The future for Michigan football feels bleak

It's discouraging that Michigan football is out of the playoff race seven games into the season. What's even more worrisome though is when you start to think about next season.

This Michigan football team is flawed. The offensive line isn't good enough. Neither are the quarterbacks or the wide receivers.

The defense actually has a lot of talent though and on both sides of the ball, Michigan football could be without four first-round picks.

Things could get worse for Michigan football before they get better

Will Johnson, Mason Graham, Josaiah Stewart and Colston Loveland are probably all going to be first-round picks. Kenneth Grant has a chance too and each of those players will be gone. The Wolverines vaunted defensive line will be no more.

Michigan football will also be losing Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings, not to mention Makari Paige, and maybe even more depending on how things go. We could see an exodus in the transfer portal and as much as it's easy to say Michigan needs to be active in the portal, the Wolverines aren't finding anything close to Graham and Grant in the portal.

Get that out of your head right now, Michigan football fans. There isn't a Will Johnson in the portal either. Michigan can add a quarterback and some wide receivers. It can improve the depth and hopefully, bring the offense back to respectability.

But as bare as the cupboard might feel right now, it's not. This is a quality roster that was simply mismanaged. The coaching staff has been really bad and the fact that Sherrone Moore said the QB position is still being evaluated tells you all you need to know.

There was no plan on offense. The plan on defense has been so bad that a defense with multiple first-round picks looks mediocre. It's frustrating, but long term, it's hard to see how things are better next season.

Michigan will need to add 10-15 players in the portal and it will need some actual money to add impact players. It's possible but it seems unlikely. Sherrone Moore feels in over his head. His first coaching staff has been a flop and changes need to be made.

Warde Manuel would never fire Moore after one season. My guess is that he gets three years at least to show what he can do, but after the first seven games, that's a depressing thought.