The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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22 THE WOLVERINE ❱ FEBRUARY 2025 2025 LOOK AHEAD BY CLAYTON SAYFIE M ichigan's 19-13 upset win over Al- abama in the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa wasn't just a thrilling victory — it capped off what was an in- credible six-week stretch. The Wolverines landed the No. 1 over- all prospect in the country — five-star- plus quarterback Bryce Underwood — signed a top-10 recruiting class and finished the season with three straight victories. On the field, the Maize and Blue dismantled Northwestern, 50-6, stunned Ohio State, 13-10, and became the first team to ever beat Alabama twice in a calendar year. The 8-5 overall record wasn't what Michigan was striving for coming off a national championship, but first-year head coach Sherrone Moore proved he could guide a team to improvement and win big games throughout the course of a season. The 2025 campaign won't come without changes. Michigan has already landed double-digit transfers out of the portal, and some freshmen — including Underwood — could impact right away. The Wolverines also lost a number of key players to the NFL Draft, includ- ing starting lineup staples like defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, edge Josaiah Stewart, cornerback Will Johnson, tight end Colston Love- land, and running backs Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards. A new offense will be implemented by coordinator Chip Lindsey, who joined the program in December following two sea- sons at North Carolina. The Wolverines hope to create more big plays on offense, something that was a struggle in 2024. "I really love Chip. He's been great," Moore said. "The players love him, the coaches love him, and I think he's going to be invaluable for our offense. "... We want to be explosive on of- fense. Those are things that we've got to work on in the offseason to make sure we're more explosive, especially in the passing game." The defense proved its merit late in the season, and while some of the afore- mentioned departures will hurt, there's still plenty of talent returning on coor- dinator Wink Martindale's unit. Many of those players were on display in the bowl game, using that opportunity to show the future is bright. "Our defense played lights out," Moore said after the season. "At the end of the year, Northwestern, holding them to six, Ohio, holding them to 10, [Ala- Michigan Football Riding A Wave Of Momentum Into 2025 Head coach Sherrone Moore engineered an epic turnaround during a six-week stretch to close out the year, highlighted by victories against then-No. 2 Ohio State and No. 11 Alabama. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL