The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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50 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW What needs to change for Michigan to close the gap with Ohio State? Bender: Last year's loss to the Buckeyes illustrates the biggest issue. Michigan has NFL talent — and sending 10 players to the NFL in this year's draft shows the upgrades Harbaugh has made. The problem is the Buckeyes have more blue-chip talent that turn into first-round picks. Chase Young and Jeff Okudah were off the board in the first hour of the 2020 NFL Draft. Justin Fields and running back J.K. Dobbins were the biggest offensive difference makers on the field last year in Ann Arbor, and Fields was quick to say the Buckeyes take the rivalry more seriously afterward. Harbaugh bristled at the notion that there is a talent gap, but Michigan needs to find more field-tilting difference makers to take down Ohio State. Lassan: Recruiting and quarterback play. Michigan's five-year average in recruiting is 10.6 going into 2020, while Ohio State is 5.4. Additionally, the Buckeyes have signed 71 four- or five-star prospects over the last four years, while the Wolverines have inked 58. Harbaugh and staff don't have to pass Ohio State, but closing the gap is critical. One way to accomplish that is to find a dif- ference maker at quarterback. Jake Rudock, Shea Patterson and Wilton Speight gave Har- baugh solid play under center, but the of- fense needs an elite player to take this group to the next level. Redshirt sophomore Joe Milton and red- shirt junior Dylan McCaffrey are intriguing options to watch in 2020 and could help Michigan take the next step in developing the new spread attack under coordinator Josh Gattis. Patterson: Ohio State is playing a differ- ent game when it comes to talent accumula- tion on the recruiting trail. The Buckeyes are measured more against Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Clemson — all teams who, es- pecially in Clemson's case, have separated themselves from the rest of their respective leagues in that category — than Michigan or the rest of the Big Ten. So while one answer for "closing the gap" is tied specifically to recruiting, I think a more appropriate approach focuses on seiz- ing the moment when it's your year. Teams outside that "Race for the No. 1 class" tier in recruiting don't reload the same way, but they can string a couple of good cycles to- gether with strong player development and rise up to challenge for championships. Twice in five years, Michigan has shown up to that game with a chance to win the Big Ten East. So I think they've already been knocking on the door to enter gap-closing territory. Rittenberg: Develop an elite quarterback to offset the overall talent gap, and modify the defensive scheme to avoid the busts we've seen the past few years. The problem for Michigan is that Ohio State seems to be producing elite quarter- backs every year under Ryan Day. Michigan needs its own transcendent quarterback to match or exceed who the Buckeyes are put- ting on the field. VanHaaren: Part of my answer is in my response to the second question, that they need to put a better product on the field and compete for conference championships and a playoff spot. These recruits are very in tune to what they are, who they are and how much time they have in college to accomplish their goals. They know they are a brand now, they know they are a valuable asset and they know they only have three to five years to make it to the NFL or win a national cham- pionship. So if you're looking for elite prospects, you need to be able to show them the blue- print of how their value can be maximized, how they can accomplish their goals, and it needs to be concrete. If you can't show them you've done it before, the sales pitch be- comes that much more difficult. Ohio State has shown, even under Ryan Day, they can make it to the playoff and you'll make it to the NFL. They can throw on the tape and show prospects the film of the guy that did it in their spot before them. Michigan has to find that same level of consistency on the field to produce top teams, year in and year out, if they want to close that gap. Although Shea Patterson left Michigan ranked among the school's all-time top seven in passing yards and touchdown throws, he did not play well enough under center to help the Wolverines take the next step as a program. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL