The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1538670
24 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2025 BY JOHN BORTON E veryone agreed, from new head coach Sherrone Moore r i g h t o n d ow n to t h ose laundering the Wolverines' sweat-soaked socks. The 2024 football season did not meet Michigan standards. Sure, there were moments. The ending felt unimaginable, beating Ohio State in Columbus and Alabama in a bowl game. Even then, a handful of losses in an 8-5 season weren't going away. The Wolver- ines weren't up to par, and Moore's crew faced work to do. They did it, namely … • Pulling the nation's top quarterback prospect away from LSU and into The Big House. • Peppering an already strong defense with both top performers and depth via the transfer portal. • Making key additions to every of- fensive position group through that same free agency avenue. • Finishing off a recruiting class that should bolster Michigan offensive lines and far more for years to come. Now, what about 2025? Can an offense that didn't throw the football effectively all last year suddenly become potent again, under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, armed with personnel up- grades? Can Wink Martindale's defense maintain the noteworthy standards of the past few seasons? And can this team overall experience the type of break- through giving Michigan followers the assurance that the Moore era will feature more on a regular basis? That's all on the table, beginning Aug. 30 against New Mexico. Michigan will make progress this season, according to long-time U-M analyst Doug Karsch, the voice of the Wolverines on the Michigan radio network. He's not ready to push all his chips on the square that says Big Breakthrough just yet — but he doesn't rule it out, either. Karsch points to the immense talent drain from the squad that won the na- tional championship at 15-0 in 2023. "The recruiting classes with the play- ers that were left behind weren't pre- pared to fill in the way you'd like to see a roster turn over," Karsch said. "If you go back and look at those last two recruit- ing classes, you might see they weren't where they needed to be. "You look at the true freshman class that's becoming sophomores, and you look at the incoming class, and I really see a team that's being built that I think can be a national championship-caliber team, if you follow it up with another good class. But I still think they're a year away." PLAYING THE LONG GAME That sort of take might make uncom- fortable those riding the 2025-Playoff- Or-Bust train. But it shouldn't, Karsch argues. There are simply too many vari- ables, starting with the key factor on any football team — the quarterback. Moore's building makes sense, in the eyes of the man behind the mic. "Now, Sherrone could have probably ACT II CURTAIN OPENS Sherrone Moore's Second Season As Head Coach Promises Progress