The Michigan football team that takes the field in 2024 will look very different from the one that won the national championship in 2023.
Of the 22 players who started for the Wolverines in their national championship win over Washington, only six of them are still with the team: tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Tyler Morris, defensive tackle Mason Graham, cornerback Will Johnson and safeties Rod Moore and Keon Sabb.
The Wolverines will have to replace many of their best players who led them to a 15-0 season this past year, including quarterback J.J. McCarthy, All-American running back Blake Corum, leading receiver Roman Wilson, their entire starting offensive line, leading tacklers Junior Colson and Michael Barrett, star nickelback Mike Sainrstil and three starting defensive linemen (Kris Jenkins, Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor).
| Pos | Player | 2023 Impact |
|---|---|---|
| QB | J.J. McCarthy | Big Ten Quarterback of the Year |
| RB | Blake Corum | All-American running back |
| WR | Roman Wilson | Second-team All-Big Ten wide receiver |
| WR | Cornelius Johnson | Team’s second-leading wide receiver |
| TE | A.J. Barner | John Mackey Award semifinalist |
| LT | LaDarius Henderson | First-team All-Big Ten offensive tackle |
| OL | Karsen Barnhart | Second-team All-Big Ten offensive tackle |
| RT | Trente Jones | Three-game starter at right tackle |
| LG | Trevor Keegan | Second-team All-Big Ten guard |
| RG | Zak Zinter | All-American guard |
| C | Drake Nugent | First-team All-Big Ten center |
| DE | Jaylen Harrell | Team’s sack leader |
| DE | Braiden McGregor | 15-game starter at defensive end |
| DT | Kris Jenkins | Second-team All-Big Ten defensive tackle |
| LB | Junior Colson | Second-team All-Big Ten linebacker |
| LB | Michael Barrett | Third-team All-Big Ten linebacker |
| CB | Mike Sainrstil | All-American slot cornerback |
| CB | Josh Wallace | 11-game starter at cornerback |
They’ll have to do all of that with a new head coach after Jim Harbaugh left the Wolverines to lead the Los Angeles Chargers. They could have to do it with a brand new group of coordinators, too; offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is expected to be the new head coach, but defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh are both expected to follow Jim Harbaugh to Los Angeles. (Update: Moore was officially named Michigan’s new head coach Friday night.)
Pair all of that with a challenging regular-season schedule that includes road games at Ohio State and Washington as well as home games against Texas, USC and Oregon, and the Wolverines will have to clear plenty of hurdles to make the College Football Playoff – even with its expansion to 12 teams – let alone defend their national championship.
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Aug. 31 | Fresno State |
| Sept. 7 | Texas |
| Sept. 14 | Arkansas State |
| Sept. 21 | USC |
| Sept. 28 | Minnesota |
| Oct. 5 | @ Washington |
| Oct. 19 | @ Illinois |
| Oct. 26 | Michigan State |
| Nov. 2 | Oregon |
| Nov. 9 | @ Indiana |
| Nov. 23 | Northwestern |
| Nov. 30 | @ Ohio State |
From Ohio State’s perspective, none of that is to say that the Buckeyes can afford to view Michigan as anything less than a major threat once again this year. On paper, Ohio State was the more talented team than Michigan for the past three years, too, yet the Wolverines won all three games. Moore already proved he could win in The Game by guiding Michigan to a 30-24 win over Ohio State as acting head coach with Harbaugh suspended this past November.
Michigan should still have one of the nation’s best defensive lines, led by the standout defensive tackle tandem of Graham and Kenneth Grant and a talented pair of returning edge rushers in Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore. Its secondary should still be excellent, too, led by an All-American cornerback in Johnson and a terrific trio of safeties in Moore, Sabb and Makari Paige. Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings give Michigan a dynamic pair of running backs, while Loveland is one of college football’s best tight ends.
That said, the offensive line that has been the foundation of Michigan’s success for the past three years is a major question mark for the Wolverines entering 2024. So too is quarterback, where the Wolverines could be poised to turn to a QB who didn’t attempt a single pass last season (Alex Orji) or a true freshman (Jadyn Davis) barring a late transfer addition.
Alex Orji could be Michigan’s starting quarterback in 2024 even though he didn’t attempt a pass in 2023. (Photo: Junfu Han/USA TODAY NETWORK)
And while Michigan did an excellent job last season of filling its holes through the portal, the Wolverines have added only two new transfers for 2024: former Northwestern guard Josh Priebe and former Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham. Both of them are experienced Big Ten players who should be plug-and-play starters for the Wolverines, but they don’t project to be as impactful as Ohio State’s additions of Caleb Downs, Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins.
Winning in November is much more important than winning in January, and the Wolverines have consistently done that over the past three years. At least some of the coaches who helped lead Michigan to those wins will likely still be a part of the new staff, and the anticipated promotion of Moore will likely ward off a mass transfer exodus like that which happened at Alabama following Nick Saban’s retirement.
Even if Ryan Day and Ohio State are now clear favorites to beat Michigan this year – the betting line for The Game, which opened at 3.5 points on FanDuel Sportsbook two weeks ago, has since climbed to 6.5 – the Buckeyes still have to make it happen. The departures of Harbaugh and many of Michigan’s biggest stars from its championship run only increase the pressure on Day to turn the tables in the rivalry; a loss to the Wolverines this year would be the toughest one yet to excuse.
But while Michigan finished the 2023 season on top of the college football world, Ohio State has been the team building momentum to start the 2024 offseason. While the Buckeyes are building what they believe should be a championship roster for the season ahead, the Wolverines will start their title defense season with far less returning experience than they had a year ago.
