Recalling the 2013 Michigan Wolverines Roster
The 2013 season was the first year under Jim Harbaugh, and if you look at the roster now, it tells the story of a program in transition. Michigan finished 4-8, which isn't exactly memorable for the right reasons. But the roster itself has some interesting details that don't come up in the usual recap articles. Let me walk through what that roster actually looked like, because most people only remember the records and the coaching change. The quarterback situation alone was chaotic. Devin Gardner started the bulk of the games. He was a senior who had been dealing with injuries the year before. Then Shane Morris, a true freshman, got a handful of snaps in several games. Drew Dunshee redshirted that season. Mitch Leidner transferred in later but didn't play for Michigan. By mid-season, Michigan was so depleted at quarterback that they were essentially running out of options, which is something you rarely see at a program of this size. The offensive line was another story. Jake Ryan's brother Travis wasn't on the line — that's a common mix-up. The tackles were Taylor Lewan on the left, who was a legitimate NFL prospect, and Ben Braden on the right. Center was Patrick Omameh, a senior leader who held things together. The interior was mostly Alex Anzalone and Drew Harrell rotating through guard spots. They couldn't run block to save their lives. I remember watching game film from the Northwestern loss — 52-14 — and the linemen were getting pushed around so badly that Gardner was taking hits on nearly every dropback. It wasn't scheme. It was talent mismatch week after week.
At running back, the primary guy was Denard Robinson, who had moved over from quarterback the season before. He wasn't the same weapon anymore. Jeremy Hill, a true freshman, showed flashes but wasn't ready for a featured role. Derrick Green also redshirted that year. The passing game leaned heavily on Amara Darboh, who was a sophomore and already the most reliable target. Jehu Chesson was the speed guy. Reynolds and John Moore rotated at the other receiver spots. Tight end was Kaleb Schoen and Colin Larkin, neither of whom became notable NFL players. The defensive side had more name recognition. Devin Bush Sr. was a starter at linebacker and his son Devin Bush Jr. would later follow him to Michigan. Thomas Gordon played safety. Francis Kassevitz was a defensive tackle who held the line against the run. The pass rush was inconsistent. I spent a lot of time that season trying to figure out why Michigan couldn't generate pressure with just four men, and the answer was pretty clear: the front seven didn't have the depth to rotate effectively against better opponents. One specific problem I ran into when looking up this roster later was that several players had their jersey numbers changed mid-season or were listed inconsistently across different sources. Some sites had one number for a player and others had a different one. The workaround I used was cross-referencing the official Michigan athletics site archives with the 2013 Michigan Media Guide, which had the most accurate listing. I also checked the NFL draft profiles for players who eventually went pro — Lewan, for example — because those profiles always list college numbers accurately.
Here are some things most people miss about that roster. First, the depth chart was constantly shifting because of injuries. Michigan lost multiple starters to things like concussions and knee issues, and the backups weren't prepared. This is a common pitfall when evaluating any college roster mid-season — the final depth chart bears almost no resemblance to the opening day one. Second, redshirts matter more than people realize. Several players on that 2013 roster who didn't see meaningful snaps were redshirted, and some of them became starters in subsequent years. If you're only counting active contributors, you're missing half the picture. The kicking game was handled by Christian Kuntz, a sophomore who was reliable but not particularly exciting. Punting was done by Oogbeviegbe Otua, who averaged around 42 yards per punt. Special teams was generally average, which was about what you'd expect from a team that couldn't sustain drives. One thing I'd note that beginners often overlook: recruiting class rankings from 2013 don't tell you much about what actually happened on the field that year. Michigan's 2013 recruiting class was ranked decently, but the players hadn't arrived yet. The 2013 roster was overwhelmingly composed of upperclassmen who were already on the team, plus a handful of true freshmen who weren't ready. If you're evaluating this roster through the lens of recruiting, you'll draw the wrong conclusions.
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The harsh reality of that season was that Michigan simply wasn't competitive in most games. The wins came against Western Michigan, Temple, and Illinois — teams that Michigan should have beaten comfortably. The losses were to Wisconsin, Nebraska, Penn State, Northwestern, and Ohio State, all by significant margins. The roster had moments of promise, particularly on defense, but the offensive line and quarterback instability made it impossible to build consistency. I'll leave it at that. The 2013 roster is a snapshot of a program hitting rock bottom before the eventual rebuild that followed.
