The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 15 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL "Michigan is the one that has won the national championship and been 15-0. Michigan is the one that is 3-0 in the last three years against Ohio State. Michigan is the one that is the three-time defending Big Ten champion. I have Michigan at No. 8 — the defense is going to be incredibly good again. "They are so good up front. It's the best defensive tackle corps in America in Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, and they've got good players on the outside. Will Johnson's probably the best corner in the country. That defense is going to be stout, there's no doubt. "They've got Donovan Edwards back at running back. They've got to figure out what's going on at quarterback, but let's remember — and I said this a bunch when I talked about Michigan after their spring game — it doesn't feel all that different. Everything is the same, and yet everybody is different. "That schedule, I've mentioned it a couple of times, doesn't do them any favors. They've got Texas in Week 2, we [FOX] will be there and Big Noon Saturday Kickoff is going to be live in Ann Arbor for that game. And in Week 4, they've got USC, then in October they travel for a national championship game rematch and face Washington. They've got Oregon in November at the Big House, and then they've got to face Ohio State in the 'Shoe to finish the year." — Joel Klatt, FOX Sports "Among the biggest storylines of the 2024 season: Post-Jim Harbaugh Michigan. "Remember the last few years when Michigan played absolutely nobody with a pulse until at least October? Not this year. Sherrone Moore's Wolverines get Texas and USC within the first four weeks of the season." Mailbag question: Which of the preseason top 10 teams ends the season unranked? "If we could see a team like that coming then we wouldn't rank them in the preseason top 10 to begin with. But Michigan this season is an interesting window into how both things may be true. "Since January, the national champions have lost head coach Jim Harbaugh and two-thirds of his staff; QB J.J. McCarthy, who went in the top 10 of the NFL Draft; Blake Corum, the heart of the offense the last three seasons; six of their top seven defensive linemen; four NFL defenders and four other defenders who started the national championship game. A team that loses that much experience seems highly unlikely to turn around and finish in the top 10. I'm not predicting that the Wolverines will finish unranked, but it's not implausible. "Having said all that, I still ranked Michigan No. 9, based on the guys they do have returning — star running back Donovan Edwards, tight end Colston Love- land, projected first-round defenders Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Will Johnson et al. And while I'm bullish on less heralded teams like Kansas State, Miami, Tennessee and others, I don't feel comfortable ranking any of them No. 9 in the country before the season." — Stewart Mandel, The Athletic "If the college football world is this party that's bumping, you've got music, you've got a big crowd. There's probably a lot of things going on all across this room. Michigan is just hanging back on the wall, sipping on some water just like, 'Hey, we're still here. Hey, remember us, national champions? Yeah, we're still hanging out, don't worry about us. You guys have your fun, have your party, don't worry about it.' "Michigan has prided itself on being a developmental program. Might not always be in that top five when it comes to the recruiting rankings on signing day, but what Jim Harbaugh did over the course of his time there is take guys that they are excited about physically and also competitive makeup-wise and mold them and develop them into being stars when it's their time to play on Saturday. "The assumption that Michigan is just going to fall off the face of the planet I think is a little bit lazy because of what I just said. Just because we don't know all the names of the guys that are going to be studs from Michigan this upcom- ing season doesn't mean they haven't had dudes that have been developing, and they're now going to step into their role ... this upcoming season." — J.D. PicKell, On3 STAFF PREDICTIONS CHRIS BALAS, TheWolverine.com Editor JOHN BORTON, Senior Writer ANTHONY BROOME, Staff Writer National Champion Georgia Georgia Georgia CFP Final Four Georgia, Oregon, Texas, Ohio State Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Clemson Georgia, Oregon, Texas, Ohio State Big Ten Championship Game Ohio State vs. Oregon Ohio State vs. Oregon Ohio State vs. Oregon Michigan Regular-Season Record 9-3 9-3 10-2 Most Anticipated U-M Game Ohio State Ohio State Texas Big Ten Team on the Rise Nebraska Oregon Nebraska Big Ten Team on the Decline Maryland Northwestern Illinois Offensive Breakout Player RB Kalel Mullings WR Semaj Morgan WR Tyler Morris Defensive Breakout Player DB Zeke Berry LB Jaishawn Barham DB Zeke Berry Michigan MVP DT Mason Graham DT Mason Graham CB Will Johnson CLAYTON SAYFIE, Staff Writer DREW HALLETT, Columnist DOUG SKENE* National Champion Georgia Georgia Georgia CFP Final Four Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oregon Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Ohio State Big Ten Championship Game Ohio State vs. Oregon Ohio State vs. Oregon Ohio State vs. Oregon Michigan Regular-Season Record 9-3 9-3 9-3 Most Anticipated U-M Game Ohio State Texas Ohio State Big Ten Team on the Rise Nebraska Nebraska Oregon Big Ten Team on the Decline Washington Washington Penn State Offensive Breakout Player WR Tyler Morris RB Kalel Mullings RB Donovan Edwards Defensive Breakout Player DB Zeke Berry LB Ernest Hausmann CB Will Johnson Michigan MVP CB Will Johnson CB Will Johnson CB Will Johnson THEY SAID IT *Former U-M All-Big Ten offensive lineman and contributor to TheWolverine.com