For the second time in the year 2024, Michigan football is preparing for a football game against Alabama.
Though it doesn’t have the same juice as when the two met on Jan. 1, 2024 in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day with a spot in the national championship game on the line − a game ultimately won 27-20 by U-M in OT − when two “helmet” teams meet in the postseason, like they will on Dec. 31 (Noon, ESPN) in Tampa, Fla. to clash in the Reliaquest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) there’s always pride on the line.
GIFTS FROM THE FOOTBALL GODS:How Michigan became home to best DT duo in the sport
Wolverines’ head football coach Sherrone Moore addressed reporters Tuesday evening in Ann Arbor for the first time since learning his team’s destination and opponent and one of the main questions was about who will suit up for the Wolverines in the contest.
“I support those guys who’ve done a lot for this program in their three years, four years here,” Moore said. “And I’ll support them in any way. I want to be there for them. Love them. Care about them. Anything they need from me, I want to support them. Obviously, I want them to play in the game, but support their decisions and their family decisions.”
Michigan has (at least) four projected first-round selections in next year’s NFL draft. Here is a summary of the latest info on each of them:
Graham, the star junior defensive tackle, got ahead of everything on Tuesday morning, as his agent Ryan Matha confirmed to the Free Press he has declared for the next level and will skip the bowl game.
Graham finished his junior year with 45 tackles, seven of which went for a loss, 3½ sacks and a pass deflection as he was named first-team All-Big Ten by both media and coaches. A second-team All-American as a sophomore, Graham ends his collegiate career with 107 tackles, 17 for loss, nine sacks, three passes deflected, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and blocked kick.
“A complete player,” Moore said of Graham. “He’s a game-wrecker. He’s an outstanding worker. Just turn on the film; you can’t block him with one guy. … He’s a generational talent inside.”
Grant played in all 12 regular season games in 2024 and finished with 32 tackles including 6½ for loss, three sacks, five passes deflected and two fumble recoveries.
The 6-foot-3, 339-pound defensive lineman came in as the No. 2 rated overall defensive tackle on a Pro Football Focus early mock draft, where he ranked behind only Graham. In 41 games, Grant has 69 tackles, 11½ for loss, 6½ sacks, three fumble recoveries and one interception and a program record 12 batted balls.
He had a team-high five quarterback pressures in U-M’s upset win over No. 2 Ohio State last month and will likely be remembered as one of the single biggest individual forces to come through Ann Arbor.
There’s not a ton of expectation for Johnson to play in this bowl game given the track record of the season. U-M’s star defensive back opened the year on a tear with two interceptions returned for touchdowns in the first month and set a new program-career record (3) just three games into his junior year, but then things went south.
Johnson sat out the Minnesota game after he’d left the USC game the week prior with a shoulder injury. Though he didn’t return, at the time he said he could have. Johnson then started U-M’s 21-7 loss at Washington, then after a bye week left in the first half of the Illinois loss; he’s been dealing with turf toe ever since.
At the time, Moore said “Will has no plan of just shutting it down or anything like that. … I know that he’ll be back out there at some point this season” when asked if there was a chance Johnson missed the rest of the year.
However, that’s exactly what happened. The projected top-10 NFL draft pick missed U-M’s final five games, six games in total, as he either missed of left a game with injury eight times.
Johnson, a former five-star recruit out of high school and one of the most gifted players U-M has had play in the secondary since Charles Woodson, also missed almost the entire nonconference season in 2023 after he underwent an offseason knee scope.
Speaking of Johnson’s nagging turf toe, Moore said, “I think Will is kind of in the same place where he was from an injury standpoint. Getting better. Definitely getting better. So, we’ll see.”
The star tight end from Gooding, Idaho, missed the last six quarters of the season — that included the Ohio State game — dealing with an undisclosed injury, yet Moore didn’t address Loveland’s status when asked for an update Tuesday.
Loveland, named second-team All-Big Ten, set a U-M single season record for catches by a tight end (53) and also led the team with 582 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
A projected first-round selection — keep an eye out for Loveland being reunited with former head coach Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles — the 6-foot-5, 245-pound prospect would finish his career with 117 catches for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns if that is the end of his time in Ann Arbor.
Michigan as a program went 35-6 prior to the bowl game over the past three years, as all four members of the junior class finish with a pair of Big Ten championships, two trips to the College Football Playoff, a Rose Bowl win, a national championship and undefeated 3-0 records against Michigan State and Ohio State.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. You can send him an email at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
Free Press Sports Columnist Rainer Sabin contributed to this report.
