After landing at No. 14 in the preseason Coaches Poll, the Michigan Wolverines should feel confident about rebounding from their 8-5 campaign a year ago and returning to the national spotlight.
Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt, however, has a slightly different take on Michigan. Here is where Klatt has the Wolverines in his preseason rankings, via On3:
“Two years removed from winning a national championship, here are the Michigan Wolverines at No. 10.
“I can’t help myself,” Klatt said. “I just love the way that they finished the season. This is a defense that got it going late in the year, even with their star players not playing.
“They cannot be worse on offense than they were a year ago, and you know what? I think they’re gonna be back among the elite in college football.”
Much of the faith in this revamped offense comes from No. 1 true freshman recruit, quarterback Bryce Underwood. The speculation around Ann Arbor, and nationally, is that Underwood is the real deal and can get this program back to the upper echelons of college football.
That is a lot of pressure for someone who has not even turned 18 yet, but he is not at it alone.
Michigan’s offensive line will need big seasons from young tackles Evan Link, Andrew Sprague, and possibly Andrew Babalola. Still, the return of interior anchors like Greg Crippen and Giovanni El-Hadi will make life easier up front.
The receiver room is suspect, but that is nothing new. Marlin Klein and Hansen Hogan should form a respectable duo at tight end. But it is the running back tandem of Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall that should lead the Wolverines offensively.
Defensively, this is still a stout unit even after losing Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, and Will Johnson. Transfer tackles Tré Williams and Damon Payne should eat space inside with Rayshaun Benny, Derrick Moore, TJ Guy, and Jaishawn Barham (who is expected to receive more pass rushing opportunities) attacking opposing quarterbacks.
Ernest Hausman is still a beast at middle linebacker, and a secondary featuring Rod Moore, Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, and brothers TJ and Tevis Metcalf should make for a successful unit.
Klatt might be a little bit high on Michigan right now, but this is a take that could age very nicely this fall.