The college football season is rapidly approaching, as evidenced by conferences across the country holding media days (as you may know, Big Ten coaches, players and media are gathering in Indianapolis next week).
This time of year marks the unofficial start of a new season, and for the defending champion University of Michigan football team, there are more questions than there were at this time a year ago, when six seniors and graduate students returned to Ann Arbor to set the tone for “unfinished business.”
The Wolverines finished the job with the team's first 15-0 season and its first national championship since 1997, but they will undoubtedly have to replenish a lot of talent from that team, with UM selecting a team-record 13 players in April's NFL Draft.
But the Wolverines still have All-Americans in defensive lineman Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson, projected first-round draft picks in defensive lineman Kenneth Grant and tight end Colston Loveland and even a video game cover athlete (running back Donovan Edwards) so new head coach Sherrone Moore isn't starting from scratch.
But heading into the season, many questions remain, including which position group will be Michigan's strongest this fall.
Heading into the 2024 season, here are power rankings for every position on the University of Michigan football team.
No.1: Defensive Line
prediction starter: Derrick Moore, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Josiah Stewart.
Potential contributors: Rayshawn Benny, TJ Guy, Inaw Etta, Cameron Brandt, Trey Pierce, Ike Ivanna.
Buzz: There's a good chance all four starters will be selected in next year's NFL Draft (depending on whether Moore returns for his senior season), with at least one, maybe two expected to be first-round picks. Simply put, Graham is one of the best players in college football. As a sophomore, he was one of just two players in the nation to finish in the top 10 in both the run and pass grades by Pro Football Focus, one of the reasons he's seen as a near-guaranteed top 10 pick next spring. His pairing is Grant, a 340-pound behemoth with the power to ruin a game in his own right.
2. Defensive back
prediction starter: Will Johnson, Ahmir Hall, Makari Paige, Quinten Johnson and Jayden Mangum.
Be expected Contributors: Wesley Welker, Jaden McBurrows, Zeke Berry, Ricky Johnson, Keshawn Harris, (Rod Moore).
Buzz: If Graham isn't the best player at Michigan, it's because Will Johnson is. Johnson, a 2022 freshman All-American and second-team USA Today All-American last season, has been showered with praise all offseason, including ESPN projecting him to be the No. 3 pick in next year's NFL Draft and ranking him a game-best No. 96 overall in the recently released EA Sports College Football 25 video game. And Michigan's secondary is much more than that. New defensive backs coach Lamar Morgan bolstered the rotation by adding Jaden Mangum (Michigan State), Wesley Welker (Tennessee), Ricky Johnson (Nevada, Lamar Love) and Amir Hall (Albany) in a 72-hour span. With the return of Makari Paige and sixth-year safety Quinten Johnson, plus a healthy Rod Moore who could propel this team to the top of the nation, the team has incredible depth and talent.
3. Tight end
prediction starter: Colston Loveland.
Be expected Contributors: Max Bredeson, Marlin Klein, Zach Marshall, Brady Prieskorn, Hogan Hansen.
bus: Another unit with a projected first-round draft pick is boring. Colston Loveland could go down as the best tight end to come out of Ann Arbor and will be the focal point of the offense no matter who takes the starting quarterback spot. He caught 45 passes for 649 yards and four touchdowns last season and is one of the favorites to win this year's Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end. He'll be assisted by Max Bredeson, who will play a hybrid role with fullback. There was also a lot of talk in the spring about 6-foot-5 junior Marlin Klein, but new tight ends coach Steve Kasla said he views him as a starter.
4. Linebacker
Predicted starters: Ernest Houseman, Jayshawn Barham.
Be expected Contributor: Jimmy Rolder, Micah Pollard, Jaydon Hood, Christian Boivin.
Buzz: With two players departing (juniors Colson and Michael Barrett), losing nine years of experience is never easy, but UM's linebacker corps remains solid. Ernest Houseman, a transfer from Nebraska, filled in for Colson and Barrett last season and will start at one of the positions, while Jayshawn Barham, a transfer from Maryland, is expected to start at the other. Behind them are Jimmy Rolder, Micah Pollard and Jaedon Hood, all of whom have years of experience in Ann Arbor, and Christian Boivin was a standout on special teams last year.
5. Offensive Line
prediction starter: Myles Hinton, Josh Prieve, Greg Crippen, Gio El Hadi, Andrew Gentry.
Be expected Contributors: Jeff Pelsi, Tristan Bounds, Raheem Anderson, Evan Link, Nathan Efobi.
Buzz: For the first time in a while, there are questions about the offensive line. Michigan has won the Joe Moore Award twice in the past three years and reached the semifinals last year. But all of those starters are gone and players with experience in backup roles will need to step up. The starting unit looks decent. Myles Hinton was a potential NFL pick before opting to return, Josh Prieve was an All-Big Ten selection at Northwestern, and Gio El Hadi and Greg Crippen have both played at least 12 games. Still, the depth is not what it has been in recent years, and players like Andrew Gentry, Jeff Persi and Raheem Anderson need to show that their years of experience in the system will pay off.
6. Running back
Projected starters: Donovan Edwards.
Be expected Contributors: Karel Mullings, Max Bredeson, Tabierre Dunlap, Benjamin Hall, Cole Kavanagh.
Buzz: There's no denying that the running back corps took a big hit in the offseason, losing Blake Collum, the team's all-time leading ball carrier. Still, this team, led by former Ohio State running back coach Tony Alford, is still solid, and that's mainly thanks to Donovan Edwards. The West Bloomfield product had a poor season last year, going 113 for 393 yards going into the College Football Playoff. But his performance in the CFP Finals (6 rushes for 119 yards and 2 scores) more than makes up for it. Edwards is also a weapon in the passing game, and is 89 yards away from setting the Michigan running back receiving yardage record. Supporting him will be linebacker-turned-Karell Mullings, who said this spring that he wants to prove he's more than a short-yardage back. Bredeson will be in the running game as a bulldozer, while Tavierre Dunlap and Benjamin Hall will compete for the third running back position.
7. Wide receiver
Projected starters: Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan.
Be expected Contributors: Frederick Moore, Peyton O'Leary, CJ Charleston, Amorion Walker, Kendrick Bell.
Unit thoughts: Both last year's starters (Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson) were drafted, and while this unit ranks low, it's not without talented players. Semaj Morgan flourished as a true freshman last year, working his way into the rotation and catching 22 passes for 204 yards and two scores, rushing four times for 67 yards and one score, and setting a Big Ten Championship game record with an 87-yard punt return. Tyler Morris had a decent season with 13 catches for 197 yards, but he really showed his potential in the Rose Bowl, catching a 33-yard touchdown pass for his first collegiate score. Beyond that, Coach Morris told the Free Press that Frederick Moore is going to have a special season. Meanwhile, UM acquired CJ Charleston (Youngstown State) from the portal and recaptured Amorion Walker from Ole Miss. Coach Ron Bellamy has some good players on his team, but none have proven to be elite at this level.
8. Quarterback
Scheduled starting lineup: Alex Orji.
Other options: Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal, and Jaidyn Davis.
Buzz: Michigan lost the winningest quarterback in school history when JJ McCarthy was drafted 10th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in April, leaving a big hole. Alex Orji is currently considered the favorite to start, but that will be decided when fall camp begins on July 31. Orji, a two-way player at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, will be a true running threat, and seventh-year senior Jack Tuttle will bring experience to the team. Then there's Davis Warren, who threw arguably the best passer of anyone in the spring game and was cited by Coach Edwards earlier this month as a player who has stepped up as a true leader. There are no bigger questions for Michigan than who will be the quarterback and what the offense will look like with him under center.
