Michigan Football: What’s next for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines

2023 will be Harbaugh’s best team

If Michigan football isn’t in the national championship game next year, I consider the season a bust. Michigan should be top 2 in the preseason poll, and will, in my opinion, be Harbaugh’s most talented team.

Yes, this year’s team was great. But all season long, we talked about how Michigan was a “no-star team”. Especially on defense. That all changes next year in my eyes.

Will Johnson may already be the best corner in the Big Ten, and I expect him to be competing for the Jim Thorpe award next year. I see him as a superstar and fully expect him to, at least, be an All-Big Ten player. I think he could very easily be an All-American. Same with Rod Moore at the safety position.

Mason Graham should be a monster in the middle of the defensive line, and freak freshman Kenneth Grant should take a big leap toward stardom himself. The 6’3 350 lb defensive tackle has sky-high potential, and I expect Mike Elston to get the best out of him.

Junior Colson is back, Eyabi Okie will get a full offseason with Ben Herbert, Derrick Moore looks like a future high-draft pick, oh, and Michigan has an elite transfer class coming in.

Onto the offensive side, JJ McCarthy could very easily be a Heisman contender, if he’s used properly. I know he threw two pick-sixes, but some of those throws he made were just ridiculous. I can confidently say that I trust him on the deep ball now.

There is some confidence that Blake Corum could come back, and I think the chances got a little bit higher due to the loss. He knows that he would’ve been a difference-maker in that game.

Having Corum and Edwards for another year would be amazing for the team. And no, Edwards would not be upset about sharing the backfield. The belief is that it would be about a 50-50 split, and that would allow both of them to keep their mileage low, overall helping their draft stock.

The wide receiver position will definitely be missing some familiar faces. Ronnie Bell will be missed. The things he achieved at Michigan were amazing, and he may have ended his career with his best game in the maize and blue. Cornelius Johnson will be missed as well.

Do not worry, however, as Michigan football has some freaks waiting for their turn. Freshmen Darius Clemons and Tyler Morris could be an amazing tandem, and Roman Wilson should be back. There will still be plenty of depth at the wide receiver position. If Michigan football decides to utilize the pass more (which it should), it will have success.

The offensive line will still be among the best in the country. We’re waiting on Zinter and Keegan to make decisions, but know that Olu and Hayes will be gone. The Wolverines have tons of depth along the offensive line and will be great yet again.

Lastly, special teams. Jake Moody and Brad Robbins will be missed. Both were huge parts of our success, but Michigan should still be solid at both positions.

As a whole, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about next year. It’ll be up to Jim Harbaugh and co to maximize this team’s potential, but they very realistically could win a national championship next year.

This loss stings, but the future is still bright. Go Blue.