Following Michigan's national championship win, much of the offseason attention seemed to be focused on what the Wolverines lost. The majority of the 2023 roster is currently headed to the 2024 NFL Draft, with several others arriving in the transfer portal.
Several big contributors and leaders from the 2023 team were part of the offseason exodus, including all six captains and the starting quarterback. Additionally, some changes to the coaching staff, including the head coach, may have some outsiders wondering what the team's mental state is during spring baseball.
Well, it seems like the University of Michigan is still in a good position leadership-wise, based on senior running back Donovan Edwards' recent comments on the “In the Trenches” podcast. During his appearance, Edwards evaluated his own performance and talked about taking on a leadership role on his team.
“It starts with being a leader and being true to what you say,” Edwards said. He mentioned being a good example to young players and practicing what he preaches. Edwards cited the foundation laid by players like Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Ross before him, adding: “It's all up to us to live up to the standards.”
As a senior, Edwards has new responsibilities: being a role model for his teammates and potentially serving as a team captain. Another member of the program in a new role is Sherone Moore, who takes over for Jim Harbaugh. But Edwards believes Moore will allow her and others to use their voices this year.
Edwards said he was encouraged by how “(Moore) operated and allowed the players to be leaders on the team.'' Specifically, Edwards mentioned Moore allowing linebacker Mike Barrett to talk to him during halftime of the game against Maryland while his team was struggling.
With so many starting spots available, Edwards noted that each position group also has a different leadership structure.
“Every job group has a leader. Every job group has at least two leaders,” Edwards said. He also added that everyone seems to be adopting the mindset of “this isn't my team, this is our team.”
This may be especially important at the quarterback position. Despite not being the team's captain, JJ McCarthy has been the one who has kept the team together over the past two seasons. It's unclear at this point who will replace him, but quarterback Alex Orge appears to have a strong mindset in the midst of competition.
“It would be a disgrace that (Oluji) is being selfish and not doing his best to push the quarterbacks around him.” Edwards said this is what Alex Orji was talking about during the contest. Stated.
“It’s a running backs room,” Edwards added. He said they need to push each other as much as possible to develop maximum skills for the season.
While fans may be giving up some pause ahead of the 2024 season due to the drastically different look of the roster, they should take comfort in the fact that from a leadership standpoint, there may not be too much of a drop-off. Players like Donovan Edwards have been vocal so far this offseason about staying hungry and not satisfied with last season's results.
With spots on the depth chart up for grabs and so much production to replace, players seem to want to get the most out of each other's competition, even if they fall short in the end. .
