The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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18 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Football preview magazines have certainly noticed The Harbaugh Effect. Many predicted a year ago that despite the presence of new head coach Jim Harbaugh, a Michigan team that won five games in 2014 might struggle to get above .500 in his first year. One 10-3 season later, including a resounding win over SEC runner-up Florida in the Citrus Bowl, those same prog - nosticators hopped aboard the Michigan Express. Several major outlets thrust the Wolverines firmly into the preseason top 10, acclaim that Harbaugh is reportedly in- structing Michigan players not to discuss … or presumably, to even think about. It's still clear evidence the Wolverines have reentered the national dialogue heading into the fall. Athlon Sports pegs Michigan for No. 5 in the nation, behind only Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State and Clemson. The publication does have the Wolverines losing to the Buckeyes in the regular-season finale and heading to play Washington New Year's Day in the Rose Bowl. Senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis makes Athlon's first-team All-America squad, while senior tight end Jake Butt and red - shirt sophomore linebacker Jabrill Peppers garner second- team status. Junior center Mason Cole and fifth-year senior defensive end Chris Wormley appear on the third team. The Wolverines are listed as boasting the best combina - tion of wideouts and tight ends in the Big Ten, as well as the best offensive line, defensive line and defensive backs. U-M's linebackers and running backs are both ranked No. 7 in the conference and the quarterbacks No. 8. Nationally, Michigan's defensive line checks in at No. 2, its offensive line and defensive backs No. 4, and its receivers No. 7. Athlon lists Michigan's QB battle among the top competi - tions in the nation, projecting redshirt junior John O'Korn as the eventual winner. Among Heisman Trophy contenders, the publication pegs Peppers at No. 12. Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Don Brown gets the nod as the No. 1 coordinator hire, with this observation: "Brown, a former head coach at UMass and Northeastern, did a superb job at Boston College. In 2015, the Eagles led the nation in total defense (254.3 ypg) and ranked fourth in scoring defense (15.3 ppg). Only two op - ponents gained more than 375 total yards — Clemson (532) and Notre Dame (447)." Harbaugh himself drew notice as the No. 2 new head coach in 2015, behind only Houston's Tom Herman. Ann Arbor ranks No. 5 among the magazine's best college towns in America, behind only Athens, Ga.; Madison, Wis.; Austin, Texas; and Boulder, Colo. The "Inside the Athlon Sports War Room" section answers the question of what separated the projected Big Ten cham - pion Buckeyes and the Wolverines: "Not much. It was basi- cally a choice between the upstart program with a ton of momentum vs. the old guard that lost a bunch of talent but still possesses a loaded roster. Michigan was one of the surprise teams in the nation last season, winning 10 games overall and recording a 6-2 mark in the Big Ten. "We must keep in mind that the Wolverines were fortunate to beat Minnesota (29-26) and Indiana (48-41, 2OT) But we also can't forget that the loss to Michigan State came on one of the flukiest plays in the history of college football. Jim Harbaugh will have a good team — he always does — but the Wolverines still lag behind Ohio State in overall talent." Michigan's games at Michigan State and Ohio State are among the listed "Games To Watch" for Big Ten squads. Butt, Cole and fifth-year senior wideout Jehu Chesson make Athlon's first-team All-Big Ten offense, while Lewis, Peppers and Wormley get the first-team nod on defense. Fifth-year senior wideout Amara Darboh and fifth-year se - nior offensive lineman Erik Magnuson garner second-team notice on offense, while senior defensive end Taco Charlton makes the second-team defense. The publication lists Michigan with the league's top in - coming freshman in defensive lineman Rashan Gary, along with No. 6 (offensive lineman Ben Bredeson), No. 9 (quar- terback Brandon Peters), No. 10 (cornerback David Long), No. 12 (tight end Devin Asiasi), No. 16 (offensive lineman Michael Onwenu), No. 21 (running back Kareem Walker), No. 24 (wideout Dylan Crawford) and No. 28 (defensive back Levert Hill). In terms of advanced statistics, Michigan came out No. 2 in the Big Ten in 2015 in field position, No. 2 in efficiency, No. 2 in explosiveness, No. 1 in finishing drives and No. 12 in adjusted turnover margin. Opposing coaches, whom Athlon quoted anonymously, had this to say about the Wolverines: "Jim Harbaugh is go - ing to get it rolling and the whole Urban [Meyer]-Harbaugh thing is going to be a blast. It's going to be good for college football. I have no doubt they'll be successful . … They were a good team last year, but what they really did well is they played really hard and had a lot of pride. There's a little [bit] of coach speak in that, but when you watched them on the field, how they lined up and communicated and the inten - sity they had on the sideline, it was really impressive. You look at the difference between 2014 and 2015 offensively, and it's night and day. They are physical and mean and just want to pound the crap out of you, and Harbaugh gets a lot of productivity out of his quarterbacks. They got a bit worn down at the end of last year, but I think they'll take another step offensively. … They were pretty bland from a defensive standpoint. They'll be very different schematically than with [D.J.] Durkin, but Don Brown is really good at what he does. Brown does a bunch of different things, but they wouldn't let you throw posts last year in a league where people have thrown posts for 25 or 30 years, and I don't think that will change. … Keeping Greg Mattison is going to really help them because their defensive line was obviously well coached. Tempo doesn't really affect them much as you'd think. … The one cornerback, Jourdan Lewis, that dude is a really, really good player and he's savvy. He gets intercep - tions by making intelligent plays." Sporting News pegs Michigan at No. 8 in the nation, be- hind overall No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Ohio State from the Big Ten. "Michigan's momentum hasn't slowed heading into Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh Era, and the Wolverines will be a popular pick to win the Big Ten," the publication notes. "Harbaugh's outside-the-box recruiting tactics are working. Everything fits right now. Michigan needs to find a quar - terback, however, but Houston transfer John O'Korn could be that guy. Safety Jabrill Peppers is the X-factor for new defensive coordinator Don Brown. The hype continues for the Maize and Blue, but road games at Michigan State, Iowa and Ohio State won't be easy." The Wolverines are projected to finish No. 2 in the Big Ten East behind the Buckeyes, with the publication noting: "… the enthusiasm [Harbaugh] has created is off the charts. Now it's time for Michigan to go out and beat its main two rivals. Michigan State beat Michigan in miraculous fashion last season, and Ohio State routed the Wolverines in the regular-season finale." Chesson gets tabbed as Michigan's "Difference-Maker," Sporting News noting: "The breakout [2015] season earned him first-team All-Big Ten honors and a likely spot as a cap - tain for 2016. In the season-ending 41-7 win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl, the 6-3, 200-pound St. Louis product caught five passes for 118 yards and a touchdown against Gators cornerback and expected future first-round NFL pick Vernon Hargreaves III." (Hargreaves was selected 11th overall.) This publication also tabs the Wolverines for a spot in the Rose Bowl. It has Magnuson and Butt as first-team All-Big Ten performers on offense, with Wormley, Lewis and fifth-year senior defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow as first-team picks on defense. Butt and Peppers, as a returner, were listed as first- team All-Americans while Lewis was a second-team pick. Under the heading, "Newsmaker," it notes: "When Jim Har - baugh travels, everybody follows. When Harbaugh tweets, everybody retweets. Michigan's impressive makeover last season came with some fantastic finishes for better (Min- nesota) and worse (Michigan State), and the rematch with Ohio State in Columbus should be interesting given last year's blowout loss. Can Harbaugh lead Michigan to its first Big Ten championship since 2004?" Peppers gets the nod as "Best Athlete" in the Big Ten, and the publication asserts: "He's the most versatile athlete in college football." Gary earns the title of "Top Freshman," with this projection: "Gary, the top player in the 2016 recruiting class, should work into Michigan's rotation right away. He's that good." O'Korn is called the "Top Transfer," and Harbaugh himself gets the "Best Interview" tag. "He might say something," Sporting News observes. "He might say nothing. He might not even show up. No matter what, it's always must-see TV." Preseason Magazines Like Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines Fifth-year senior wide receiver Jehu Chesson was among a host of Wolverines that have received preseason plaudits from various publications. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN "Michigan's momentum hasn't slowed heading into Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh Era, and the Wolverines will be a popular pick to win the Big Ten." SPORTING NEWS