It’s a big mistake to overlook the Wolverines in 2024

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a defending national champion overlooked like the Michigan Wolverines will be heading into the 2024 season. Looking specifically at the discussion surrounding the Big Ten, Ohio State and Oregon are currently the two leading favorites to win the conference championship this season. From a national perspective, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, Oregon, LSU and even Ole Miss have better chances than Michigan to win college football’s biggest prize.

On the surface, the lack of confidence in Michigan is understandable — especially on a national level. Outsiders will look at Michigan and see a team that lost its head coach (Jim Harbaugh) and a large portion of its staff (including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter) and sent nearly 20 players to the NFL Draft. All six of its 2023 captains are gone, including Zak Zinter, Trevor Keegan, Blake Corum, Mike Sainristil, Kris Jenkins and Michael Barrett. The Wolverines have only one starter back on offense from last season (Colston Loveland), and there’s still a big question mark at the quarterback position, with JJ McCarthy now a Minnesota Viking.

As if all that wasn’t enough, the newly formed Michigan team also has to fight through a difficult 2024 schedule that includes three teams that are considered clear favorites to win it all this season – Texas, Oregon and Ohio State. Add in games against USC and Washington, and it’s no surprise that the Wolverines are widely expected to stumble once or twice – or even three times – during the regular season.

Even if the doubts are partly justified, the focus seems to be far too much on Michigan’s losses and not nearly enough on the Wolverines’ returnees.

On defense, Michigan has three players projected to be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft: cornerback Will Johnson and defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. In fact, PFF College recently named Johnson and Graham as the best returning players at their position in 2025, while Grant came in as the No. 6 overall returning DT. Add in the linebacker duo of Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham, the experience at EDGE with Josiah Stewart and Derrick Moore, and a secondary loaded with both veteran and young talent, and it’s entirely possible this Michigan defense will once again be the nation’s best.

The offense is where most of the question marks come into play. The Wolverines will have an entirely new starting lineup on offense in 2024, but that doesn’t mean it will be inexperienced. Veterans Myles Hinton, Josh Priebe and Giovanni El-Hadi have plenty of experience under their belts, and Michigan has proven time and time again that it knows how to develop talent on offense. The Wolverines’ lone returning starter is Colston Loveland, another player expected to be a first-round pick in 2025. He’s joined by veteran TE Max Bredeson and Marlin Klein, two players who will play major roles on offense this season. At the wideout position, Michigan returns Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan and Frederick Moore – all players expected to take a big step forward in 2024. The Wolverines also added two wideouts from the transfer portal: Amorion Walker (Ole Miss) and CJ Charleston (Youngstown St.).

One of the most crowded positions on the roster is the running back position, as senior Donovan Edwards will be the primary defensive lineman for the first time in his Michigan career. Michigan fans (and Ohio State fans) know exactly what “The DON” can offer, and it feels like he’s on the verge of a monster season this fall. Joining Edwards will be Kalel Mullings, Benjamin Hall, Tavierre Dunlap, Cole Cabana and Jordan Marshall – all guys who can also make a big impression on fall Saturdays.

The biggest and most consequential question mark on offense is the quarterback position, where Alex Orji (junior), Jack Tuttle (freshman), Davis Warren (senior), Jayden Denegal (junior) and Jadyn Davis (freshman) will compete for the top spot this fall. Right now, it looks like it will be a two-way battle between Orji and Tuttle, though Warren has made tremendous strides and is certainly an underdog to keep an eye on. The good news is that Michigan’s offense doesn’t require either candidate to be a superstar. Instead, the Wolverines just need a leader and a steady hand at the QB position — someone who can direct traffic, move the ball down the field through the air when necessary and avoid big mistakes. If Michigan can get that out of the five candidates they have, the Wolverines have a very real chance of winning their fourth straight Big Ten championship this fall.

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