Post-spring rankings are all the rage in college football right now. One of the hardest teams to rank might be the Michigan Wolverines.
Michigan football does return most of its starters on defense. Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Josaiah Stewart, Will Johnson, and Makari Paige were essential parts, and they will be missed.
However, the Michigan Wolverines beat Alabama almost exclusively with players who will be on the field for Michigan football this fall.
Down the stretch, the Michigan football defense was elite. It was as good as any defense in college football. The Wolverines lost some stars. That's well-documented, but U-M added two four-star defensive tackles via the transfer portal, plus an SEC starter at safety to supplement a defense stacked with NFL talent already.
Klatt, who calls a ton of Michigan football games for Fox Sports, said this about the Wolverines heading into 2025.
“Now here’s why I believe in Michigan,” Klatt said on his podcast. “Last year, they beat USC, they beatOhio State, they beat Alabama. And in those games, you know what? Their offense did virtually nothing, virtually nothing. And specifically in that game against Alabama, remember all the guys that were going to the draft weren’t playing in that game. So they stopped Jalen Milroe and Alabama basically with the group of guys that are going to be playing this year. Wink Martindale figured it out.
It easy to see what Klatt is thinking. If Michigan football could beat teams like Alabama and Ohio State, without any sort of offense, what will the Wolverines be capable of with Bryce Underwood?
Underwood is a true freshman. Expectations need to be tempered, but he's a generational talent. That's not just Michigan football fans saying that. The kid had a higher rating from On3 than any other high school quarterback recruit since that service started.
Michigan football also added Alabama transfer Justice Haynes, a dude who averaged 5.9 yards per attempt in limited opportunities. The offensive line is a question mark. But if the O-line and the quarterback play are improved this season, which they should be, there's no reason to think the Wolverines can't win 9-10 games, even withtout Sherrone Moore at Nebraska.
The Wolverines need to win one of those two early road games. Missing the one against Nebraska is a bigger penalty, because it's the Big Ten opener, but as Ohio State showed last season, winning the Big Ten isn't something you need to do to win the national title or make the playoff.
You need a competent offense, though, and if Michigan football has that this season, watch out.