Many believe that Michigan football is about to fall off a cliff after winning the national championship and losing nine-year head coach Jim Harbaugh. But one major outlet isn’t so convinced that the demise is coming.
Sure, 2024 appears to be a little uncertain as Sherrone Moore takes the helm. There’s no obvious starting quarterback, though Alex Orji appears to be the odds-on favorite this offseason. But the defense, led now by former Baltimore Ravens coordinator Wink Martindale, has a ton of promise and incredible personnel, despite the losses of key playmakers to the NFL.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg rated the top 25 college football teams in terms of future rankings (subscription required), and the maize and blue came in quite highly at No. 5 overall.
5. Michigan Wolverines
2024 Future QB ranking: 19
2024 Future defense ranking: 3
2024 Future offense ranking: 10
2023 Future team ranking: 4
Scouting the Wolverines: The defending champions are oddly one of the harder teams to project because of who departs Ann Arbor, both on the field and on the sideline. Michigan would be lower in a one-year projection after saying goodbye to a team-record 13 players selected in the NFL draft, as well as Harbaugh and several vital assistants, such as defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert. New head coach Sherrone Moore played a huge role in Michigan’s rise the past three seasons, but he has never led a program and only became a coordinator in 2021. Moore’s first team is fascinating, as it includes several higher-level draft prospects — cornerback Will Johnson, tight end Colston Loveland, defensive linemen Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant — but significant questions at quarterback, offensive line and other spots.
There is a lot more of a breakdown on ESPN if you follow the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/where-michigan-football-espn-future-002933065.html
Author : Wolverines Wire
Publish date : 2024-06-20 00:29:33
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