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Michigan Football: Key storylines as Wolverines open fall camp

By Chris Peterson

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 24: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines looks on in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium on October 24, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 24: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines looks on in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium on October 24, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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Michigan football hits the field on Friday for fall camp and with the season less than a month away, here are some of the key storylines to follow. 

It’s been a tumultuous offseason for Michigan football as the coaching staff has undergone some significant changes, following a disastrous 2020 season.

If Michigan has another season like that, it’s possible that Jim Harbaugh and the rest of his assistants could be out of jobs. One losing season was enough for U-M fans and unless things turn around, it’s going to be tough to keep defending Harbaugh.

With that being said, I have a strange confidence heading into this season. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t believe Michigan football is going to win the Big Ten or anything like that.

But I feel confident in this team righting the ship, which in my eyes, is winning 8-9 games this season. This reboot is going to take some time, but a productive season and some talented young players can get it jumpstarted.

As far as fall camp, there is an abundance of storylines to follow, and here are some of the most important.

The Quarterbacks

This goes without saying but the QB battle is going to be fascinating. Alan Bowman enters the mix for real this week in camp and we’ll see if he can make any noise.

The job feels like it’s Cade McNamara’s to lose going into the season, yet J.J. McCarthy is supremely talented and it’s hard to see how he stays on the bench for long.

McNamara doesn’t have the biggest arm. But he’s accurate, he’s tough and he’s a competitor. He showed a lot of heart in the win last year at Rutgers and even trying to gut it out against Penn State in his first career start after getting hurt.

Last year, Harbaugh announced Joe Milton as the starter midway through camp and it will be interesting to see if he does the same with Cade.

The real key this year though is managing McCarthy and making sure the five-star quarterback takes the right steps in his development whether he plays a bunch this year or not.

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