Quarterback is still a concern for Michigan football this spring
There's no debating what the biggest concern is for Michigan football heading into the 2024 season: it's the quarterback position.
Michigan football lost J.J. McCarthy to the NFL draft and Jim Harbaugh called him the best college quarterback the Wolverines have ever had. That was an obvious nod to what Tom Brady did in the NFL. But Jim wasn't wrong. McCarthy and his 27-1 record were unique.
Finding a quarterback capable of winning a national championship isn't easy. McCarthy also didn't do it alone. There were plenty of other components. However, he was as important as any and it was on full display in the Rose Bowl against Alabama.
While Michigan football will end up losing more than 15 players to the NFL draft, there is still plenty of talent. The defense is loaded and should be as good as any in college football, assuming there aren't any major losses in the spring transfer portal window.
QB is the big question for Michigan football
The offensive line should be solid once again, at least one of the best groups in the Big Ten and the running backs won't have much drop off. Colston Loveland is a future first-round pick at tight end. There isn't a true No. 1 wideout, but the guys on the team have all made plays in game situations.
There is reason for hope. But the concern is quarterback and here's what Chris Balas of The Wolverine said on a recent podcast about what practice observers have seen:
“More than anything, we’re hearing about a lack of explosive plays and the one comment that stood out to me yesterday from a guy at practice was that getting first downs is a win right now for this offense against this defense because that’s how good the defense is. So the good news is, they’re going against one of the best defenses in the country. The bad news is, is a couple of guys have been banged up on the offensive line and haven’t played a whole heck of a lot. The quarterbacks, in my opinion… Michigan is probably gonna have to go to the portal and find somebody in that late portal period, because I just don’t see the starting quarterback of a championship group on this team."
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In 11 days, we'll get to see the Michigan football quarterbacks for ourselves in the spring game. The Wolverines might need a transfer quarterback but a sure upgrade might not be available.