Confetti falling. 72,808 fans roaring. Hoisting up the polished trophy that they had worked nearly 30 years to get. Just eight months ago, the Michigan Wolverines were National Champions of college football for the first time in the playoff era, the second time since 1948, in an undefeated (15-0) fashion. While last season was nothing short of perfection, as the saying goes, life comes at you fast. In their first few games before Big Ten Conference play, the team simply just does not look the same. Though avoiding major repercussions thus far for alleged cheating, Michigan may face the worst punishment of all: an absolute let-down of a season. After what was a concerning offseason for the program, fans may need to lower their expectations for the remaining 2024 season.
After getting over the humps of beating Ohio State, winnings playoff game(s) and finally achieving the ultimate goal, close to the entire coaching staff walked away from the team. Leading by example, head coach Jim Harbaugh accomplished what he came to do at Michigan, and is now chasing a different dream: a Super Bowl (with the Los Angeles Chargers). Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone in his path to LA. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh, defensive line coach Mike Elston and three other essential coaches have all taken the same position with the Chargers. Though leadership is not in question as the then-offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore has stepped into the head coach position, as he did last year against Penn State and Ohio State, he was tasked with replacing nearly the entire staff, which evidently is still working out some kinks.
Coaching is not the only place where the team had major turnover. The Wolverines led the nation with 13 drafted players to the NFL, including first-round pick quarterback J.J. McCarthy, record-breaking running back Blake Corum and the entire award-winning offensive line. The defense retained some key players, yet had a concerning showing against Texas. Now-starting quarterback Davis Warren has struggled early in the season. While the offensive line and run game haven’t given him too much help, Warren has struggled to move the ball with the thin wide receiver room. Despite his lack of production, Moore has stook by starting him, as opposed to quarterback Alex Orji, who is a dynamic runner but an iffy passer at best.
With all the challenges this team is facing, it is unrealistic to expect this team to have a repeat of last season. The team is younger, less experienced and rebuilding relationships with new coaches. With the playoff expanding to 12 teams, they should be competing for a spot, but do not expect them to be any closer than a borderline team. However, fans deserve a lot more than they have received thus far. This team is far too talented to play like they have, whether it’s against contenders like Texas, or smaller schools like Arkansas State. There is reason to believe the team will get better as the season progresses, but it hasn’t been hopeful so far.
