Michigan’s won three consecutive Big Ten Championships and had three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, including a National Championship last season. It’s been great to be a Michigan Wolverine in recent years. However, all good things come to an end — including the Jim Harbaugh era.
Harbaugh left Michigan to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in January, and he took a good chunk of the Michigan staff with him including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert. Michigan went on to promote offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to head coach. Moore, Harbaugh’s right-hand man, beat the likes of Penn State and Ohio State last season as interim head coach while Harbaugh served a suspension, handed down by the Big Ten Conference as part of the ongoing allegations surrounding sign-stealing by a former analyst for the team. Moore was a solid choice for the Wolverines but he will have his work cut out for him, to say the least.
Beyond coaching changes, things are all the more challenging for Michigan this season because of the amount of players they lost to the NFL. 13 Michigan players were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, including quarterback J.J. McCarthy who went No. 9 overall to the Minnesota Vikings. McCarthy had a 27-1 career record as a starter.
At Big Ten Media Day on Thursday, Sherrone Moore talked about the traits McCarthy possessed that he hopes whoever is named Michigan’s starter to exhibit as well.
“The ability to be so cerebral in the pressure moments,” Moore said. “He was vintage, he was himself, but he was always ready to attack. You can always count on him when the big plays were there and you needed somebody to make a big play.”
Michigan’s starting quarterback situation is very much still up in the air with names such as Alex Orji, Jack Tuttle and Davis Warren all receiving consideration heading into fall camp. While one of these quarterbacks may be able to fill the void left by McCarthy’s departure adequately, it’s still far from a given.
Michigan’s offense will still be powered by the run as it was during the Harbaugh era. Moore, who was previously Michigan’s offensive lines coach as well, has the slogan “Smash!”, and he wants his offense to be a physical unit and be able to run the ball on opponents at will. After all, Moore called 32 consecutive run plays as interim head coach last year during a 24-15 win over Penn State last season. With Blake Corum now in the NFL, it’ll be Donovan Edwards as Michigan’s RB1. Edwards hopes to hit the ground running in 2024 after scoring two touchdowns in the National Championship against Washington.
Where Michigan still remains elite across the board is on defense. There’s a new defensive coordinator in Wink Martindale, whose previous defensive coordinator stops were for the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens. However, the scheme is still intact as Jesse Minter once coached on Martindale’s defensive staff in Baltimore. Michigan returns one of the best corners in the nation in Will Johnson as well as two of the best defensive linemen in the country in Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.
Michigan can still have success without Jim Harbaugh, but expectations from fans should be tempered to a certain degree. Michigan’s last outright National Championship before January came back in 1948. Michigan’s a powerhouse program and in the days of NIL and an expanded playoff to 12 teams, it should make it easier for them to be in the hunt each and every year. Immediate success, though, after losing one of the best head coaches in college football as well as one of the best quarterbacks doesn’t usually lead to a team going to the promised land the following season. Michigan’s set up for success for the long haul and currently has the No. 12 overall recruiting class for 2025, but there may be trials and tribulations for Sherrone Moore before triumphs unfold.