Wolverine Digest

Joel Klatt raves about Michigan football's future following win over Ohio State

The Wolverines are carrying a ton of momentum into the offseason following a massive final two weeks...

Matt Lounsberry

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore uses hand signal 4-0 to celebrate the Wolverines 4th straight win over Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore uses hand signal 4-0 to celebrate the Wolverines 4th straight win over Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Through the first 10 weeks of Michigan football's 2024 season, there was a considerable amount of doubt and unknown surrounding the future of the program.

The Wolverines sat at 5-5 coming off back-to-back losses to Oregon and Indiana, and all onlookers knew was that head coach Sherrone Moore had a lot to change and fix in the upcoming offseason.

What no one could have predicted was just how quickly the outlook in Ann Arbor would change for the Maize and Blue.

Over the final two weeks of the year, Michigan flipped five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood from his commitment to LSU, beat Northwestern (50-6) to earn bowl eligibility, and then knocked off archrival and No. 2 Ohio State (13-10) in 'The Horseshoe' as a three-touchdown underdog.

Michigan football defeats Ohio State
Michigan Wolverines quarterback Davis Warren (16) celebrates a 13-10 win over Ohio State Buckeyes at the end of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt broke down just how big of an impact the last two weeks have made for the future of Moore's program in a recent episode of his podcast, The Joel Klatt Show.

"What does Saturday's win mean for Michigan?" Klatt asked. "There's not a seven-win team in the country that had a better last two weeks than Michigan. They get Bryce Underwood to flip, they've got a Top 10 recruiting class. Now, they just beat their rival for the fourth straight time."

"Here's the more important part. They can go into the offseason and they can double down on everything that they do. He can say like, no, it's not just Jim [Harbaugh] that can win this way. This is Michigan's philosophy, not Jim's philosophy, which then means it can be my philosophy. We can go in and this can be my program and these foundational things about toughness and weight room and development work. This works. What we do works."

Having tangible evidence, like beating the No. 2 team in the country in their own building, will help Michigan's staff get the most out of their players in the offseason. Why? Because despite a relatively disappointing seven-win season, the win over Ohio State proves Michigan can still compete at the highest level with Moore at head coach.

"That is a really powerful thing going into an offseason, because you've got to be able to lean on guys," Klatt said. "You see, as a coach, you've got to have leverage over guys. When you can say, 'What I'm requiring you to do works. We've beaten Ohio State four straight times. We've won a national championship. We've won three Big Ten titles. This works.' Now, the offseason can be incredible."

Klatt pointed out Moore's postgame interview with Mason Graham, in which the head coach gave a recruiting pitch to the millions of viewers on national television.

"How about that recruitng pitch if you're sitting in the living room of a defensive lineman, if you're sitting in the living room of an offensive lineman or running back? You're like, hey, like this is what we do. This is what we do, and it works. So, really powerful game for Michigan and I think that's what it means for them moving forward. It is a springboard game. They can go into the offseason and now it can be an incredibly powerful and positive offseason — even if it wasn't as successful on the field as they had wished during the fall."

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