Predicting Michigan Football's Offensive Depth Chart In 2024

Michigan football will begin in less than two months. It's time to take another look at the Wolverines' offense and try to figure out what the depth chart will look like come fall.

Trent Knoop | Jul 2, 2024

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards runs the ball in for a touchdown in the second quarter during the College Football Playoff national championship game against Washington at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. / Melanie Maxwell / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fall camp is right around the corner, but it’s time to take another stab at figuring out what the Michigan offense could look like when it takes the field on August 31 against Fresno State. The Wolverines are replacing several key players from their 2023 National Championship season. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corum, receivers Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson, plus the entire offensive line. How will the 2024 Michigan Wolverines look on offense? Here’s my best guess.

Quarterback:

Michigan quarterback Alex Orji (10) warms up before the Indiana game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Starter: Alex Orji

Backup: Jack Tuttle

In the mix: Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal, Jadyn Davis

This is by far and away the most crucial position on the ’24 Michigan roster. It’s not easy to replace a top-10 draft pick in J.J. McCarthy. While McCarthy wasn’t asked to do a ton, fans knew he would deliver if the coaching staff asked him to put the team on his shoulders. Michigan will now turn to a mostly inexperienced room that has some major potential.

I look for Alex Orji to get the chance to lead the Wolverines in ’24. He’s thrown just one pass in college football, but he’s played a decent amount being a running quarterback. He ran the ball 15 times last season and played in some key moments. Orji looked off at first during the Michigan Spring Game in April, but he settled in nicely and moved the sticks. I look at the ceiling of Orji and it’s very high. Michigan doesn’t need McCarthy-esque from Orji, but just move the sticks and keep the ball safe. With his added ability to run the football, it could create the dynamic Michigan needs next season with a brutal schedule.

If Orji doesn’t perform well, Michigan can turn to the seventh-year senior in Jack Tuttle. Tuttle has the experience, but struggled at times when he was with Indiana. He did just fine last year at Michigan completing 15-of-17 passes for 130 yards and a score. Tuttle has a high floor, but I’m not sure that the ceiling is there like it is with Orji. I believe both Orji and Tuttle have a good-sized lead over Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal, and true freshman Jadyn Davis.

Running Back:

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards (7) runs for a touchdown against Ohio State during the second half at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. Syndication The Indianapolis Star / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Starter: Donovan Edwards

Backup: Kalel Mullings

RB 3: Ben Hall

In the mix: Jordan Marshall, Cole Cabana, Tavierre Dunlap, Micah Kaapana

It’s not too often you can feel confident in a position group after losing arguably the most decorated running back in Michigan history, Blake Corum. Corum broke the Michigan record with 58 career rushing downs and the single-season rushing touchdown record with 27 in 2023.

But the Wolverines return former five-star running back, Donovan Edwards who has shined in the brightest of lights in his three years at Michigan. Edwards, who could’ve started for just about any team in the country, has patiently waited his turn to start and it’s right around the corner now. When he has had his chance to start, Edwards made the most of it. He rushed for 216 yards two years ago at Ohio State en route to a big win and played extremely well against both Purdue and TCU the next two games. Edwards had a disappointing year in ’23 but shined during the National Championship against Washington rushing for 104 yards and two scores. Edwards looked more patient than ever finding the right holes during the Spring Game and should be in store for a monster year.

Behind Edwards, Kalel Mullings is next. The former linebacker has fully made the transition to running back and has looked the part. As RB3 last year, Mullings averaged 6.1 yards per carry and shook off tacklers. He will get way more than the 36 carries he had a year ago and Michigan will have a good combination of speed and power with Edwards and Mullings.

Michigan is one of the ‘old school’ teams that use three running backs frequently. As it used Mullings last season, someone new will take on that RB3 role. I really like Ben Hall. The sophomore shined last season during the Spring Game as a freshman and looked like a bowling ball going through defenders – with speed. He saw 15 carries during the season but averaged over four yards per carry. He will battle with incoming four-star Jordan Marshall, along with Cole Cabana and Tavierre Dunlap for carries.

Wide Receiver:

Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Tyler Morris (8) scores a touchdown against Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Kobe Prentice (6) in the second quarter in the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Starters: Semaj Morgan(slot), Tyler Morris, Fred Moore

Backups: Amorion Walker, Kendrick Bell, CJ Charleston

In the mix: Peyton O’Leary, Channing Goodwin, I’Marion Walker

Another position of interest for Michigan fans going forward. Losing guys like Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson hurts, but the Wolverines return some high-end speed and potential. Semaj Morgan lined up in the slot 84% of the time he was on the field last year, so he figures to step into Roman Wilson's role. Morgan broke out as a true freshman and was electric with the ball in his hands. Michigan will do whatever it can to feed Morgan in ’24.

