Michigan football isn’t getting quite as much love as other schools that had recently won the national championship, but that may behoove the Wolverines entering 2024.
The maize and blue have a great deal to prove this season and will certainly have a chip on their shoulders. With a new head coach in Sherrone Moore, a new starting quarterback and some key players having departed for the NFL, the Wolverines aren’t getting the same love as Clemson or Georgia had when they finally won the whole shebang.
ESPN released its post-spring 2024 college football power rankings on Monday, and the Wolverines came in 10th. They were behind Georgia, Ohio State and Notre Dame, but ahead of some other hype beasts such as Penn State, LSU, and Oklahoma.
Spring update: The Wolverines aren’t going to fall off a cliff after coach Jim Harbaugh left to coach the Los Angeles Chargers following a season in which he guided his alma mater to its first national title in 26 years. Michigan has to replace quarterback J.J. McCarthy, most of its offensive line and several other contributors, but there’s enough talent coming back to be a factor in the Big Ten again. New coach Sherrone Moore must settle on a starting quarterback — Alex Orji is a dual-threat option, while Jack Tuttle is the more experienced and Davis Warren might have the strongest arm. Look for Michigan to rely heavily on tailback Donovan Edwards and tight ends Colston Loveland and Marlin Klein. Left tackle Myles Hinton is the only returning starter up front; Northwestern transfer Josh Priebe was working at left guard in the spring. The defense returns five starters, including star tackles Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham and All-America cornerback Will Johnson. Michigan picked up transfer cornerback Aamir Hall (Albany) to compete for the other cornerback spot. The Wolverines play Texas at home in Week 2, and face a Big Ten gauntlet that includes home games against USC and Oregon and road contests at Washington and Ohio State.
The big thing for Michigan is obviously the schedule. But given the defense returns three players who are projected to be first-round NFL draft picks in 2025, if Sherrone Moore can push the right buttons on offense and find a competent signal caller, there’s a solid chance the Wolverines could at least make a deep playoff run.