ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan football is back, and even though pretty much everything around the program looks different this year, one thing remains the same: Brandon and I are arguing.
This time, the Wolverines return to play as defending national champions. They capped off a three-year run of dominance with a 15-0 record in 2023, winning a third-straight Big Ten title and knocking off Alabama and Washington in the College Football Playoff.
That was the end of one era. Now it’s time to start a new one.
Jim Harbaugh is gone. Most of his coaching staff is gone. Eighteen key contributors left for the NFL draft.
Oh, and speaking of 18, that’s how many teams are in the Big Ten now. And the playoff expanded to 12 teams.
So 2024 is a complete reset. Many of the topics we argued about in 2022 and 2023 aren’t included here because, honestly, we either agreed or didn’t have strong opinions.
But there’s still plenty to discuss, and I’m determined to dominate Brandon this season (it has to happen some year, right?).
Who is Michigan’s best playmaker?
- Brandon: Donovan Edwards.
Wearing the winged helmet, no matter the position, means you have to carry a heavy load on your shoulders, which is something that running back Donovan Edwards was born and raised to do.
You don’t get the name “The Don” for no reason.
Edwards is expected to have a breakout year for the Wolverines, which is one reason he returned to school.
He has breakaway speed, and the end zone is only one call away (house call). Just ask the Washington Huskies’ defense from the College Football Playoff National Championship, when he rushed six times for 104 yards and two loud touchdowns that blew the roof off of NRG Stadium in Houston.
If you need more proof that he’s the man, go back and look at tape from the Ohio State game in Columbus during the 2022 season, where he toted the rock 22 times for 216 yards and two more loud touchdowns to all but carve his name into the annals of Michigan football’s rich history.
I expect him to have a breakout season and be projected as a top pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
- Derick: Colston Loveland.
I think Donovan Edwards will have a nice year, but Colston Loveland will be even better.
Here’s the thing: Loveland was already regarded as one of the nation’s premier tight ends last season. And he was only a true sophomore.
Sure, Edwards is going to be the featured back for the first time in his career. But he’s still going to share carries with Kalel Mullings, Jordan Marshall, and Benjamin Hall. Oh yeah, Alex Orji, too.
Loveland, meanwhile, is about to become by far the most trusted option in the Michigan passing game.
Roman Wilson is gone. Cornelius Johnson is gone. A.J. Barner is gone. There’s only one familiar target left, and that’s Loveland.
The offense installed by Harbaugh heavily favored tight ends, and you know who spent three years under him coaching that position? That’s right, Sherrone Moore.
Whoever ends up winning the starting quarterback job (we all know it’s Orji), they’ll look to Loveland as their safety net. So I expect him to put up huge numbers.
Will this defense be even better?
- Brandon: Hail yes.
The 2023 Michigan Wolverines defense was one for the history books, as you had playmakers at almost every position.
They were the No. 1 scoring defense, allowing 10.4 points per game and only 247 yards per game on the road to the national championship.
Some departures include Swiss Army Knife Mike Sainristil, Kris Jenkins, Josh Wallace, Junior Colson, Jaylen Harrell, Michael Barrett, Braiden McGregor, and 2024 team captain Rod Moore (due to injury).
But all the players coming out of fall camp believe this year’s team, featuring the linebacker duo of Ernest Hausmann and 2022-23 All-Big Ten honorable mention Jaishawn Barham out of Maryland, alongside linemen Mason Graham and defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, edge rushers Josiah Stewart and Derick Moore, lockdown corner Will Johnson, and defensive back Makari Paige on the back end, will be nothing to sneeze at.
Once Tennessee transfer safety Wesley Walker gets accustomed to Wink Martindale’s positionless defense, that side of the ball could shatter historic levels of greatness.
“I expect a lot from this team,” said team captain Rod Moore. “We have a great schedule, great opponents and I expect us to go do what we did last year and go back-to-back.”
- Derick: No, stop.
Everyone is really excited about this defense because of Will Johnson, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Derrick Moore, and Josaiah Stewart.
But you know who else had Will Johnson, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Derrick Moore, and Josaiah Stewart? Yeah, last year’s Wolverines.
