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There’s a lot to get excited about in 2024, but these positions are of greatest concern.
The Michigan Wolverines football team has much to prove as they look to continue their recent success in 2024. Coming off three straight Big Ten Conference championships and a national championship, they have a lot to prove in their first season without Jim Harbaugh. They also lost a ton of talent to the NFL, including a program record 13 players drafted.
Here are the top three areas of concern for Michigan heading into the season.
Michigan had one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in J.J. McCarthy last year. McCarthy was 27-1 as a starter in three seasons at Michigan. He’s also leaving as one of the most efficient passers in Michigan football history, having completed 240 of his 332 attempts, while only throwing four interceptions and 22 touchdowns last season. He sometimes put the ball in precarious situations, but the coaching staff trusted McCarthy to do his thing.
There’s a lot of focus on Alex Orji stepping into the starting QB role. While there are questions about his accuracy, we know he’s a talented runner capable of making big plays with his legs. He carried the ball 15 times for 86 yards and one touchdown in 2023. However, he’s only attempted one career pass.
Jack Tuttle is another guy who is competing for the starting job. He completed 15 of 17 passes last year for 130 yards and one touchdown. He also picked up 35 yards on the ground. Tuttle’s career has been plagued by injuries, but he’s been accurate during his time at Michigan and could win the starting job ahead of the season if he stays healthy.
I don’t think anyone is expecting Alex Orji or Jack Tuttle or any of the other quarterbacks to come in and be the next J.J. McCarthy, but that might not be necessary either. Michigan will most likely have a balanced offense again this season.
The departure of Jim Harbaugh doesn’t mean the Wolverines are looking to air it out on every play. While McCarthy was a dynamic player, maybe the best-ever at Michigan, the Wolverines will still have a solid run game to take some of the pressure off the quarterback.
Michigan lost all of its starting offensive linemen, and six linemen total, to the NFL. That’s a huge loss and another point of concern with the 2024 team.
While guys like Greg Crippen and Myles Hinton have seen playing time during their careers, it’s worrisome losing so much starting talent on the line, Sherrone Moore knows how important it is to win in the trenches. He’s coached back-to-back Joe Moore award-winning lines and had another group named finalists for the award. Even with Moore’s move to head coach, he’s not going to abandon the focus on strength up front.
Another thing working in this position’s favor is that they’ll be going up against one of the best defensive lines every week in practice. The phrase iron sharpens iron exists for a reason and you’d expect that competition in-house will help prepare these new guys for some of the defenses they’ll have to face this fall.
Michigan lost Mike Sainristil to the NFL after the 2023 season, and that’s going to hurt this year. He is one of the smartest players on the field and came up big for the Wolverines when they needed him most. While Michigan added some depth to the position via the transfer portal, there’s still a lot of pressure on Will Johnson at this position.
Adding CB Aamir Hall helps after the loss of DJ Waller Jr. to Kentucky. Hall, an FCS All-American, still has to prove himself as he makes the jump to the Big Ten. Behind Johnson, you’ve got Keshaun Harris, Jyaire Hill and Ja’Den McBurrows. With the injury to S Rod Moore, Michigan has even more pressure on the cornerbacks and depth is still a concern at this spot on the field.
Will Johnson is the biggest reason there’s not as much concern when it comes to the cornerback room. Johnson is capable of holding his own against the best teams. Last year, teams still threw his way, and Johson proved why they shouldn’t.
What position are you most concerned about heading into the 2024 season? Let us know in the comments.
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