At this time last offseason, Michigan could hardly find its name as the annual July tradition that's become preseason award watch list releases in college football took place.
What a difference a year makes.
Dating back to the start of this year's watch list releases last week, the Wolverines have enjoyed a prominent presence as anticipation for the 2016 season continues to build.
The name of at least one Michigan player can be found on nine of the 13 performance-based watch lists to have been revealed thus far—the lone exceptions being the Lou Groza Award (best kicker), Ray Guy Award (best punter), Butkus Award (best linebacker) and Davey O'Brien Award (best quarterback). For the latter three awards, the Wolverines will be breaking in new starters at those positions in 2016.
Given the number of Michigan players to have been named to watch lists already, the Wolverines are practically a shoe-in to be represented on the lone list remaining to be revealed, the Walter Camp Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top player.
The steady stream of Michigan players to have thus far been recognized this preseason stands in stark contrast to a year ago, when Jake Butt served as the Wolverines' lone watch list representative as a preseason candidate for the John Mackey Award (nation's top tight end).
Michigan found itself not only shut out on defense but in each of the major individual awards on either side of the ball when it came to watch lists in 2015, a strong indication of an apparent talent issue Jim Harbaugh was inheriting when taking over his alma mater.
According to this year's watch lists, that problem no longer exists.
"Tremendous difference from what they were and what they are," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said of the Wolverines' roster on a conference call this past spring. "Now they have national credibility with what Jim has done already in terms of the winning that went on there."
For anybody who followed Harbaugh's coaching career before his return to Ann Arbor at the end of 2014, the sudden shift in Michigan's award-caliber talent has hardly been a surprise.
After all, whether it be during his time with the San Francisco 49ers or at Stanford before that, you'd be hard-pressed to find a head coach who's developed a stronger track record when it comes to player development than Harbaugh.
In the NFL, he took a team that had missed the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons to three consecutive NFC Championship Games—and one Super Bowl—with a roster full of Pro Bowl players, while in Palo Alto, California, he transformed a dormant program into an unlikely factory for NFL talent.
Watch lists aren't the be-all, end-all in college football—far from it—but with the Wolverines, Harbaugh already appears to be following a similar path.
Even in an NFL draft where Michigan wasn't expected to provide much of a presence, center Graham Glasgow (third round), defensive lineman Willie Henry (fourth round) and quarterback Jake Rudock (sixth round) each proved to benefit from just one season under Harbaugh's watch.
''Coach [Jedd] Fisch, Coach Harbaugh, Coach [Tim] Drevno, those guys, they really train us like NFL players,'' Rudock told reporters after being drafted by the Detroit Lions. ''They really preach that and have us study what the NFL guys do and how well they do it.''
For the second-year Wolverines head coach, however, the best appears yet to come.
Not only are Michigan players now littering the watch lists they were largely absent from a year ago, but they're doing so at a rate that makes the relative red flags of last offseason look like a distant memory.
After winning last year's Big Ten Tight End of the Year award, Butt not only repeats on the Mackey Award watch list but also appears on the watch list for the Maxwell Award, where he is joined by Wolverines wide receiver Jehu Chesson, who was also named to the watch list for the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
Offensive tackle Erik Magnuson made the cut on the Outland Trophy watch list, as did converted center Mason Cole, who was also named to the Rimington Trophy watch list earlier this week.
Running back De'Veon Smith added to his team's preseason profile with an appearance on the Doak Walker Award watch list, and on the defensive side of the ball, Michigan is no longer shut out from the preseason watch lists—as it was a year ago.
Far from it.
Safety/linebacker/jack-of-all trades Jabrill Peppers appears on the watch lists for the BronkoNagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy, while defensive end Chris Wormley can also be found on the Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award watch lists.
Cornerback Jourdan Lewis, meanwhile, was named to the three same lists as Peppers as well as the watch list for the Thorpe Award, presented annually to the nation's top defensive back.
There may not be a better example of Harbaugh's prowess in player development than Lewis, who went from relative unknown to potential first-round pick, all in just one season under the direction of his new head coach.
"If he had come out, he'd have certainly been one of the top corners," Kiper said of Lewis. "Next year's draft, if you look at the top five right now and you look at a corner, you'd have to put him in there."
Given Michigan's quick rise from a 5-7 team in 2014 to a 10-3 record a year ago, its increase in prominent players hardly comes as a surprise.
At this time a year ago, the Wolverines couldn't lay claim to a single player on their roster who had earned All-Big Ten selections, while at season's end, they were honored with eight—each of whom returns to the Michigan roster in 2016.
With another year of Harbaugh's development under their belts—and rival Ohio State now being the one lagging behind in watch list selections—the preseason hype isn't limited to just the Wolverines players but Michigan itself, as premature preseason polls suggest U-M should remain in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff throughout the 2016 season.
If that turns out to be true, the attention paid to the Wolverines players won't just be limited to preseason watch lists. Michigan may even find itself with an award-winner in its bunch, given its head coach's track record of developing the sport's top stars.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. Recruiting and class ratings courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.
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