2024 Michigan football roster: Way-too-early outlook with NFL deadline passed
The Michigan football program will live in the glow of the national championship for some time. But in about 220 days, the 2024 Wolverines will kick off a new season against Fresno State at Michigan Stadium.
During the Wolverines' recent run of dominance, they've won three straight Big Ten championships and made the College Football Playoff each season, doing so with players who became household names like Blake Corum, J.J. McCarthy, Mike Sainristil, Kris Jenkins, Michael Barrett, Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan.
The NFL draft entry deadline has passed and 21 Michigan players from the national title team have declared for it, leaving holes all over the roster. Here's an early look at the early depth chart for next season and some potential options to keep in mind to round out the roster via the portal:
Quarterback
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Notable departures: J.J. McCarthy (2,991 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, 4 INT, 72.3% completions)
Notable returners: Alex Orji, Davis Warren, Jadyn Davis
Outlook: This will be the lynch pin of the 2024 U-M season: who do they find at quarterback? Fortunately, the formula is in place. They don't need a game-changer, but a game-manager capable of extending plays and being athletic when necessary. U-M liked Orji as a running threat and Warren told the Free Press last week he is returning to Michigan, but it's unclear if either is ready to start. Fans will likely clamor for Davis, the four-star true freshman who appears to have the highest upside on the team, but is even more raw. It's likely U-M may turn toward the portal, though most of the top transfers have already been swooped up.
Running back
Notable departures: Blake Corum (258 carries, 1,245 yards and 27 touchdowns), CJ Stokes (transfer portal)
Notable returners: Donovan Edwards, Kalel Mullings, Benjamin Hall, Cole Cabana
Outlook: There's no replacing the best running back in program history, as Corum finished with more than 2,700 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns over the last two seasons. However, U-M got a boost when Edwards announced his return; he does come off of what was a down junior season but still has athletic upside. Hall is a hard runner who turned heads last spring and is the most every-down-back type on the roster. Mullings will likely be even more featured on short yardage packages. Incoming freshman Jordan Marshall is a top-10 positional recruit in the nation, are also worth keeping an eye on.
Wide receiver
Notable departures: Roman Wilson (48 catches, 789 yards, 12 TD), Cornelius Johnson (47 catches, 604 yards, 1 TD)
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Notable returners: Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan
Outlook: This is the thinnest position group on the team. The leading returner is Morgan, a true freshman with 22 catches for 204 yards and two scores. He only had two games this season with more than two catches, and his first touchdown of his career didn't come until the 38-yard crossing route against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Fredrick Moore and Payton O'Leary appear next in line, followed by potentially Eamonn Dennis. U-M needs to add a wideout via the portal.
Tight end
Notable departures: AJ Barner (22 catches, 249 yards, 1 TD),
Notable returners: Colston Loveland, Max Bredeson
Outlook: With the departure of Georgia's Brock Bowers, Loveland may now be the nation's top is receiving tight end after 45 catches for 649 yards and four touchdowns in his sophomore season. Brady Prieskorn, a freshman, is similar to Loveland and waiting in the wings, but the Wolverines need an in-line tight end to replace Barner. That doesn't figure to be Bredeson, who's more of an H-back, or Marlin Klein, who is still a bit raw. Matthew Hibner entered the transfer portal, so there's an outside chance true freshman Hogan Hansen could see some run.
Offensive line
Notable departures: LaDarius Henderson, Trevor Keegan, Drake Nugent, Zak Zinter, Karsen Barnhart, Trente Jones
Notable returners: Myles Hinton, Gio El-Hadi, Jeff Persi, Greg Crippen, Andrew Gentry
Outlook: The Wolverines aren't just losing their entire starting offensive line to the NFL draft — seemingly unprecedented as far as we can tell — but also its top rotational replacement and sixth-man in heavy packages, too. While there's a lot to replace, U-M does return multi-year starter in Hinton, as well as long time reserves in El-Hadi, Persi and Crippen. Perhaps the best portal addition thus far for U-M has been three-year starter and former Northwestern captain Josh Priebe, who figures to play somewhere on the interior line.
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Defensive line
Notable departures: Kris Jenkins (36 tackles, four for loss, two sacks), Jaylen Harrell (31 tackles, 10 for loss, 7.5 sacks), Braiden McGregor (26 tackles, nine for loss, 4.5 sacks), Cam Goode (25 tackles, 3.5 for loss, two sacks).
Notable returners: Josaiah Stewart, Kenneth Grant, Mason Graham, Derrick Moore, Rayshaun Benny
Outlook: This might still be the best defensive line in the Big Ten and there's an outside shot it remains one of the best in college football. Grant and Graham are two of the most dominant forces in the Power Five level, regardless of skill, while Stewart and Moore were both rotational starters in a way alongside Harrell and McGregor in the rally unit. It was Stewart and Moore combining for the game-clinching tackle to win the Rose Bowl, while Benny ended the year with a season-ending leg injury in the same game against Alabama. Keep an eye on TJ Guy and Enow Etta as well on the edge.
Linebacker
Notable departures: Junior Colson (team-high 95 tackles, two for loss), Michael Barrett (65 tackles, 3.5 for loss, three sacks)
Notable returners: Ernest Hausmann, Jimmy Rolder, Micah Pollard, Jaydon Hood
Outlook: The Wolverines are losing their two leading tacklers, both of which come from this unit. The good news, Ernest Hausmann played both middle and weakside linebacker last year and could slide in on either side and perhaps the most notable transfer addition to this point is former Maryland linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who many are slotting into the starting lineup. Rolder redshirted last season by choice, but has plenty of knowledge of the defense, as does Hood and Pollard.
Defensive back
Notable departures: Mike Sainristil (44 tackles, six interceptions, six PBU, five tackles for loss, two sacks), Josh Wallace (33 tackles, two for loss, two fumble recoveries)
Notable returners: Will Johnson, Rod Moore, Makari Paige, Keon Sabb, Ja'Den McBurrows, Zeke Berry
Outlook: Much like the defensive line, U-M had incredible depth in the secondary last season so even though the Wolverines are losing an All-American in Sainristil and another All-Big Ten honorable mention in Wallace, there shouldn't be much drop off. Moore and Paige both announced Monday they would return for a senior season, two massive decisions considering both could be picked in the first few rounds of the 2025 NFL draft.
Contact Tony Garcia: apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him at @realtonygarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2024 Michigan football roster: Early outlook with NFL deadline passed
