There’s no way around it, Michigan football’s offense in 2024 will look different than it has the past few years.
Though the scheme may be similar, there will be changes, if for no other reason than the personnel changes — both at the player level as well as the coach level. Gone are star players such as J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum, as well as the entire starting offensive line and the starting wideouts. The offensive coordinator is now the new head coach in Sherrone Moore and QB coach Kirk Campbell takes over the reins at OC.
There are still some holdovers — running back Donovan Edwards, tight end Colston Loveland, tackle Myles Hinton — pieces you can build around. But even if the plan of attack changes, it won’t be a wholesale change, outgoing quarterback J.J. McCarthy says.
“I would say it’s very similar to the recent years, just because it’s been working. So why would you change something that isn’t broke?” McCarthy said. “So, I would say there’ll be more nuances in the pass game with Coach Campbell being able to call plays — that’s one of the most knowledgeable, if not the most knowledgeable guy in the country, just from an offensive standpoint. And being able to let him get more leash and have reins over the play calling is going to be huge. And he’s going to mix up a lot of different things, give the defense a lot of different looks, and then (whoever) starts at quarterback, they’re going to just attack them in the run game, attack in the pass game. And it’s going to be very interesting to watch.”
The idea of Campbell being a bit more aggressive when it comes to playcalling is certainly tantalizing to Michigan football fans who have wanted to see the offense open up. However, given that Sherrone Moore, in his interim status, went conservative running the ball 32 straight times against Penn State while letting the defense control the game, overall, the new boss may be quite similar to the old boss.