Bush is the son of the former Florida State and NFL defensive back with the same name. His father also got a chance to coach his son as a defensive analyst under Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. Bush was a four-star recruit and two-time All-Florida pick in his own right before signing with Harbaugh. He contributed as a reserve linebacker and on special teams as a freshman (12 tackles) and then stepped into the starting lineup in 2017. He compiled 102 tackles, 9.5 for loss, five sacks, and an interception as a sophomore, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors while also being named a finalist for the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker. The team captain followed up that season by being named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and an Associated Press second-team All-American. He led the Wolverines with 80 stops, 9.5 for loss, five sacks, and six pass breakups in 12 games. Bush did not play in the team's bowl game so he could prepare for the draft.

Johnson was one of college football's most versatile weapons over the past three years. He was a first-team All-MAC receiver in 2018, starting all 13 games and leading his team with 49 receptions for 761 yards (15.5 average) and eight touchdowns. Johnson was a first-team all-conference punt returner (13-241-18.5) and second-team kickoff returner (16-412-25.8), as well. He earned the same all-conference accolades as a sophomore, leading the Golden Rockets in receiving (74,1,278-17.3, 13 TDs) while scoring on both types of returns (4-102-25.5, one TD punt return; 30-683-22.8, one TD kickoff return). Johnson contributed in 11 games as a reserve his true freshman season (14-237-16.9, three TD receiving; 33-754-22.8 kick returns), but lost the 2016 season due to a lower-body injury. The Ruskin, Florida, native excelled at receiver his senior year for Lennard High School (35-1,017-29.1, nine TD) but fell through the recruiting cracks a bit because he played quarterback as a sophomore and junior.

Layne was an All-Ohio receiver as a senior (46-790-17.2, 11 TDs) at Benedictine High School in Cleveland before signing with Michigan State. He began his career at MSU as a receiver, but the Spartans' coaches moved him from offense to defense midway through his true freshman season. He wound up starting five of the team's final seven games that year, posting 18 tackles, 1.5 for loss, an interception (that he returned for a score), and a pass breakup. Layne became a full-time starter in 2017, garnering honorable mention All-Big Ten honors by compiling 40 tackles, intercepting one pass and breaking up eight others. He was a second-team all-conference pick as a junior, starting 12 games and making 72 tackles, 2.5 for loss. He also intercepted one pass, and ranked in the top 10 in the FBS with 15 pass breakups. After declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft, Layne decided not to play in the team's appearance in the Redbox Bowl.

Snell has running back talent in his genes. His father, Benjamin, was a running back at Ohio Northern and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 1998. His great uncle, Matt, was a well-known back for the New York Jets who was a big part of the team's upset win over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III (30 rushes, 121 yards). Benny, Jr. started building his own resume at Westerville High School in Ohio, rushing for nearly 4,000 yards over his last two seasons and earning Division I All-Ohio honors. Kentucky coaches saw that talent and played him in all 13 games (one start) in tandem with Stanley "Boom" Williams in 2016. He was a Freshman All-American and All-Freshman SEC pick that year, running for 1,091 yards and 13 touchdowns on 186 carries (5.9 average). Snell took the lead role in the backfield as a sophomore, starting all 13 games and receiving second-team All-SEC recognition after leading the conference with 262 carries for 1,333 yards (5.1 average) and 19 touchdowns. Snell was the third SEC back to exceed 1,300 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in his first two seasons (Herschel Walker, Knowshon Moreno) and he did it again as a junior. He ranked in the top 10 nationally with 1,449 yards, 16 receiving scores, and 289 carries (5.0 average) to earn Associated Press third-team All-American notice and first-team All-SEC honors. Despite leaving a season early, Snell finished his career as the Wildcat's all-time leading rusher.

Gentry was recruited as a quarterback (rated a four-star recruit, top 10 nationally at his position) by Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh but by the time his redshirt freshman season began, was a promising tight end prospect. He did not have a catch in that 2016 season, playing in seven games as a reserve and on special teams. Gentry got the starting job in 11 of 13 games played in 2017, winning the team's Most Improved Offensive Player of the Year award with 17 receptions for 303 yards (17.8 average) and two touchdowns. The Albuquerque native became a third-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior, grabbing 32 passes for 514 yards (16.1 average) and two scores.

Smith was named the Missouri Large School Player of the Year as a senior running back (more than 2,000 rushing yards, 32 total touchdowns) but received no FBS offers except from Northern Illinois. It did not take long for Huskies coaches to discover that his place was on defense. Smith played in all 12 games as a reserve pass rusher as a redshirt freshman (15 tackles, two for loss, one sack) and then utterly dominated his competition over the next two years. He was a consensus All-American in 2017, as well as a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's best defensive end and the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. He set a school record and led the FBS with 2.3 tackles for loss per game (29.5 total), ranked third in the country with 1.08 sacks per game (14), also finishing with 63 total tackles, three passes defensed, and three fumbles forced. Smith's production continued in 2018, again being named a Ted Hendricks Award finalists, earning multiple All-American awards, and receiving MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. In 14 starts he posted 61 tackles and finished among the nation's leaders with 26.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two blocked kicks.

Buggs excelled on the high school football field with 102 tackles, 19 for loss in his final season. However, he was over-aged coming into high school, losing a year of eligibility. He did not earn enough high school credits for NCAA eligibility, so he attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for two seasons. Buggs made an impact as a freshman there (59 tackles, eight for loss, four sacks) and was considered the top junior college recruit in the country after the 2016 season (75 tackles, 10 for loss, 3.5 sacks). Nick Saban brought "Big Pooh" into the fold in 2017, when he started all 13 games and compiled 51 tackles, four for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He started all 15 games of his senior season, leading the Tide with 9.5 sacks among his 51 total tackles, 13.5 for loss. He also had three pass breakups and two forced fumbles on the year.

Gilbert is a two-time first-team All-MAC selection for the Zips, also earning the team's Defensive MVP honors (sharing with corner Kyron Brown in 2017). He paced the team in tackles as a sophomore (122, ranked ninth in the FBS with 10.2 per game) and junior (141, including 13 in the Boca Raton Bowl), also topping the team with 11.5 tackles for loss in 2016 and five sacks in 2017. Gilbert was a second-team All-MAC selection in 2018, starting all 12 games and compiling 85 tackles (7.5 for loss). As a true freshman, Gilbert made 11 stops as a reserve and special teams ace. He was a football (2014 Marion County Defensive Player of the Year) and basketball star in Ocala, Florida before matriculating north to play for the Zips.

Gray is another Washington, D.C. native that Maryland convinced to stick around the area for college. He spent the 2013 season at Fork Union Military Academy before joining the Terrapins for a redshirt season. Gray played in two games as a reserve in 2015 and then earned starts in three of 13 games at left tackle his sophomore season. Big Ten coaches named him honorable mention all-conference as a 12-game starter at left tackle in 2017, and he was named his own team's top offensive lineman that season. He was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection in 2018, starting 10 games at left tackle for the Terps.