Michigan football is at a crossroads heading into the 2021 season and here’s what ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks about the Wolverines.
Kirk Herbstreit isn’t necessarily a favorite of Michigan football fans which probably has plenty to do with the fact that he used to be a Buckeye.
There was also the whole blowup with Les Miles. I don’t want to get into that whole thing but some Michigan football fans blamed him for the Wolverines not getting Miles.
Others have said that he is a homer for Ohio State, which is partially true. But I think every alum is. Desmond Howard wants Michigan to win and so does Charles Woodson.
Herby wants Ohio State to win but for the most part, I think he’s pretty fair with his analysis. Recently, he talked about Michigan football and Michigan State with Brad Gali of WXYZ TV.
And in his comparison of the two programs, he said the Wolverines have the shorter road back to prominence in the Big Ten than the Spartans.
"“I’d give Michigan a nod on getting there sooner. I feel like Jim Harbaugh’s been close. They just need more consistent play at quarterback, more dynamic offense to be able to be more explosive. I think that’s the name of the game in college football today. You can’t win the old-fashioned way with defense and field position and the running game. You’ve got to be dynamic.”"
Nick Saban is a great example of an old-school coach who adapted to the wide-open world of college football. His teams used to be known as running more pro-style offenses. That’s what Michigan football has been known for and U-M needs to adapt.
Hiring Josh Gattis was supposed to put that transition into motion, who Herbstreit also addressed:
"“I know Josh Gattis as the O.C. is trying to take them in that direction. If you look around at Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma, what do you see? You see quarterback play. It jumps off the screen. You see receivers; you see running backs. In order to get there, that’s where Michigan has to go.”"
The hope is that J.J. McCarthy and Donovan Edwards, two five-star freshmen, can help eventually transform the offense, but Cade McNamara and others need to get this offense going this year.
With Ronnie Bell, Cornelius Johnson, Hassan Haskins, Blake Corum, and former top recruits such as A.J. Henning the weapons are there. It’s time to get the most out of that talent.
The only positive is that Herbstreit sees a long road ahead for MSU:
"“I’m not saying they can’t get there,” Herbstreit said. “I just think the work ahead of them is more significant than what they’re facing in Ann Arbor.”"