The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS 16 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2024 NUMBERS AND QUOTES BY CLAYTON SAYFIE PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN No. 1 Overall player ranking for junior cornerback WILL JOHNSON in EA Sports College Football 25. Johnson earned a 96 rating in the game, which was released July 19. The Wolverines have five players rated above a 90 overall — Johnson, junior defensive tackle Mason Graham (95 rating, No. 8 overall), junior tight end Colston Loveland (92, No. 33 overall), senior running back Donovan Edwards (91, No. 49 overall) and junior defensive tackle Kenneth Grant (91, No. 55 overall). I can tell you I'm as happy as I've been in a long time, as far as my coaching profession. I'm really, really in a good place." — Running backs coach Tony Alford, who departed Ohio State after nine seasons for Ann Arbor this spring I don't know if it's the size, jersey number or what. The kid looks like a direct replica of Patrick Surtain [II] coming out of Alabama. We'll see what he runs, but he has all of the tools to be special." — An NFC scouting director to ESPN on Michigan junior cornerback Will Johnson My obligation as a leader is to allow other people to get their voice out, too. What I've come to realize is you're going to get tired of listening to one person speak the same mes- sage. But if 10 guys can speak that same message, other guys will be like, 'OK, this is the type of team that I want.' I want other guys to be able to relay the message to the play- ers, as well." — Senior running back Donovan Edwards The Wolverines already feature a preseason All-Amer- ican at tight end in [junior] Colston Loveland, who had 45 catches last season (plus 64 receiving yards in the CFP national championship win over Washington). But German na- tive Marlin Klein drew rave reviews during spring ball and figures to play a key role alongside Loveland in multiple tight end sets. Klein has only one career reception. But at 6-6 and 250 pounds, he has the tools to make a big impact in his third season." — ESPN.com's Jake Trotter naming U-M junior tight end Marlin Klein the team's "sleeper" player for the 2024 season 4,196 Fans, on average, attended Michigan wrestling's four home events during the 2023-24 season, marking the first time the program drew 4,000-plus fans for its home matches. Michigan ranked seventh nationally in attendance. The previous high mark was 2,852 set in 2021-22. The Wolverines finished with a 3-1 record at Crisler Center, with victories over Michi- gan State (29-12), No. 13 Rutgers (23-10) and No. 2 Iowa (24-11) and a loss to No. 1 Penn State (27-9). 18 Current NFL quarterbacks are younger than 25 years old, the age that Michgan graduate signal-caller JACK TUTTLE is heading into his seventh season of college football, according to StatMuse. Tuttle was born April 28, 1999. 6 Nonconference tilts against power conference opponents are on the books for Michigan men's basketball so far — neutral site games against Wake Forest (Nov. 10 in Greensboro, N.C.), Virginia Tech (Nov. 25 in Fort Myers, Fla.), either South Carolina or Xavier (Nov. 27 in Fort Myers), Arkansas (Dec. 10 in New York), Oklahoma (Dec. 18 in Charlotte, N.C.) and a home tilt versus Texas Christian (Nov. 15). The Wolverines will open the season Nov. 4 against Cleveland State at Crisler Center in first-year head coach Dusty May's debut.