Michigan football bold predictions for 2023 season: National title returns to Ann Arbor

Michigan football enters the 2023 season with perhaps its highest expectations in three decades, with back-to-back Big Ten titles and College Football Playoff appearances sparking hopes that the Wolverines can go all the way to their first national title since 1997.

But U-M winning a lot is hardly a stretch, after going 25-3 over the past two campaigns. Instead, here are five bold predictions from Free Press sports writer Tony Garcia:

Corum and Edwards put up 1,500 yards, 15 TDs — apiece

That's right. Two players, 3,000 yards, 30 touchdowns.

Corum totaled 1,543 yards from scrimmage and 19 TDs last season in just 10½ games; if all goes to plan, he could play 15 this season.

But maybe injuries or losses limit Corum to 13 games. He totaled at least 109 yards and a touchdown in each of his first eight Big Ten games, with only the regular-season finale against Ohio State — when his knee injury suffered against Illinois limited him to just two carries.

If he can repeat that, it's a pace for 1,417 yards and 13 touchdowns — another 83 yards and two scores shouldn't be too hard to find.

Donovan Edwards, meanwhile, piled up 1,091 yards from scrimmage and nine TDs in just 11 games, at least half of which he was in a backup role. He also missed time early with a partially torn patella tendon and had a broken thumb for his final three games; give him 15 healthy games at that pace or better, and he comes in at 1,487 yards and 12 TDs — again, not far off a 1,500/15 total.

TRENDING: Jim Harbaugh and Warde Manuel continue to coexist despite awkward dynamic

Barner and Loveland combine for U-M's best-ever season by tight end

It's pretty simple: Colston Loveland has skills not seen before at Michigan, and Barner provides the size, speed and knowledge to complement him.

The kudos for Loveland, who enters just his second season in Ann Arbor come from several of his predecessors at tight end, from Luke Schoonmaker to Joel Honigford to, well, arguably the program's best tight end of the 21st century, Jake Butt.

"I see a superstar," said Butt, U-M's most recent winner of the Mackey Award (nation's best tight end) on U-M's "Inside The Trenches" podcast in July. "I don’t see why he can’t be one of, if not the best tight end (from Michigan) when it’s all said and done here."

Loveland caught 11 passes for 191 yards and two scores over the final five games of 2022. Repeating that pace — with perhaps a marginal improvement as he expected to be a focal point of the offense from Week 1 — he could grab 30 passes for 500 yards and six touchdowns.

AJ Barner — whose real name is Andrew Frank — meanwhile, is 6 feet 5 and 251 pounds with tremendous hands and next-level blocking ability. He will largely play as U-M's in-line tight end, but he's can catch, picking up 28 receptions for 199 yards last year at Indiana despite the Hoosiers' woeful quarterback situation. Again, maintaining that pace gets the duo to 900 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

U-M wins third consecutive Joe Moore Award

Eventually the award for the best offensive line in the country to go to another program, but after two straight seasons of its arrival in Ann Arbor, this doesn't seem like the year for that.

The Wolverines have several spots — left tackle (Karsen Barnhart or Arizona State transfer LaDarius Henderson) center ( Greg Crippen or Stanford transfer Drake Nugent) and right tackle (Stanford transfer Myles Hinton or Trente Jones) — up for grabs on their line, but not for a lack of talent. Henderson and Nugent were both captains last season, with more than 20 career starts, while Hinton also started for the Cardinal last year.

At guard, All-Big Ten first-teamers Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan both return as anchors. And backups Jeff Persi and Gio El-Hadi both started games last season. The unit is every bit as loaded as last year.

This is Jim Harbaugh's last season in Ann Arbor

Harbaugh has considered leaving before. On National Signing Day in February 2022, he was in Minneapolis interviewing for the Minnesota Vikings' top job with the Minnesota Vikings. Last winter, he had conversations with both the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers before opting to to return.

No matter how much he returns from his NFL flirtations singing the praises of his alma mater — and this summer brought the most fervent hallelujahs so far — this cycle can only last so long.

Harbaugh's diatribe Monday about the state of college athletics didn't arrive out of thin air. There's a lot changing in the world of collegiate athletics, from NIL to conference realignment, and Harbaugh seems fed up.

Also, U-M may have as many as 20 players drafted next spring, in Harbaugh's own estimation. A talent drain like that — no matter how well the Wolverines have recruited recently — will put a damper in another run at a national championship. This season may be as good as it gets.

Oh, and that's without mentioning the punishment looming for one Level I and four Level II violations alleged by the NCAA. U-M's three-game suspension is no guarantee college football's governing body doesn't have more waiting for him. Do you think Harbaugh wants to sit around and wait for the NCAA to make an example out of him?

ALMOST TIME: Michigan football depth chart 2023 prediction: Who starts opener vs. East Carolina

Michigan wins the national championship

This isn't for show. It's not for clicks. It's not for wow factor.

A bold take? Maybe not. But I believe this is the year the Wolverines are champions again.

J.J. McCarthy is legitimately one of the top quarterbacks in America. He's behind arguably the best line in the nation and complemented by arguably the best backfield in the country.

His top two receivers, while not on any preseason watch lists, are both seniors with tons of experience. The layers behind them on the depth chart are young, but true freshmen Karmello English, Fredrick Moore and Semaj Morgan are all said to get in and out of cuts as few others do.

On defense, U-M has a handful of future NFL picks on its line, from 308-pound Kris Jenkins to matchup problems Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Jaylen Harrell, Braiden McGregor, Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart.

Behind them, Mike Barrett, Junior Colson and Ernest Hausmann make up what many see as the league's top linebacking core, while the secondary is led by last year's All-America freshman Will Johnson, fifth-year senior (and two-time captain) Mike Sainristil and a pair of experienced safeties in Rod Moore and Makari Paige.

On special teams, there's 2022 All-ACC kicker James Turner — a transfer from Louisville — and punter Tommy Doman, said to have an even bigger leg than his predecessor, Brad Robbins (an NFL draft pick in April who just made the Cincinnati Bengals this week).

Meanwhile, the coaching staff — as shown by the shuffling necessary during these early games as the team navigates Harbaugh's suspension — is every bit as deep as the roster and have true continuity in place.

Look, the expectations are enormous this season. But the Wolverines appear to be doing a good job of focusing on one game at a time. Dozens have said this year's focus is on being where their feet are, rather than looking too far ahead.

As long as they do that, U-M fans will have plenty of time to look toward a return to the top of the mountain.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jim Harbaugh to Blake Corum: 5 bold predictions for Michigan football