Just eight months ago in LucasOil Stadium in Indianapolis, directly following the Michigan football team’s 26-0 thumping of Iowa in the Big Ten Championship, the Wolverines’ stars came out to talk to the media. In a neat line, Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy, Mike Sainristil and Blake Corum all took questions, laughed, and reveled in their victory.
This Thursday, for the first time since that trip, the Wolverines will be back in Indianapolis with three of their stars and a coach in tow. But this time, the personnel will look completely different. Harbaugh, McCarthy, Sainristil and Corum are all gone, as are dozens of other names of now former Michigan stars.
With thirteen players drafted, six signing undrafted free agent deals and sixteen outgoing transfers, Michigan is a brand new team. Here’s what that new team might look like, position by position.
Quarterback
Toward the end of his tenure, Jim Harbaugh wasn’t shy with the amount of praise he lavished on J.J. McCarthy.
“In a college career there’s been nobody at Michigan better than JJ,” Harbaugh said following the Rose Bowl victory. “I know we talk about it, an amalgamation of quarterbacks. He is that guy.”
But now with “that guy” McCarthy gone, who is the next guy? As of right now, it’s not entirely clear who the frontrunner is. But there are a few familiar faces, and one new face, in the Wolverines’ quarterbacks room who are expected to be contending for that title.
Granted a waiver for a seventh year of eligibility, last year’s backup to McCarthy, Jack Tuttle, is the most veteran of any player vying for the role. Coming to Ann Arbor last year with five years of experience at Indiana and Utah State, Tuttle saw action in four games and amassed 130 yards through the air on 88% completion while tacking on 35 yards on the ground. Tuttle’s experience, comfort in Michigan’s system and ability to extend plays with his legs are all strengths that he will try to lean on.
But right next to Tuttle stands junior Michigan quarterback Alex Orji, the current favorite for the role. Listed at 6’3” and 236 lbs, Orji has consistently been praised by teammates and coaches for his athleticism, with some even going as far as calling him a “physical freak.” And last year, audiences saw glimpses of what that looks like with telegraphed run packages specifically designed for Orji, which debuted to great success against Ohio State and into the postseason. With speed and strength, Orji has shown an ability to grind out yards on broken plays and gives Michigan coach Sherrone Moore the option to draw up packages for a true scrambler. However, how refined Orji’s arm is remains less clear. Thus far, he has attempted only one pass in his collegiate career, and at this year’s spring game, he was volatile, missing some routine throws. If Orji has refined his arm over the summer, he will be almost certain to start, and even if he hasn’t, his speed and strength still give him an edge.
Aside from Orji and Tuttle, senior and junior quarterbacks Davis Warren and Jayden Denegal will also be in the mix, with both showing some promise up to this point in their careers. But both are still limited in the amount of action they have seen. Finally, a new face has officially arrived in Ann Arbor: five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis of North Carolina. Davis comes highly touted and has been enrolled at Michigan since January, but how quickly his talents will materialize on the field remain unknown.
Running Back
For much of last season, rising senior running back Donovan Edwards struggled. But in the National Championship, on the biggest stage, Edwards showed out with two 40+ yard rushing touchdowns. With renewed excitement following that game, Edwards was placed on the cover of the new EA Sports College Football video game heralded as a star. And this season will truly be his year to prove it. With Corum gone, the reins of the Wolverines’ run game will be fully handed to Edwards for the first time since late 2022 when Corum went down with injury. Then, Edwards had an electrifying end to his season with three straight 100+ yard games. This year, he will be looking to find more consistency as a bell-cow back.
Alongside Edwards, senior Kalel Mullings is returning for a fifth year after having gone for 222 yards and a touchdown last year. Mullings proved to be an effective playmaker at moments last year and could well be Edwards’ number two. Additionally, sophomores Cole Cabana and Ben Hall will both likely find themselves with expanded roles.
Offensive Line
For the past three years, the secret sauce powering the Wolverines’ success has been their two time Joe Moore Award winning offensive line. This year however, more than any other position for Michigan, they will have to rebuild. With six departures to the draft and graduation, only one lineman who has started a game in Ann Arbor remains for the Wolverines: Myles Hinton.
And with former tight ends coach Grant Newsom now leading the line, a completely new group will be tasked with protecting a yet-to-be-named quarterback. However, there are some names that stand out already. Senior center Greg Crippen appears to be one of those most ready for primetime. After spending last year as a backup to Drake Nugent, the 6’4” 309 lb Crippen should be the next man up. Alongside him and Hinton, names like graduate Jeffrey Persi and junior Andrew Gentry could play at tackle with senior Giovanni El-Hadi and Northwestern graduate transfer Josh Priebe options at guard.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Like all of the Wolverines’ lineup, the receiving corps didn’t make it through the offseason unscathed with the departures of three of its top pass catchers in wide receivers Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson alongside tight end A.J. Barner. However, unlike many other position groups, there is a clear depth to Michigan’s pass-catching rotation heading into 2024.
With junior Tyler Morris having already served as last year’s WR3 and sophomore Semaj Morgan having shown extended glimpses of excellence, the Wolverines have a solid group of wide receivers that could be filled out by someone like sophomore Fredrick Moore or senior Peyton O’leary.
On the tight ends front, Michigan already has its star in junior Colston Loveland returning after amassing the second most receiving yards last season with a 649 yard, four touchdown campaign. Loveland is strong and explosive with sticky hands and could well be the top receiving option this year.
Defensive Line and Linebackers
Much like with its receiving corps, Michigan’s defensive line lost a lot of talent in the offseason — but many of those who remain are stars. With junior tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant returning, the Wolverines retain two players who Harbaugh used to jokingly refer to as “gifts from the football Gods.” Both have shocking speed and agility for their size, combined for six-and-a-half sacks last year and should be expected to be a dynamic duo this year.
Alongside those two, junior edge rusher Derrick Moore — an All Big Ten Honorable Mention last year — should be expected to be a key piece, and senior lineman Rayshaun Benny and senior edge rusher Josiah Stewart will likely see expanded roles on the line after filling in as depth pieces last year.
However at the linebacker position, the Wolverines will have to start completely anew after the departures of Michael Barrett Jr. and Junior Colson. Junior linebacker Ernest Hausmann is expected to be a starter after filling in as the number three option last year, and alongside him names to watch out for include junior Maryland transfer Jaishawn Barnham and junior linebacker Jimmy Rolder.
Secondary
If you’re the type to believe EA Sports video game rankings, the Wolverines’ secondary has college football’s most highly rated player in junior cornerback Will Johnson. Johnson is freakishly fast, has proven able to shut down the best receivers in the country and may just be Michigan’s marquee defensive player.
But while Johnson catches eyes, the Wolverines’ secondary as a whole is returning a decent amount of depth. Senior safety Makari Paige started every game last year, and though he will not play due to injury Senior safety Rod Moore is also coming back. In addition, junior safety Jaden Mangham has transferred in from Michigan State, and graduate cornerback Keshaun Harris should see a more pronounced
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With so many departures to the pros in the last offseason, the Wolverines lost tons of talent. But luckily for them, they have a lot of talent returning, some transferring in and a lot of players who could develop into stars. Nonetheless, it’s fitting that just eight months separated from their last trip to Indianapolis there will be four completely new Michigan players taking questions on Thursday. Because from the top to the bottom, Michigan is a completely new team.
The post Making sense of Michigan’s roster heading into 2024 appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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