The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 127 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE The Washington team that will take the field this fall will be completely different from the one that Michigan played in the Jan. 8 national championship game. Head coach Kalen DeBoer jumped to Alabama, replacing the now-retired Nick Saban, and he was succeeded by Jedd Fisch, a former U-M assistant (2015-16) who spent the last three seasons as the head man at Ari- zona. More than two dozen players trans- ferred out, and 10 Huskies were picked in the 2024 NFL Draft, tying a school record in the seven-round draft era (since 1994). Fisch and Co. have added 12 transfers that followed the staff from Arizona, which finished 10-3 with five victories over ranked opponents last season. Wash- ington returns just two non-special teams starters, both on defense. The top 15 indi- viduals in offensive snaps from last season are all no longer with the program. Just like Michigan, which also has a new head coach in Sherrone Moore, Wash- ington enters a new era while attempting to replicate the success it had in the last one. The Huskies won 25 of 28 games in two seasons under DeBoer, a 49-year-old who's quickly risen to become one of the most highly regarded coaches in the game. One of the big early recruiting wins for Fisch was to retain Will Rogers, a Missis- sippi State quarterback transfer who had already joined the program before the staff change. The senior decided to remain in place and is a proven commodity on a team that's chock-full of question marks. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound 22-year- old ranks second in SEC history in career passing yards (12,315) and fourth in touch- downs thrown (94). He's started 40 games. Rogers has big shoes to fill, replacing the No. 8 overall NFL Draft choice in Mi- chael Penix Jr., and he doesn't have quite the group of weapons his predecessor did (a crop that included three top-100 draft picks at wide receiver). All five starters from the Joe Moore Award-winning of- fensive line have also departed, including three who transferred to SEC schools. Arizona running back transfer Jo- nah Coleman is slated to be one of the standouts on offense, too. The 5-foot-9, 225-pounder rushed for 871 yards and 5 touchdowns and caught 25 passes for 283 yards and a score as a sophomore last sea- son. Senior wideout Jeremiah Hunter, a California transfer, is also a top newcomer, having racked up 2,056 receiving yards and 13 scores at his previous school. Senior running back Cameron Davis, meanwhile, returns after missing the 2023 campaign with an injury. He rushed for 13 touch- downs in 2022. Two starters are back from a defense that ranked 56th in the country after giv- ing up 24.8 points per game — senior line- backer Alphonzo Tuputala (69 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and junior cornerback Elijah Jack- son (61 tackles 5 pass breakups). Senior linebacker Carson Bruener didn't start but ranked third on the team with 69 tackles a year ago, and he's due for a breakout year. Transfers will play a big role on the defensive side for first-year coordina- tor Steve Belichick, formerly of the New England Patriots. Key newcomers include sophomore edge Isaiah Ward (5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks last season) and junior cor- nerback Ephesians Prysock (64 tackles, 1 interception), both of whom came over from Arizona. ❑ Jedd Fisch Heads New-Look Washington After Last Year's Playoff Run Washington junior cornerback Elijah Jackson had the pass breakup on the game's final play to seal a 37-31 win over Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal, but the Huskies were overmatched against Michigan in the championship. PHOTO BY DOMINICK SOKOTOFF 2024 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2023 Result Aug. 31 Weber State — Sept. 7 Eastern Michigan — Sept. 14 Washington State* W, 24-21 Sept. 21 Northwestern — Sept. 27 at Rutgers — Oct. 5 Michigan L, 34-13 Oct. 12 at Iowa — Oct. 26 at Indiana — Nov. 2 USC W, 52-42 Nov. 9 at Penn State — Nov. 15 UCLA — Nov. 30 at Oregon W, 36-33; W, 34-31 * at Lumen Field in Seattle REASONS FOR OPTIMISM • Jedd Fisch's coaching chops • QB Will Rogers' experience • Talented transfer haul Fisch turned around Arizona, winning 10 games last season, and has an SEC quarterback who's played as many snaps as anyone in the country. That's a great place to start. REASONS FOR CONCERN • So much roster turnover • Unproven offensive line • Transition to the Big Ten Washington has the 13th-most challenging schedule in the Big Ten, per ESPN's Football Power Index, and enters the Big Ten with very little roster or coaching staff continuity. The of- fensive line, a backbone of last year's team, also lacks depth. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 9-5 First Meeting: U-M 50, Washing- ton 0 (Sept. 26, 1953 in Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: U-M 34, Washington 13 (Jan. 8, 2024 in Houston) Head Coach: Jedd Fisch, 0-0 (first year) at Washington, 17-22 overall (fourth year) 2023 In Review: 14-1, 9-0 Pac-12 (1st Pac-12) Final 2023 Ranking: No. 2 by coaches, media Returning Starters: 4 (0 offense, 2 defense, 2 specialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2023 (Sugar Bowl CFP semifinal vs. Texas, W 37-31) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: None Rushing: Sam Adams II (23 yards, 1 TD) Receiving: Giles Jackson (106 yards, 1 TD) Tackles: Carson Bruener (86) Sacks: Voi Tunuufi (2) Interceptions: Kamren Fabiculanan (2) GAME 6 • WASHINGTON HUSKIES • OCT. 5