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Fox Sports' Joel Klatt: 'It's panic time' for Michigan Football in 2024, and beyond

The Wolverines have fallen woefully short of expectations in Year 1 under head coach Sherrone Moore, and Joel Klatt believes it's only going to get worse for Michigan going forward...

Matt Lounsberry

Sep 28, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore on the sideline in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Michigan Stadium.
Sep 28, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore on the sideline in the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Michigan Stadium. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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After back-to-back losses in conference play, all the goals Michigan football had for the 2024 season are seemingly out the window.

The Wolverines' chances at reaching the Big Ten championship game and/or the College Football Playoff are miniscule, at best, and Michigan also looks incredibly vulnerable in it's upcoming rivalry games against Michigan State and Ohio State.

In the latest episode of his podcast, The Joel Klatt Show, Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt warned the situation in Ann Arbor is likely only to get worse, both for the remainder of this season and beyond.

"Bottom line...I think it's time for some alarm bells here," Klatt said. "I think that this is panic time. Michigan is in a dire spot right now, not only this season but maybe even looking forward...I hate to say this to Michigan fans, but it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. Just look at their schedule moving forward."

Michigan hosts Michigan State this Saturday, favored by less than a touchdown. The Wolverines will then host No. 1 Oregon, go on the road to play No. 13 Indiana, and return home against Northwestern before traveling to Columbus to face No. 4 Ohio State.

"You think Michigan State is not going to be geared up to play Michigan? That Michigan State team is getting better under Jonathan Smith," Klatt said. "It will get worse before it gets better. They will be, I think, fortunate to go to a bowl game this year, based on what's coming up on their schedule."

Unfortunately, the end of the 2024 season may not bring an end to Michigan's struggles. Klatt's concern is high for the Wolverines even looking ahead to 2025, especially considering the near-certain losses of cornerback Will Johnson, tight end Colston Loveland, and defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant to next year's NFL Draft.

"It doesn't look great for Michigan. If I'm a Michigan fan, I'm resting on that national championship, because it might take a little bit of time to dig out of what's going on right now," Klatt said. "They're losing those guys, and their young players aren't that level. Just, they aren't. You look around, and Sherrone Moore is going to have a very difficult offseason."

After failing to properly evaluate Michigan's shortcomings at quarterback and wide receiver this offseason, Klatt says Moore will need to do an honest evaluation of his program this offseason.

"Every coach has to go through this," Klatt said. "When things go wrong in your organization, every coach has to do, what I'd call, a clear-eyes evaluation. You've got to sit down and be ridiculously honest with yourself, first. You've got to understand, is this a coaches problem, is this a players problem, or is this a scheme problem?

"I think for Michigan, if Sherrone is being very honest with himself, he's going to see that there are issues in all the three areas. They've got to get more dynamic in their offensive schematics, they have to change their roster through NIL and through the transfer portal, and I do believe there's going to be some change on their coaching staff."

Klatt noted that Ryan Day has had to go through this process after replacing Urban Meyer at Ohio State, as did Lincoln Riley following Bob Stoops at Oklahoma.

"It takes a few years to try to make it your program," Klatt said. "Sherrone Moore's going to have to figure this out. He's going to have to evaluate what's going on in his coaching staff, and I think there's a good chance it that it will look a little bit different."

Joel Klatt's full breakdown of Michigan Football, what's gone wrong this season and the offseason head coach Sherrone Moore has ahead can be viewed below:

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Matt Lounsberry
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