Last Week at The Wolverine Den

Michigan Spring Game

Maize 17 - Blue 7

Michigan Stadium

April 20, 2024 - 12:00 p.m. ET

Tailgate Pictures

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Season Preview

The National Champion Michigan Wolverines will look to defend their title in 2024. The Maize and Blue were 15-0 in 2023 and have won 40 of their last 43 games.

It has been an amazing stretch. Consider this:

• Michigan became the first team to ever win three consecutive outright Big Ten Championships
• Michigan surpassed 1,000 all-time wins in 2023 and now have 1,004 wins, by far the most in the history of college football (Alabama #2 with 965)
• At the start of the season (August 31st):
  • Michigan State will not have beaten Michigan in football in 1,036 days
  • Penn State will not have beaten Michigan in 1,372 days
  • Ohio State will not have beaten Michigan in 1,736 days
  • Notre Dame will not have beaten Michigan in 2,191 days

But Team 145 will be a completely different team than the National Champions of last year. The Wolverines only return 7 starters after losing 13 players to the NFL draft (and another 5 as free agent signees). The entire offensive line is new. The quarterback is new. The best running back and the top two wide receivers are now in the NFL. Most of the defense has graduated. And most of the coaching staff have also moved on. One might think that the outlook is bleak, and that Michigan will face a rebuilding year. But a more careful examination of the team reveals that while not starters last year, a significant number of returning players filled pivotal roles and earned rotation in games. The cupboard is not bare.

Let's examine position groups for Team 145:

Quarterback: Michigan did not seek a QB in the transfer portal (unlike Ohio St, Michigan St and Notre Dame). Instead, we are going with the players already on the team. By all accounts, the race is down to Alex Orji and Davis Warren. Orji has thrown one pass in his two years at Michigan. He was the 493rd ranked recruit coming out of high school. He rushed for 126 yards and 3 TDs. Orji is the most athletic player on the Michigan team (leads in total KPI, a measure used by Michigan). Davis Warren was a walk-on at Michigan after playing only 9 games in high school. He had Leukemia in his junior year and then Covid cancelled his senior year. He has completed only 5 of 14 passes in his Michigan career for 89 and 1 interception. The other possible quarterbacks are 7th year player Jack Tuttle (who was injured and reportedly still not 100%) and true freshman Jadyn Davis. Key to the success of the season will be having solid play at QB among this group. I would guess that both Orji and Warren will play in the opening game as the coaching staff figures out who gives the team the best chance to win.

Running Back: Even losing Blake Corum to the NFL, the Wolverines have a strong contingent of running backs. Donovan Edwards is the clear leader and will take over as the bell cow. Kalel Mullings also returns while highly recruited Jordan Marshall has been impressive in camp.

Wide Receiver: Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan, and Frederick Moore are the top three receivers with plenty of depth coming from the freshmen.

Offensive Line: All new starters but plenty of experience. Look for Miles Hinton, Josh Priebe, Greg Crippen, Gio El-Hadi, and Andrew Gentry to start the season with Raheem Anderson and Jeff Persi getting playing time. This could be a good group with big shoes to fill.

Tight End: Colston Loveland is the best TE in the nation. Marlin Klein is big and athletic. Max Bredeson plays H-Back (a hybrid fullback/tight end).

Defensive Line: Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant are the best interior DL tandem in the country. Rayshaun Benny and Enow Etta will rotate in. Edge rushers Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore are both disrupters.

Linebackers: Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham are experienced and tough.

Secondary: Will Johnson is the best CB in the nation. Jyaire Hill will likely fill the CB role with Jeke Berry and Ja'Den McBurrows also seeing action. Makari Paige and Quinten Jonson will start at Safety. Four transfers (Aamir Hall, Wesley Walker, Jaden Mangham, and Ricky Johnson) are also looking to see the field.

Special Teams: Tommy Domen returns as the punter and transfer Dominic Zvada will be our new kicker. Both have big legs.

Coaching: Sherrone Moore takes over as the Head Coach. Kirk Campbell is promoted from QB coach to Offensive Coordinator. Wink Martindale is hired as Defensive Coordinator. The good news is that on both sides of the ball, the scheme remains the same. Terminology is similar. Culture and leadership remain constant.

The schedule: One of the toughest in the nation with 4 games scheduled against top 25 teams, including 3 games against teams ranked in the preseason top 5. It all starts on Aug 31st with Fresno State.

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