The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 39 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Pundits and scribes from across college football posted their way-too-early top 25 lists heading into 2022 as soon as Georgia's 33-18 national title win over Alabama went final. The outlets that came out with lists are mostly buying the Michigan hype heading into 2022. Here is a sampling of how the national media sizes up the Wolverines heading into the offseason: ESPN's Mark Schlabach: No. 5 "It might have taken seven seasons, but Jim Harbaugh finally broke through what looked like a ceiling at his alma mater. The season ended with a flop, a 34-11 loss to Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl, but that won't take away from a breakout campaign. The Wol- verines defeated Ohio State for the first time in a decade, won the Big Ten for the first time since 2004 and reached the playoff for the first time. "After there was mounting pressure to fire Harbaugh following the 2020 sea- son, he shook up his coaching staff, and the changes paid off. First-year defen- sive coordinator Mike Macdonald did fantastic work, and he might have to do even more next season with [defensive end Aidan] Hutchinson and [linebacker David] Ojabo turning pro. Identifying [running back Hassan] Haskins' replace- ment and settling a quarterback battle between Cade McNamara and J.J. Mc- Carthy will be priorities this spring." Athlon Sports' Steven Lassan: No. 5 "Harbaugh and [offensive] coordina- tor Josh Gattis may have to retool a bit up front, but Virginia transfer Olusegun Oluwatimi should ease the transition. Michigan's defense ranked among the best in college foot- ball by limiting opponents to 17.4 points a game in '21, but David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson are headed to the next level, and there could be other losses to the NFL. "Assuming the Wolverines reload along the line of scrim- mage and on defense, the Nov. 26 trip to Ohio State could decide the Big Ten East Division winner once again." Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde: No. 7 "The losses from the 2021 playoff team are major, espe- cially on defense. And, again, we'll see whether Harbaugh is still coaching the Wolverines in the coming days. But if he is, there is a good nucleus of skill-position talent to build around, starting with the quarterback tandem of Cade Mc- Namara and J.J. McCarthy. The non-conference schedule should provide little opposition." Sporting News' Bill Bender: No. 7 "The Jim Harbaugh-to-the-NFL rumors are back, which means the Wolverines are on the right track on the field. There could be a quarterback controversy with Cade McNa- mara and J.J. McCarthy, but Donovan Edwards and Blake Corum will form a dynamic backfield, and a young group of receivers should get better. Still, the offensive line replaces three seniors. "Defensive coordinator Mike Mac- donald will have to remodel a defense that loses edge rushers Aidan Hutchin- son and David Ojabo along with de- fensive tackle Chris Hinton. There is a lot to replace, but the schedule is set up for a fast start and expectations are high again in Ann Arbor." The Athletic's Stewart Mandel: No. 7 "Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, OLB David Ojabo, S Daxton Hill and RB Hassan Haskins are off to the NFL. But quarterbacks Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy return, along with running backs Blake Corum and Don- ovan Edwards, and TE Erick All, plus veteran WR Ronnie Bell should be back from injury. Virginia C Olusegun Oluwatimi, a Rim- ington finalist, was a big transfer get. Cornerback DJ Turner and DT Mazi Smith are two of the few returning defensive starters." CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd: No. 11 "With or without Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines will be New Year's Six-worthy. No Aidan Hutchinson and no David Ojabo, but there's a reason J.J. McCarthy played a large part of the second half in the Orange Bowl. He'll be given every opportunity to unseat starter Cade McNamara." — Anthony Broome DL COACH SHAUN NUA LEAVES FOR USC Michigan defensive line coach Shaun Nua accepted a job with the same title under first-year USC head coach Lin- coln Riley, departing Ann Arbor after three seasons with Jim Harbaugh. The 40-year-old helped develop 2021 first-round NFL Draft pick Kw- ity Paye, now a defensive end for the I n d i a n a p o l i s Co l ts ; 2 02 1 He i s m a n Trophy runner-up Aidan Hutchinson, who set U-M's single-season sack re- cord with 14 and is a projected top- three pick; and potential first-round selection and outside linebacker David Ojabo. With Nua's help, Michigan was 21st nationally in sacks per game (2.77) in 2019 and held seven teams to less than 100 rushing yards. U-M defensive line- men posted 23 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in 2019, and followed that with 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks dur- ing the COVID-shortened 2020 sea- son. The Maize and Blue held oppo- nents to 126.4 rushing yards per game in 2021, which ranked 27th nationally, while posting 5.1 tackles for loss and 2.4 sacks per contest. Harbaugh replaced Nua with Mike Elston, who was previously Notre Dame's defensive line coach. The for- mer Wolverine linebacker had been an assistant in South Bend from 2010-21. — Clayton Sayfie The Wolverines are a popular top-10 pick in the media's too-early top 25 countdowns, and many are also expecting sophomore J.J. McCarthy (above) to push returning starting Cade McNamara for the quarterback job. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Where Michigan Ranks In Way-Too-Early Top 25s