6 questions Michigan football will encounter in 2024
The Wolverines addressed a slew of concerns this offseason, but they still have a few questions about the 2024 season.
The Michigan Wolverines are the reigning, defending, and uncontested national champions! Michigan has not lost a regular-season game since October 2021, and they have not lost at the Big House with spectators in attendance since 2019.
Michigan is coming off a 15-0 season and a third-straight Big Ten championship, the program’s highest point in modern history. However, with major coaching and personnel changes this summer, the page has been quickly flipped, and all attention is now focused on the uncertain future.
Michigan has hired a new head coach, offensive coordinator/play-caller, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, running backs coach, tight ends coach, offensive line coach, defensive line coach, linebackers coach, secondary coach, and head of strength and conditioning. The Wolverines must also replace nine offensive starters, including school history’s finest running back and quarterback, as well as the whole offensive line.
Despite the new faces, excitement remains strong in Schembechler Hall, and as quickly as the national media has written off the Wolverines as contenders in 2024, Team 145 is eager to show them wrong.
To accomplish this, the club will need to begin answering numerous questions, six of which could ultimately determine the difference between success and failure this season.
Who will be the starting quarterback?
The most crucial and influential position in all sports must be given great emphasis. “The pecking order heading into the spring is who is the oldest,” according to new offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell. “If the grades are the same, we’ll proceed in alphabetical order by last name. That is how we will tackle it on the first day. We’ll reconsider that on day two.”
Ladies & Gentlemen, Michigan’s current depth chart includes Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, Alex Orji, Jayden Denegal, and Jadyn Davis. Campaign groups have already been formed, so let’s look at each choice in one sentence.
Tuttle: The experienced veteran with the highest floor of the group, but is his ceiling high enough for a team with a national championship-caliber defense?
Warren: A developmental passer who has demonstrated equal parts competency and frustration.
Orji: The generational athlete who could either be a home run or a strikeout depending on how he improves as a passer.
Denegal: The big-bodied, poised pocket passer who could be the dark horse of the group, but will need more reps to fully understand his capabilities and limitations.
Davis: The complete unknown, but possesses the high school pedigree to get fans excited about his potential.
A transfer could enter the picture, but these are the players who will have the first chance to stand out in the spring. We know that whoever starts will be complemented by powerful outside weapons, including Donovan Edwards, a potential All-American running back. But who will protect and pave the way for this offense?
What is the status of the offensive line?
The Wolverines lost all five starters from last season’s offensive line, plus one more. LaDarius Henderson, Trevor Keegan, Drake Nugent, Zak Zinter, Karsen Barnhart, and Trente Jones have all gone to the NFL. So, who starts this year? Before the first spring session, I imagine the starters would look like this.
LT – Myles Hinton/Jeff Persi
LG – Giovanni El-Hadi
C – Greg Crippen
RG – Josh Priebe
RT – Connor Jones/Andrew Gentry
Unless a transfer or Raheem Anderson throws things up, the inside group appears to be well established, although uncertainties remain at both tackle positions. According to Jon Jansen, Myles Hinton is expected to move to left tackle, placing him in direct competition with Jeff Persi, who has one career start.
It’s all speculation at right tackle, but the echoes point to Connor Jones and Andrew Gentry as frontrunners. The quarterback duel will generate clicks, but considering Sherrone Moore’s personality, the offensive line contests will be just as essential to Team 145’s goals. Speaking of Moore…
How will the team’s dynamics change under head coach Sherrone Moore?
Moore wasn’t simply handed the keys to a Ferrari and ordered to keep it between the lines; he was given Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and is expected to keep it at the head of the grid. He’s previously demonstrated the capacity to handle high-pressure situations, but how will he handle day-to-day tasks? The day-to-day recruiting slog that led to the retirement of the greatest college football coach of all time two months ago. Practice schedules? What about overall game planning? Will he continue to call the plays?
All of these lingering issues will not be fully answered until the fall, but fans can begin reading between the lines in the spring.
What will the play-calling balance be under Kirk Campbell?
Continuing with the offense, Campbell will be the primary play-caller in 2024. Campbell was superb in his only other game as offensive coordinator, the season opener versus East Carolina in 2023, striking the perfect balance with 31 throws and 31 runs.
This balance will surely be Campbell’s goal, but not all opponents are East Carolina. Sorry to the Pirates, but every play-caller has tendencies and go-tos in crunch time, and it’s unclear what Campbell’s will be. The spring will not reveal much about this, but watch the second quarter versus Texas.
The first quarter will most likely feature a large dosage of planned plays, which Campbell knows will be successful and has prepared ahead of time. The second quarter will undoubtedly necessitate some tweaks, and against a high-caliber opponent, these play calls will provide the first views of Campbell’s true identity as a battlefield play caller.
Fortunately, Campbell will be supported by an outstanding defense, albeit one led by a new general.
How different will the defense look under Wink Martindale?
Fans are well aware that new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is the “OG” of Michigan’s defensive system, which has been in place since 2021. However, fans are aware of Martindale’s history of aggression and wonder how it will play out at Michigan.
When asked about adapting his game to the collegiate ranks, Martindale answered the following:
“I think each year is unique. I will not tell Ryan Day or Sark (Steve Sarkisian) what we are going to do. I am confident that these players will perform at a high level. I am more aggressive than Jesse (Minter); the proof is in the pudding for Jesse and Mike (Macdonald). We’ll rush three times to the quarterback. That’s the way football is; you just have to see how it evolves because people are adjusting to us as well.”
It’s encouraging to know that the defense will be more diverse than Don Brown’s persistent engage eight, but how will the plan play out in tight games? Will Wink be able to properly substitute for a hurry-up? Can he overcome his instinctive tendency to blitz when the situation calls for patience?
This Michigan defense is filled with talent, but one vital position, combined with Martindale’s decision-making, could decide the team’s success.
Who will be CB #2?
Last year, this exact issue was asked, and Amorion Walker appeared to be the front-runner to start opposite Will Johnson. However, following Walker’s embarrassing spring game loss to Peyton O’Leary, Michigan added transfer Josh Wallace, and the rest is history.
With Wallace gone to the NFL and Walker moving to Ole Miss, the race for cornerback No. 2 has resumed. The Wolverines have plenty of skill at the position, but it is largely unproven.
Soon-to-be sophomores D.J. Waller and Jyaire Hill have sparked some interest, as has the idea of Ja’Den McBurrows playing outside and Rod Moore taking over at nickel.
The spring will not produce clear answers, but it will provide powerful ideas. If none of the aforementioned names stick out, Michigan will likely return to the portal to bring some competition and experience to the room before the fall. This is an issue that must be addressed; else, this Achilles heel could be the downfall of a potentially strong defense.
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