Tyler Morris is about as sure-handed as they come. He had just one touchdown last year, but it came at the right time against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. He had the second-most snaps on the team lining up wide in 2023 behind Cornelius Johnson. While he is just 5-foot-11, Morris is tough and can go get the football while finding space in the defensive zones. I believe the receiver lining up across from Morris will be sophomore Fred Moore. Moore, a sophomore, is 6-foot-1 and more of that ‘go-get-it’ type of WR. He has been widely talked about and it seems like he will get the first crack at starting.

It gets interesting behind those three. Michigan went out and grabbed Amorion Walker and CJ Charleston via the portal. Walker began his career as a WR at Michigan before moving to corner last year. He transferred to Ole Miss but came back to Michigan to play receiver. Walker has elite size and potential – he is someone you can’t sleep on. Charleston came from Youngstown State and is a veteran who will try to seize playing time at a higher level. Then you got Kendrick Bell who is very raw, but the talent is there – we saw that during the Spring Game. Peyton O’Leary will try and get a role in 2024 as well.

Tight End:

Michigan tight end Colston Loveland makes a catch against Washington during the second half of U-M's 34-13 win in the College Football Playoff national championship game in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Starter: Colston Loveland

Backup: Marlin Klein

In the Mix: Zack Marshall, Deakon Tonielli, Brady Preiskorn, Hogan Hansen

H-Back Starter: Max Bredeson

This will be one of the stronger spots for Michigan in 2024. Colston Loveland is one of the top, if not the best, tight ends in college football. He is already being projected as a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was second at Michigan last season with 649 receiving yards and he should be the top target on the Wolverines’ team this year. He very easily could see 60+ receptions this year.

Marlin Klein is a huge target for the Wolverines. The junior is 6-foot-6 and I could see him having a Luke Schoonmaker-type season behind Loveland. Schoony was a reliable TE2 behind Erick All in 2022. Let’s be honest, Michigan uses two TEs a ton and I don’t expect that to change under Sherrone Moore.

While I won’t get into every player Michigan has behind Loveland and Klein, the Wolverines are loaded. Every tight end on the roster was a highly recruited player and Michigan truly has the luxury of feeling confident about the entire tight end room.

Lastly, Max Bredeson, is a player that makes it happen. Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards wouldn’t have done Corum and Edwards things without the help of Bredeson. Someone who is overlooked at times, he does so many small things that count. He was second on the entire Michigan team – including elite linemen like Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan – at run blocking. Per Pro Football Focus, Bredeson had a 78.0 run-blocking grade. He will be pivotal once again in ’24.

Offensive Line:

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards (7) celebrates his touchdown with tight end offensive lineman Myles Hinton (78) during the first quarter in the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports / Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

Starters (L-R): Myles Hinton, Josh Priebe, Greg Crippen, Giovanni El-Hadi, Andrew Gentry

Backups: (L-R): Tristan Bounds, Nathan Efobi, Raheem Anderson, Connor Jones, Jeffrey Persi

In the mix: Blake Frazier, Dominick Giudice, Jake Guarnera, Luke Hamilton, Evan Link, Andrew Sprague, Ben Roebuck

I’ve been asked over and over about my confidence level for the Michigan offensive line in 2024. Frankly, I feel pretty good. It’s usually tough to feel that way when you must replace the entire starting line from the previous season, but the thing with Michigan is the fact all of these players have extensive playing time. The Wolverines rotate so much and got so many guys looks the past two years that they have played major minutes in the Big Ten.

Myles Hinton started for Michigan last year and it looks like he will shift to left tackle. Josh Priebe was a captain and All-Big Ten player at Northwestern a year ago. Greg Crippen, a highly-rated center coming out of high school, played in nine games at center last year during blow-out wins. Giovanni El-Hadi started three games for Michigan in 2022 and appeared in every game in 2023. Then at right tackle, I have 6-foot-7 Andrew Gentry starting who appeared in seven games last year on the offensive line for Michigan. These guys have all played and with Sherrone Moore still around, I don’t see the Wolverines’ offensive line having a down year whatsoever.

What I will say is I’m not sure how deep Michigan is though. All of these starters in 2024, minus Josh Priebe, were primary backups last year. But they all have been around the program for a few years and know the system. Both Tristan Bounds and Jeffery Persi are big men and have waited their time, Raheem Anderson could probably start for most Big Ten teams, and Nathan Efobi was a solid recruit a year ago out of Georgia. Connor Jones is a junior and knows the system.

Obviously, an injury would hurt if a guy like Myles Hinton would go down, but we’ve got to believe these guys are game-ready and the Wolverines should be good up front once again in 2024.

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