.

Michigan has had plenty of luck on the defensive line over the years and Don Brown is a good reason for that, as well as Jim Harbaugh’s recruiting. They have another gem up-and-coming in Hutchinson as long as they manage his snaps the correct way.

The Wolverines could see Hutchinson rise up the depth chart and make some noise this spring.