Five questions for Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh entering 2023 season

INDIANAPOLIS — The last time Jim Harbaugh stood on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf, he had confetti on his shirt and a smile on his face after the Wolverines wrapped up their second straight Big Ten championship, a 43-22 win over Purdue.

Some 237 days later, Michigan football is the favorite to win the league for a third consecutive season, though it's likely Harbaugh won't have the same grin when he steps on the field to address reporters on Thursday.

That's because, in all likelihood, the Wolverines' head man won't be on the sideline for the first four games of the regular season.

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Sources confirmed Tuesday to the Free Press what Yahoo! first reported; U-M and the NCAA are finalizing details that would see a four-game suspension for Harbaugh and one game for assistants Sherrone Moore and Grant Newsome for committing NCAA violations.

It's sure to be the No. 1 topic for U-M's head man, but there are a number of storylines in front of the Wolverines, who enter 2023 on the shortlist as favorites for a national championship. Here are the five we're watching for:

No. 1: How much Harbaugh fallout?

A lot of questions still hover over the U-M football investigation, chief among them, who will coach in his absence?

The first name that comes up within U-M circles is Moore, though he, too, will be suspended for one game. And as the lone offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, putting more on his plate would be quite the ask.

Other options could be running backs coach Mike Hart, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter or special teams coach Jay Harbaugh. No matter who is tabbed, it's not likely to matter. U-M has one of the most loaded rosters in the nation and opens its schedule with three Group of Five teams (East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green) before hosting perennial Big Ten doormat, Rutgers.

"I have total trust in the coaching staff that we have," Jim Harbaugh said after a high school showcase at Wayne State in June. "I’ll make a bold statement right now, if you want a bold statement, sometimes you like bold statements. Every one of our assistant coaches will be a head coach. I’d even say four after this season.

"The talent, the coaching acumen and talent are really good."

2. Can special teams remain special?

No team in the country has as much to replace on special teams as Michigan.

Gone is Jake Moody, who the San Francisco 49ers used a third-round pick on to become their new placekicker.

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The Northville native leaves after he set single-season program records in 2022 for field goals (29), PATs (60), points scored (147) and 40-plus-yard field goals in a season (10). Though he didn't win the Lou Groza Award like he did in 2021, it capped the best kicking career in program history; Moody is the program leader in points (355), field goals (69), 40-plus yard field goals (17) and and extra-point percentage (100).

Punter Brad Robbins, a three-time All-Big Ten selection, is also gone. He finished his U-M tenure with the No. 2 punting average (42.0 yards per attempt) and No. 2 single-season average (46.33 in 2021).

He was taken in the sixth round by the Cincinnati Bengals, which made the pair just the second kicker-punter combination to be drafted in the same NFL draft in 40 years (joining Utah kicker Matt Gay and punter Mitch Wishnowsky in 2019).

James Turner, who transferred to the program from Louisville this offseason, is the favorite at kicker. A Saline native, Turner went 20-for-22 on field goals last season, though he was just 3-for-5 from 40 yards or beyond with a long of 48. He'll compete with another local product, Adam Samaha, an incoming freshman from Ann Arbor Huron who was an Under Armour All-American.

Tommy Doman appeared in four games last season, could be the front-runner to handle kickoffs and punts. The junior and Orchard Lake St. Mary's product delivered six touchbacks on eight kickoffs last year, made two PATs and booted a 41-yard punt.

3. Who wins the job at No. 2 DB?

Will Johnson is expected to be one of the best defensive backs in the nation this season. His Pro Football Focus grade of 88.2 was tied with Ole Miss RB Quinshon Judkins for the best among freshmen in the nation last season. But what about the other side of the field?

It appears to be a two-man race between spring practice darling Amorion Walker and UMass transfer Josh Wallace.

Walker has all the physical tools. At 6 feet 4, 190 pounds, coaches say Walker has sub 4.4-second 40-yard speed and length that simply isn't seen often at the college level at that position. But Walker must get a handle on Minter's system.

Wallace is a multi-year captain at UMass. The 6-foot, 190-pound DB collected 137 tackles in his career, including seven for loss with three interceptions and 24 passes defended.

"Truth be told, the other (corner) spot, that's the big question mark right now," Minter said in the spring. "I wouldn't say that there's anybody written in stone right now. And it'll be our job as coaches to put the best combination of five players on the field when we have five DBs on the field.”

4. Who catches on?

Earlier this summer, Harbaugh said point blank the Wolverines will pass more this season.

However, that comes after U-M loses two of its top three pass catchers, Ronnie Bell and Luke Schoonmaker, who combined for 97 receptions for 1,307 yards and seven touchdowns. That means somebody (or somebodies) will have to step up.

Cornelius Johnson enters the season as the top receiving threat. He had 499 receiving yards last year and had a team-high six receiving touchdowns, including two deep bombs when he helped U-M take down Ohio State on the road.

Roman Wilson, on the WR depth chart, is No. 2. He had a disappointing 2022, which saw him catch just four passes for 19 yards in the final five weeks of the regular season, but bounced back against TCU with five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown.

But the single biggest mismatch on the team is Colston Loveland. The sophomore tight end caught 16 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns, almost all of which came from November on as he had either multiple receptions or 40 yards in four of the final five games of the year.

Tyler Morris was the most popular young name in spring ball, but don't forget about Darius Clemons, who has been waiting in the wings and O'Leary, who showed flash in the maize & blue game.

5. Where is the young breakout hiding?

Last season, it was Loveland and Mason Graham.

The season prior, it was J.J. McCarthy, Donovan Edwards and Rod Moore.

Every year, there are freshmen who come in and make an impact immediately and despite U-M's 2023 recruiting class ranking at No. 20 in the nation, there are a number of players capable of doing so again this year.

Jyaire Hill is the highest-rated recruit, though the defensive backfield is deep. Benjamin Hall turned heads in the spring game, but it will be hard to crack the rotation at running back behind perhaps the nation's best tandem, Blake Corum and Edwards. Enow Etta could be a game-changing defensive end, but does he have Big Ten speed just yet?

Then, there's Semaj Morgan, who is fast enough to factor into the return game immediately.

Contact Tony Garcia at apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @realtonygarcia

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 5 questions for Michigan football, Jim Harbaugh at Big Ten media day