We heard this same chatter after the 2016 season, when Michigan lost a host of longtime contributors like Jabrill Peppers, Jourdan Lewis, Taco Charlton, and Chris Wormley. That 2017 D was not better.
The common denominator is that it’s hard to replace NFL talent, especially veteran NFL talent. You can’t teach experience.
Do I think the Michigan defense will be good? Absolutely. But it’s hard to lose Sainristil, Jenkins, Harrell, Colson, Barrett, and Keon Sabb without missing a beat.
What would qualify as a successful season?
- Brandon: Beat rivals and newbies.
Like national championship head coach Jim Harbaugh used to say, “The standard is the standard” at Michigan in regards to being successful during football season.
Although the Wolverines are the reigning champions, and there are new relatives moving into the conference from out of town, to have a successful season, Michigan must beat its rivals.
Although they’re on hard times at the moment, the Michigan State Spartans are returning to Ann Arbor. There’s a new money team in Ohio State, plus new rivals in the Washington Huskies and a formidable opponent in the USC Trojans, who are 6-4 all-time against Michigan.
The Wolverines and USC have faced each other eight times in the Rose Bowl, with the Trojans winning their last matchup 32-18 in 2007. Beating Ohio State and USC, which are ranked in the AP top 25, alongside the top five-ranked Texas Longhorns, will all but guarantee them a successful season.
- Derick: Make the playoff.
I think we’re pretty much on the same page here. Because if Michigan beats those teams, it will make the playoff.
Expectations are going to change now that the College Football Playoff has expanded. Michigan should be in contention for the top 12 nearly every season.
This year, considering what the Wolverines lost, making the playoff would be a resounding success, even if they don’t advance past the first round.
The defense is playoff caliber, and the Loveland-Edwards duo is a good place to start on the other side of the ball. If Orji can be solid, then a playoff appearance is definitely in the cards.
If Michigan misses out, it’ll feel like a waste of some elite defensive talent.
Who will Michigan miss most?
- Brandon: Connor Stalions.
With a wealth of weapons on their sideline, the Wolverines have shown remarkable unity over this magical run that unfolded over the past three seasons.
But no weapon will be missed more than Conor Stalions, who’s become the boogie man for opposing teams.
Even when he’s not around, college football fans and the NCAA believe he lurks in a dark alley near the Michigan Theatre.
The presence of the “Sign Stealer” loomed in opponents’ heads and brought fear to their hearts, like the fictional character “Deebo” in Ice Cube’s Friday franchise.
Stalions’ scheme wasn’t needed in the second half last season, as the Wolverines were hanging 50 points on teams.
Then, when Stalions resigned ahead of the Michigan State game, with the Spartans running in plays the whole game so Michigan wouldn’t decipher their signals, they proceeded to trounce them 49-0.
Having the mere presence of the boogey man will be missed this year.
- Derick: Offensive linemen.
Umm, wow. That’s not where I was expecting you to go.
Connor Stalions wasn’t a boogeyman for other teams. He was an excuse. Instead of admitting that Michigan, you know, beat the daylight out of them because of superior talent and development, teams blamed their losses on the guy yelling “it’s a pass!” from the sideline.
Michigan’s OK with that. Because a culture of excuses is a soft culture.
One of my main takeaways from the Stalions documentary was how much he exaggerated his impact on the program. Michigan didn’t exactly fall apart after his resignation.
Did Stalions help introduce Michigan to the sign-stealing game (perhaps too much)? Clearly. But they didn’t need him for any of their biggest games last season, and they won’t miss him in 2024.
You know what they will miss? An offensive line that won the Joe Moore award back-to-back in 2021 and 2022 and had an argument for a three-peat last season.
The staple of Michigan’s 40-3 run from 2021 to 2023 was elite offensive line play, anchored by veteran guards Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan. Drake Nugent and Olu Oluwatimi were excellent additions at center, and Trente Jones, Karsen Barnhart, and LaDarius Henderson were NFL-caliber players.
That entire group is gone, and while Michigan feels good about their replacements, there’s no substitute for game reps.
The best way to make a new quarterback feel comfortable is to put him behind an elite offensive line. Nobody is talking about the O-line because Michigan has recruited and developed the position so well. But I expect there will be some drop-off.
