The Michigan football season is just one week away. As of this writing, the season opener is just seven days away. One more Saturday.
The Wolverines just wrapped up fall camp, and with the Big Ten Network visiting, Bryce Underwood dazzled. He also made a bold statement that college football fans have never seen a freshman like him.
With an upgrade at quarterback, a defense with a bunch of experience, and an offensive line that should be improved, the arrow is pointing up for the Wolverines, and with that in mind, here are seven bold predictions for the 2025 season with just seven days to go before kickoff.
Bryce Underwood will be Big Ten Freshman of the Year
It's hard to predict exactly what the numbers will be for Bryce Underwood this season. I'd expect something close to around 3,000 total yards.
Dylan Raiola threw for 2,900-some yards last season for Nebraska. Underwood will probably be in that same range, but he will have more rushing yards. He will also have more touchdowns.
Over 3,000 total yards and more than 20 total touchdowns are loose predictions for Underwood. But that should be enough to win him Big Ten Freshman of the Year, at least on the offensive side of the ball.
The thing about Raiola is that he didn't have as good a running back, and Nebraska fired its offensive coordinator nine games into the season, but wanted to replace him before. Sherrone Moore made the change at offensive coordinator this offseason, which will be huge for Underwood.
It's not going to be a pass-heavy offense. I'd say right around 50/50 but Underwood will do enough to be the Big Ten's best freshman.
Running backs hit 2,000
The pecking order at running back won't be easy to determine for Michigan football coaches. It feels like there will be a true timeshare between Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall.
Marshall rushed for 100 yards against Alabama on his way to becoming the ReliaQuest Bowl MVP. However, Haynes, the former five-star recruit, feels like he will emerge as the No. 1.
Marshall will still get plenty of touches. The sophomore should still have over 800 yards rushing this season. Both Michigan football running backs should clear that hurdle, but Haynes is the dude who will get over 1,000 yards.
Alabama acted like it was happy to let Haynes go, but I have no idea why. The former five-star running back averaged 5.9 yards per carry with the Crimson Tide, and if Michigan's offensive line really has improved, watch out.
Haynes could easily be one of the most productive and explosive running backs in the Big Ten. Combined, the two backs will rush for over 2,000 yards.
The passing game will be explosive
In 2024, Michigan football was the only FBS program to not have a single pass play of 40 yards or more.
It's hard to believe the Wolverines didn't luck into a big pass play last season, but it's another reminder of how anemic the offense was.
It's not a bold prediction to say Michigan will achieve at least one 40-yard pass play in 2025. That will happen. Even if Michigan had the same roster as last season, the Wolverines would be due.
However, I do think Michigan will make explosive plays a much more regular part of the offense. Donaven McCulley is underrated. He'll perform well as Michigan's No. 1 and I would expect multiple 40-yard receptions from him this season.
Michigan football will also break that streak with a 40-yard pass play in the first game. Hell, it might happen in the first quarter. Chip Lindsey will pound the rock. "Smash" isn't going anywhere.
But Lindsey will do a better job of exploiting that run game and using it to create explosive plays in the passing game, something Michigan needed to be better at, even during the Harbaugh years.
The running game will return in earnest
You hear this narrative about how the running game carried J.J. McCarthy during the 2023 national championship season for Michigan football. Still, the Wolverines only averaged 169 yards per game and 4.5 yards per attempt.
Part of that was Blake Corum getting healthy. He wasn't the same player in September and October that year as he was in November when he was finally 100 percent again.
Last season, without any semblance of a passing game or without a running quarterback, Michigan football averaged 157.2 yards per game with an average of 4.2. Alex Orji was used as a running quarterback some but had just 25 attempts for the season.
I'd be stunned if Underwood only had 25 attempts, which includes sacks. I'd expect him to be in the 60-75 range in terms of rushing attempts this season. That will keep defenses honest in the zone-read but will also lead to some explosive plays -- that have been available for years if Michigan football would just run the quarterback, something it could have done more with J.J. McCarthy.
All that being said, all the fall camp intel points to an improved offensive line. With Underwood, along with Haynes and Marshall, this running game will get back to 200 yards per game in 2025, for the first time since 2022.
Michigan lead the Big Ten in sacks
Last season, Michigan football had one of the best pass rushes in the Big Ten. The Wolverines finished with 36 sacks total or 2.77 per game.
Oregon led the Big Ten in sacks per game (2.86). Penn State had 44, while playing more games, but the Nittany Lions had the most total sacks.
Michigan football might not be first in that category by the end of the season, but the Wolverines will have the best pass rush in the Big Ten (sacks per game).
Derrick Moore and TJ Guy could each be playing in the NFL this season. Just turn on the bowl game if you doubt their production. Cam Brandt is another who had multiple sacks last season, while Nate Marshall, a top-50 recruit, is one of the freshmen that Wink Martindale alluded to on Friday when he said numerous freshmn wil play.
Add in guys like Rayshaun Benny, Tre Williams, who had two sacks against Texas last season, and Enow Etta, plus the creative blitzes of Wink, and it's easy to see Michigan producing 40-some sacks in 2025.
Jyaire Hill becomes a lockdown corner
Front seven should be as good as any in college football. There are some that can be just as good, but I wouldn't trade Michigan's front seven for anyone.
One of the worries, though, has been cornerback. Will Johnson is playing in the NFL. Zeke Berry is back, but Michgan football needs a No. 1 cornerback.
At times last season, Jyaire Hill looked like that guy. He had some issues staying on the field late in the year, but was good in the bowl game and had 35 tackles, nine pass breakups, 5.5 tackles for loss, and an interception last season.
This past spring, he was projected by CBS Sports as a first-round pick. He's 6-foot-2, 181 pounds, and if he takes a leap this season, that first-round projection will become a reality.
A fifth straight win in "The Game"
This year's matchup between Michigan football and Ohio State should be epic. It always is in one way or another.
There's a lot of bad blood on both sides. Michigan believes that Ohio State had something to do with the Connor Stalions investigation. Ohio State fans believe that "stolen signs" are the only reason Michigan has won the past four games, which shows how delusional they are.
Michigan didn't have their signs in 2022, 2023, or 2024 and won each of those games. After beating Ohio State with a former walk-on at quarterback, each team will have a first-time starter. Both will be in Game 12.
So I wouldn't expect either team to have a huge advantage at quarterback. If that's true, I'd give Michigan the edge. The Wolverines should have the better running game, the better front seven, and unless 2025 is the year it changes, the team that wins the rushing battle wins "The Game."
Michigan football will win that, and it will beat Ohio State again. If that happens, the Wolverines will also make a return trip to the College Football Playoff.
Much will depend on what happens away from the Big House. Michigan has six road games, including four that stand out as the most difficult: Oklahoma, Nebraska, Michigan State, and USC. If the Wolverines win two of those and beat Ohio State, there's no doubt they will be in the playoff.