Top 5 Michigan Football Players in 2024

The best players on a team aren’t always the most important. Sometimes they are, but for Michigan football, one of the most important players is the quarterback – whoever that ends up being.

In my opinion, Alex Orji is the best option for Michigan football. There are concerns in that area, but there are concerns with the other quarterbacks as well.

Orji is the only one who has something to offer with his legs. JJ McCarthy wasn’t a real threat on either side as Michigan rarely ran him, but he wasn’t a statue either. He was active on the ground in some of the most important games of his career and it’s important to have a QB who can run.

With that in mind, here are the top five Michigan football players for 2024.

Alex Orji

If Michigan wants to defend its title as Big Ten champion, they need an above-average quarterback. People always point to Cade McNamara, but he was on the All-Big Ten third team in 2021.

Michigan football will need a season like that from Orji or Jack Tuttle if it wants to make it four straight wins. Orji has a lot to prove as a quarterback. He has to prove he can be an efficient passer, manage the game and, most importantly, take care of the ball.

Orji has played in some key moments, though. He’s an effective runner and if he can keep the defense on their toes with his arm, that would be huge for the offense. Michigan should have a top-notch running game again, but you have to be able to throw the ball.

If Orji can do that, even if he can suffer under Jalen Milroe, the Wolverines’ offense could be better than expected.

Donovan Edwards

The most important player for Michigan football in 2024 is Donovan Edwards. The Wolverines need a top-notch running game and Edwards has Heisman Trophy potential if he can get it.

If Edwards can perform as well as he has in 2022, Michigan football will be in business. The Wolverines’ offensive line should be strong. I would take U-M’s offensive line over any other in the Big Ten, even if Michigan has to replace all five starters.

Edwards looks like a different guy by all accounts. He looked different in the spring. He was more determined and physical and as the RB1, Edwards will have to deliver or the offense will struggle.

Mason Graham

The Michigan Football League defensive tackle looked like a man on a mission during a recent offseason workout. Graham was projected as a second-team All-American by Phil Steele and other experts, but I don’t think there’s a better defensive lineman in college football.

Graham will be a dominant force this season, and he needs to be. Michigan’s defensive line should be as good as any in college football. If not, hopes of a fourth straight Big Ten title will be dashed.

The motto was dominance in the trenches, and that starts with Mason Graham.

Will Johnson

Johnson was a superstar for the Wolverines, making waves as a freshman and the best cornerback we’ve seen since Charles Woodson at Michigan.

Johnson wears No. 2 like the former Michigan football star and has lived up to the role, keeping Marvin Harrison Jr. at bay in 2022 and 2023 – and intercepting a key pass that helped Michigan win “The Game” for the third year in a row. He also made a key interception in the national championship game.

The former five-star recruit was projected by ESPN as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. There were even rumors that he would play both ways, as Woodson once did.

To win championships, you need superstars, and a defense with Graham and Johnson at the helm is a pretty good starting point.

Derrick Moore

Many Michigan football fans talk about Kenneth Grant as another potential first-round pick, but one defensive lineman who isn’t talked about enough is Derrick Moore.

The former top-100 recruit was on the field for the crucial fourth-down stop last season. He also had 34 tackles, six tackles for loss and five sacks.

I’ve talked about Moore developing into a first-round pick this season and wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if that happens. Something like what David Ojabo did in 2021 isn’t out of the question.

Moore will play more snaps this season than ever before, and with all the attention Graham and Grant are getting, he should have plenty of chances to become an impactful player on the EDGE.