ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The national perception of Michigan football just a few short weeks ago was that the Wolverines would fall off similar to LSU after the 2019 season, having completed the climb to a national championship but set to rebuild. However, in recent days, that’s beginning to change.
247Sports’ Clint Brewster noted that if the quarterback situation is right for Michigan, it could repeat as national champions. ESPN’s Greg McElroy reversed course from the earlier sentiment, now noting that the offense appears to be more dynamic and that the Wolverines could be in the thick of another title hunt.
But those in Ann Arbor never wavered, never faltered from that belief.
“I expect a lot from this team,” senior team captain Rod Moore said. “We have a great schedule, great opponents, and I expect us to go do what we did last year and go back to back.”
Michigan didn’t win a national championship last year because it had a cadre of big-time receivers, or quarterback play that saw the passing game take off. Despite having the No. 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft in J.J. McCarthy, the passing game was modest, and the team — as it was in the two previous years — was led by defense, a solid offensive line, and a consistent run game.
Last year, even the run game wasn’t as explosive as it was previously. Yet, it was a complementary football team that managed to win against everyone it lined up against.
Much of that has to do with culture as much as it does Xs and Os. Everyone was pulling in the same direction, and this year’s leaders ensure that the culture remains the same.
“(In 2021) coming off of a 2-4 season, they called us into the team meeting room, like, ‘We’re going to do it this way, and if you guys don’t want to do it, then get the get out of here,'” senior team captain Donovan Edwards said. “‘We don’t want you here, and so you’re going to be bought in with it or not.’ I think the my freshman class when I was a freshman, those guys were seniors that we did an amazing job of listening to them and taking the player-led ability that they had to lead us to a Big Ten Championship and make it to the College Football Playoff. Because over the past three years, that’s what it’s all been about. It’s what those guys have laid the foundation for us, and we’re just continuing to add to that blueprint that they gave us.”
That blueprint is still being followed. Whether it’s the ones set by the players back in 2021 or those set forth by former head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Again, Michigan is set to have bruising lines on both sides of the ball, a punishing defense from front to back, a stellar run game, and just enough playmakers on both sides of that ball that will make every opponent — no matter their ranking or expectations — wince.
What’s more, that culture isn’t just intact — it’s growing. As senior team captain and fullback Max Bredeson says, it’s not just because of the schedule early in the season, but the Wolverines are already in championship mode, deploying those habits that led the maize and blue to the proverbial promised land a year ago right now.
“What makes this place so special is that like, every detail is taken into account every day,” Bredeson said. “Like the details of this program is what built it — the way we line up our shoes in the weight room, the way we put down water bottles, our helmets. Every detail is being treated like it’s national championship right now. So the way we keep sticking to that, and it’s shown to work, and we’re proud of the way we handle things. So, excited for every opportunity we get.”