Michigan Football: It's A Huge Mistake To Overlook The Wolverines In 2024

Michigan captured the CFP National Championship six months ago, but the college football world seems be overlooking the Wolverines in 2024.

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards (7) picks up the trophy to celebrate the Wolverines' 34-13 win over Washington at the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

I don't know that I've ever seen a defending National Champion be as overlooked as the Michigan Wolverines are heading into the 2024 season. When you look at the dialog surrounding the Big Ten specifically, Ohio State and Oregon are currently the two leading favorites to capture the conference championship this season. From a national standpoint, Alabama, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, Oregon, LSU, and even Ole Miss are getting more favorable odds over Michigan to capture college football's biggest prize.

Michigan defensive back Will Johnson (2) celebrates the Wolverines' 34-13 win over Washington at the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

On the surface, the lack of faith in Michigan makes sense - particularly from a national level. Outsiders will look at Michigan and see a team that lost its head coach (Jim Harbaugh), a good chunk of the staff (including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter), and sent nearly 20 guys to the NFL Draft. All six captains from 2023 are gone, including Zak Zinter, Trevor Keegan, Blake Corum, Mike Sainristil, Kris Jenkins, and Michael Barrett. The Wolverines return just one starter on offense from last season (Colston Loveland), and there is still a huge question mark at the quarterback position now that JJ McCarthy is a Minnesota Viking.

As if all of that isn't enough, this new-look Michigan squad will also be navigating through a difficult 2024 schedule that includes three teams that are heavy favorites to win it all this season - Texas, Oregon, and at Ohio State. Add in matchups against USC and at Washington, and it's no surprise that the general belief is that the Wolverines will stumble once or twice - or even three times - during the regular season.

Although the doubt is somewhat justified, there seems to be way too much focus on what Michigan lost and not nearly enough focus on what the Wolverines are returning.

I get that #Michigan lost a lot during the off-season, but team 145 has the chance to be special. It would be a huge mistake to overlook the reigning National Champions in 2024.〽️#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/0NdKLX6VOF

— The Winged Helmet (@TWH_Chris) July 9, 2024

Defensively, Michigan has three guys who are projected to go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft - cornerback Will Johnson, and defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. In fact, PFF College recently named Johnson and Graham as the top returning players at their position in 2025, while Grant came in as the No. 6 overall returning DT. Add in the linebacker duo of Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham, the experience at the EDGE with Josiah Stewart and Derrick Moore, and a secondary that is loaded with both veteran and young talent, and it's quite possible that this Michigan defensive unit will be the best in the nation once again.

Offensively is where the vast majority of the question marks come into play. The Wolverines will feature an entirely new starting offensive line in 2024, but that doesn't mean it will be inexperienced. Veterans Myles Hinton, Josh Priebe, and Giovanni El-Hadi have plenty of snaps under their belt, and Michigan has proven time and time again that it knows how to develop talent up front. The Wolverines lone returning starter is Colston Loveland, another guy who is a projected first-round pick in 2025. He's joined by veteran TE Max Bredeson and Marlin Klein, two guys who will play a major role in the offense this season. At wideout, Michigan returns Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan, and Frederick Moore - all guys who are expected to take a huge step forward in 2024. The Wolverines also added two wideouts from the transfer portal in Amorion Walker (Ole Miss) and CJ Charleston (Youngstown St.),

Blue Team quarterback Alex Orji (10) makes a pass against Maize Team during the second half of the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the deepest position groups on the roster is at the running back position, as senior Donovan Edwards will finally serve as the feature back for the first time in his Michigan career. Michigan fans (and Ohio State fans) are well aware of what 'The DON' brings to the table, and it feels like he's on the verge of a monster season this fall. Edwards is joined by Kalel Mullings, Benjamin Hall, Tavierre Dunlap, Cole Cabana, and Jordan Marshall - all guys who are also capable of making a big impact on fall Saturdays.

The biggest and most consequential question mark offensively is at the quarterback position, where Alex Orji (junior), Jack Tuttle (Gr. student), Davis Warren (senior), Jayden Denegal (junior), and Jadyn Davis (freshman) will battle for the top spot this fall. For now, it seems to be a two-man race between Orji and Tuttle, though Warren has shown tremendous growth and is certainly a dark horse candidate to keep your eye on. The good news here is that the Michigan offense won't require any of the candidates to be superstars. Instead, the Wolverines just need a leader and a steady hand at the QB spot - someone who can direct traffic, move the ball down the field through the air when needed, and avoid making big mistakes. If Michigan can get that out of the five candidates they have, the Wolverines have a very real shot at winning their fourth consecutive Big Ten Championship this fall.

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