The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 41 find the right mix. However, I expect this group to show steady progress through- out the season. The early test against Texas provides an opportunity for an early gauge of where things stand, while Moore and the staff have time to get this unit ready for the next big showdown against Oregon on Nov. 2. As far as an identity goes for the '24 offense, I wouldn't expect many changes. With running back Donovan Edwards re- turning and potentially a starting quar- terback in Alex Orji that needs to lean on the run early on, this unit will look to pound the rock until the passing game settles into the season. Staples: I expect them to continue to line up and smash opponents. As I said earlier, one of the main reasons you pro- mote Moore is to keep that identity in- tact. This should be more than enough against most opponents, but the pass game will need to help against opponents such as Texas, Oregon and Ohio State. What are your expectations for the Michigan defense? Bender: Martindale will be fine be- cause he has one of the best interior de- fensive lines in the country with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. That will create 1-on-1 opportunities for [senior edge] Josaiah Stewart — who should get 8 to 10 sacks in this scheme. Maryland linebacker transfer Jaishawn Barham is an exciting addition for a unit that loses Michael Barrett and Junior Colson. Will Johnson could be the first cornerback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, but there is a lot of competition for that title. He has to prove it. Michigan State transfer Jaden Mangham is a huge late pickup at safety. This unit lost five players to the NFL Draft and [senior] safety Rod Moore to a torn ACL, so the depth will not be the same. This still will be one of the five best defenses in college football. Fornelli: It will be one of the best de- fenses in the country again. Of that I have very little doubt. When you have Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant up front and Will Johnson taking away the best re- ceiver on the other team, it's hard not to be a good defense. Will the unit perform at the same ridiculous level it did last season? Probably not, but it could. Lassan: How a defense responds to a coordinator change is always a preseason question mark, and it's never easy to rep- licate the exact success from one year to the next. However, I expect this unit to pick up where it left off in 2023 and re- main a dominant group. Also, I think the change from Jesse Minter to Wink Mar- tindale at coordinator should be seam- less. This is easily one of the best defenses in college football and should be able to carry Michigan while the offense sorts itself out. I have all three of the Wolver- ines' position groups (DL, LB, and DB) rated in the top 10 nationally at each position. Additionally, depth concerns about the secondary were alleviated after spring ball with a couple of pickups from the transfer portal. This group simply doesn't have many questions going into the fall. It might be difficult to hold teams to 10.4 points a game once again, but I ex- pect the '24 version of Michigan's de- fense to perform at a similar level to the one that was instrumental in winning the national title last fall. Staples: When you have the best de- fensive tackle tandem in America and one of America's best corners (Will Johnson), not many opponents are going to be able to score a lot. ❑ College Football Experts' 2024 Predictions Name (Media Outlet) U-M Record Big Ten Champion National Champion Bill Bender (Sporting News) 10-2 Ohio State Georgia Andy Staples (On3) 10-2 Ohio State Georgia Tom Fornelli (CBS Sports) 9-3 Ohio State Georgia Steven Lassan (Athlon Sports) 9-3 Ohio State Georgia Will Johnson, who could be the first cornerback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to be a leader for the Michigan defense. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN