Isaiah Hole
May 28, 2024 8:18 pm ET
There are still almost two months until Big Ten coaches gather in Indianapolis for this year’s turn at Big Ten media days, which will now be three days due to the former Pac-12 additions to the league, but opposing coaches are already sounding off on teams and their expectations for the upcoming season.
Despite Michigan football winning the national championship, the national consensus is the Wolverines will take a step back, given the departure of Jim Harbaugh, the defensive coaching staff, multiple key players and a first-year head coach taking the reins. Is that what opposing coaches think of the maize and blue?
Athlon Sports obtained anonymous quotes from various Big Ten coaches (though it doesn’t specify if they’re head coaches or assistants). While Michigan isn’t looked at as the king of the mountain anymore, there’s still a healthy fear of the Wolverines it seems.
Four quotes are provided, and we’ll give our analysis of each below.
What Sherrone Moore needs to do
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Rival fans like to openly question Michigan football’s success over the past three years, claiming that the sign-stealing allegations are why the Wolverines were so dominant. But actual knowledgeable observers point to three things: talent, coaching and culture.
The talk of the culture change started behind the scenes in spring ball in 2021 and it has proven huge for the maize and blue. After 2021, many thought Michigan couldn’t survive the departures of Aidan Hutchinson and Hassan Haskins, yet the Wolverines continued to dominate and haven’t lost an in-conference game since mid-2021.
The anonymous coach quoted here believes the big thing for Michigan is to continue the culture, despite new leadership.
“The trick for Sherrone (Moore) is to keep the momentum of a national championship culture through all the roster turnover. I think you’ll see a lot of familiar (Jim) Harbaugh practices and ideas this first season, because they’ve got to rebuild before they can put a new signature on the program.”
We mostly agree, but at the same time, Moore has been around the program since 2018. He’s his own man, as he has shared, but, yes, he will continue to run the program (mostly) as Harbaugh did. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he changed some things that he perhaps thought could help — something he’s afforded since he’s been around for some time.
Defensive-led team
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Given the personnel changes on offense, it’s no surprise many think the upcoming team will be driven by defense. Wink Martindale will run the same system on defense and he’ll have a cadre of playmakers from last year’s championship team to do so.
But this coach wonders if Martindale’s penchant for blitzing will become a heavy feature, given Michigan wasn’t much of a blitzing team under his predecessors.
“The defense will lead the way for them; that can help bridge the rebuild on offense. Will (DC) Wink (Martindale) just rip it and blitz? That will be interesting to see.”
We agree the defense will lead the way, but not so much with the Martindale blitz charge. He even told us at a press conference that he’s a situational blitzer. Yes, that might mean more blitzing in some games, but we may see no blitzing in others. Either way, “The OG” of the system should have a pretty good finger on the pulse of what to do given his lengthy experience.
Wide receiver questions
Photo: Isaiah Hole
The biggest questions on the team, in our estimation, are at quarterback and wide receiver. And one Big Ten coach apparently agrees.
“They’re basically turning over the entire offense, and they need to find some receiver talent for whoever wins that starting job at QB.”
Michigan addressed the receiver position through the portal, getting Amorion Walker to return from Ole Miss and switching him back to offense, while also bringing in C.J. Charleston from Youngstown State. But is that enough? It might be. Especially if Alex Orji takes over the QB role, Michigan will likely lean more heavily into the run and hope to find itself in favorable down-and-distance situations, allowing it to continue to play complementary football.
A step back, but how much?
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Many are writing Michigan off, expecting Ohio State and Oregon to run the conference this next year. Roster-wise, that makes sense to some degree, but with the bulk of the defense returning and some key pieces on offense (tight end Colston Loveland and running back Donovan Edwards), perhaps it will not be as bad as some might think.
“This is going to be a massive transition even though they kept on the interim from last year. They’ll take a step back, but maybe not as far as you think.”
To us, the transition lies more in the players than it does the coaching change. As well as the schedule being tougher. But we’ll see.
Final analysis
Photo: Isaiah Hole
Michigan has a lot working against it, primarily the offensive uncertainty and the tougher schedule. But the coaching staff appears confident in being able to utilize the talent it has.
The Wolverines did not pursue a transfer quarterback, currently content with the room — as unsettled as the starting job appears. It chased some wideouts, but not with vigor. The offensive line and tight end rooms appear to be solid. The defense has the potential to be the best in the nation.
And these coaches get it. They’re not as doom and gloom as some rival fan bases appear to be as it pertains to the maize and blue. They’re rightfully cautious, aware that changes will not necessarily yield positive results. But they’re also aware this is still a dangerous team with a great deal of talent. If Michigan pulls the right strings, there’s no reason Indianapolis can’t be in the cards for a fourth straight year.
