The Most Deserving College Football Hall of Famers From Michigan

The University of Michigan has the third-most players in the NFL Hall of Fame of any college in the nation. With that statistic in mind, it comes as no surprise that the Wolverines occupy the same position in the college ranks, ranking third in players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame with 33.

The only two teams ahead of the Wolverines are Notre Dame and USC, the same two teams that have Michigan beat in the Canton as well. Below are the three most deserving Wolverines who currently reside in the Hall of Fame, as well as one who is likely to join them once he becomes eligible. 

Here's a list of the most deserving College Football Hall of Fame inductees from the Michigan Wolverines, along with one pick that should be enshrined as soon as he's eligible.

Seeing this name might come as a shock, but Corum deserves a shoutout here. The running back leads Michigan in all-time rushing touchdowns, scoring a whopping 27 touchdowns in his senior season in the lead back role for a Wolverines team that won the national championship. In total, he scored 58 touchdowns for Michigan, the 15th-best mark of all college football running backs ever.

Statistics aren't the only reason Corum will likely become a Hall of Famer when his time comes. During his time as a Wolverine, Corum was a ridiculously efficient back, often acting as the engine of Michigan's entire offense. Without him, the Wolverines would not have been nearly as good as they were, given their deficiencies at quarterback. Corum was one of the most important players on the roster throughout his career, a rarity when it comes to running backs.

Corum is just getting started in the NFL, so it will be at least another nine years until he warrants consideration for this accolade, but his induction is a near-certainty with time.

Michigan is known for producing fantastic defensive talent, but the first player on this list comes from the other side of the ball. Carter was one of the most dominant receivers to ever play for the Wolverines, leading the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns as a sophomore en route to two All-American selections while being a consistent name in the ever-important race for the Heisman Trophy, receiving votes in his last three seasons as a Wolverine. 

While Carter was not a highly touted NFL prospect, that fact does not take away from his fantastic play during his time in Ann Arbor. Football is a team game, and wins and losses cannot be directly attributed to single players, as shown by the fact that Carter's contributions never resulted in a national championship victory for the Wolverines, despite him being one of the best offensive players to take the field at the Big House.

Carter would certainly be the best Michigan wide receiver ever if it were not for Desmond Howard. Carter did make one more All-American team than Howard, but the latter's monstrous senior season evened the gap between the two. Prior to his excellent senior campaign, Howard led the Big Ten in receiving yards and touchdowns.

The next season, he did the same, but added on a Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award in a single season. All those accolades add up to be one of the best single seasons from an offensive player in Michigan history. 

Naturally, that fantastic senior campaign ensured that Howard gained a full head of steam as the NFL Draft approached. The Washington Redskins selected him with the fourth overall selection in the 1992 draft, making him one of the highest selections in Michigan's history. 

Adding Charles Woodson to any list of this nature feels like a bit of a cheat code. A quick look at Woodson's statistics in college does not give readers the full impression of his dominance on the field. Aside from being a fantastic cover corner who was often asked to take away a single half of the field from the offense, Woodson would often come up from his cornerback position to make bone-cracking hits, helping build the gritty, grimy identity that Michigan's defense continues to maintain today. 

That fantastic play was recognized and awarded during Woodson's senior season in 1997. The Wolverines won the national championship, while Woodson won the Heisman, the Bronko Nagurski Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award, and the Walter Campbell Player of the Year Award, all in addition to being selected as a first-team All-American. Woodson's status as a defensive Heisman winner placed him in a category of his own until Travis Hunter joined him as a defender with the Heisman Trophy, showing how truly special Woodson was in his prime.

There are countless other names that could have been included on this list. That is not an indication of the skill level of any of the players listed above, but more an indication of how fantastic Michigan has been at consistently producing top-tier college talent.

The list of Wolverines who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame will only grow within the next couple of seasons, proving that Michigan's program has been producing high-level players since the induction of the football program. A large part of that has been the consistently good coaching, a factor that is emphasized by the fact that there are five Wolverine coaches who have earned a spot in the Hall of Fame next to their players.