Michigan football looks to build off the national championship under new head coach Sherrone Moore.
Last year Michigan won its first national championship since 1997. Now the Wolverines look to build on its impressive 15-0 record. However, the university is still considered an underdog this season. That’s because Michigan will have a new football coach this season, as well as facing significant challenges along the roster with turnover this year.
Sherrone Moore fills in at HC
Sherrone Moore will look to continue former head coach Jim Harbaugh’s strong legacy at Michigan. While this is his first head coaching role, he led Michigan to a 4-0 record last season in Harbaugh’s absence with powerful wins over No. 13 Penn State and No. 10 Ohio State.
The players rally around Moore’s leadership style, and he is one of the best offensive minds in the game. Last season, he was simultaneously juggling interim head coaching duties, offensive play calling, and offensive line coaching roles.
This will be a difficult test for Moore who will have a challenging schedule schedule this year. However, he has an incredibly strong support system around him. Michigan only had one player transfer after Harbaugh’s departure, prevented any decommits in the 2024 recruiting cycle, and built a strong transfer class to fill in the more significant holes on the team. Moore should be a mainstay on the sidelines for Michigan for the foreseeable future.
Moore will be dealing with some coaching changes on his staff as well. Harbaugh took some of his coaches to the Los Angeles Chargers, including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and long-time strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert. Both coaches played a massive part in the program’s success and turnaround in the last three years.
On the defensive side, Moore chose to bring in someone who taught previous Michigan defensive coordinators what they know. Wink Martindale, a long-time NFL defensive coordinator, will create a seamless transition between defensive regimes. Moore has also promoted Grant Newsome to offensive line coach and Kirk Campbell to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. While it is unclear whether Moore will continue handling play calling duties, he has supported himself with an extremely strong coaching staff around him.
New additions and roster departures
Per On3, Michigan has the seventh lowest returning production in college football. They lost impact starters to the NFL, such as JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, Roman Wilson, Junior Colson, and Mike Sainristil.
However, Michigan will still retain a strong majority of its high-end talent. Donovan Edwards, Will Johnson, Mason Graham, Colston Loveland, and Kenneth Grant all return to Michigan for the title defense. And with a good season, they could make their way into the first round of next year’s NFL draft.
The Wolverines will also return other key pieces from last year’s title team, such as Josiah Stewart, Makari Paige, and Ernest Hausmann.
In the transfer portal, Michigan again put together a strong class to fill some significant holes. Star Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham and Michigan State safety Jaden Mangham look to fill large holes left by their predecessors. Both players will play a big part in the success of Michigan’s defense next season.
Michigan’s 2024 Schedule Outlook
Michigan faces a gauntlet of opponents this season. It’s the polar opposite from last year, where the Wolverines were criticized for facing a lack of strong opponents. They open Week 2 versus Texas; and in Big Ten play, they will host Oregon and USC. Michigan will also travel to Washington for a national title rematch, as well as having a tough game versus a daunting Ohio State team in Columbus. However, the schedule may work in Michigan’s favor.
The newly expanded playoffs will make it easier for teams to make it into the bracket. With an extremely difficult schedule, Michigan may be favored for “quality losses”. A 10-2 record is completely feasible for the Wolverines with the talent on their roster and coaching staff. Thus, a playoff berth is not out of the realm of possibilities.
Michigan football enters a big test in 2024
Michigan has fostered and developed an incredibly strong group of football players who can win back-to-back national titles. The new additions to the conference will bring a new style of play to the Big House. And, every Michigan fan knows the season will truly be defined by the outcome of “The Game.” The 2024 season may look no different than 2023 for the new-look Wolverines, which would be an encouraging sign in the team’s first year under coach Moore.
