Michigan football depth chart: What the two-deep looks like heading into summer
Spring is in the rearview mirror for Michigan football, which had to retool more this offseason than in recent years, on the heels of last year's national championship.
Most of the key figures from the best three-year run in program history are gone, including former coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers and the majority of the staff who joined him in Los Angeles. Teh Wolverines also lost star players such as J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum, who were part of an NFL combine record with 18 invitees and a program record with 13 picks in last month's NFL draft in downtown Detroit.
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That's all in the past, with the Sherrone Moore era fully under way. There will likely be some movement between now and when U-M kicks off the 2024 season against Fresno State on Aug. 31, but most of the expected contributors to next season's squad are currently on the roster.
Here is a look at the two-deep depth chart for each position on the team:
Quarterback
Starter: Alex Orji (junior).
Reserve: Jack Tuttle (graduate).
Others: Davis Warren (senior), Jayden Denegal (junior).
The buzz: It's the most important decision heading into fall camp and as of now, it appears Orji is the front-runner to replace McCarthy as the starter. There's a lot to like about the 6-foot-3, 235-pound athlete from Sachse, Texas; He would be the Wolverines most mobile option since Denard Robinson, brings a strong arm and appeared to have good poise in the spring game. Still, Michigan's defense is still among the nation's best, which changes the calculus for what is needed at QB. If the Wolverines are looking for the quarterback with the highest floor to complement an elite defense, that would be Tuttle. The former Indiana QB has more experience than the rest of the position group combined; last season, he completed 15 of 17 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. The QB competition will be the main topic surrounding the team until a decision is reached.
Running back
Starter: Donovan Edwards (senior).
Reserve: Kalel Mullings (graduate).
Others: Benjamin Hall (sophomore), Tavierre Dunlap (senior), Cole Cabana (sophomore).
The buzz: Now on the cover of the new "EA Sports College Football 25" video game re-boot, Edwards will have no shortage of hype. The West Bloomfield product ran six times for 104 yards and two scores in January's College Football Playoff title game. The concern is what happened in the 14 games prior: 113 carries for just 393 yards (3.4 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. Edwards, for his part, acknowledged his down year earlier this spring, but said he found his love for the game again and is only now fully recovered from an injury that prevented his offseason work last summer. He'll be accompanied by Mullings, a former linebacker who said he's out to show this year he's "more than just a short-yardage back."
Wide receiver
Starters: X — Fredrick Moore (sophomore), Z — Tyler Morris (junior), Slot — Semaj Morgan (sophomore).
Reserves: Peyton O'Leary (senior), Kendrick Bell (sophomore), Amorion Walker (junior), Channing Goodwin (freshman), I'Marion Stewart (freshman).
The buzz: Along with the quarterbacks, Ron Bellamy's room is perhaps the least proven on the roster. The leading returner is Morgan, who didn't truly break into the rotation until the back half of last season and finished with 22 catches for 204 yards and two TDs. But the 5-10, 175-pound slot receiver is a big play waiting to happen — he set a Big Ten title game record with an 87-yard punt return — he just doesn't have proven pedigree as a receiver. Morris is an intriguing athlete who can line up in the slot or outside; he caught just 13 passes for 197 yards and one TD (in the Rose Bowl) last season. Moore had four grabs for 32 yards but nobody else in the unit had more than one catch in a U-M uniform last season.
Tight end
Starters: Colston Loveland (junior), Marlin Klein (junior).
H-back: Max Bredeson (graduate).
Reserves: Zack Marshall (sophomore), Hogan Hansen (freshman), Deakon Tonielli (sophomore).
The buzz: Loveland could go down as the most talented tight end to ever come through Michigan and the expectation is he will be a focal point of this offense. Loveland caught 45 passes for 649 yards (14.4 yards per reception) and four touchdowns in 2023, numbers he will have to match or top for this offense to be truly productive. Klein is a 6-6 specimen from Germany who coaches view as another starter alongside Loveland. And then there's Bredeson, who has just seven career catches for 97 yards but loves to do the dirty work as an in-line blocking tight end and fullback.
Offensive line
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Starters: LT Myles Hinton (fifth-year), LG Josh Priebe (graduate), C Greg Crippen (senior), RG Gio El-Hadi (senior), RT Andrew Gentry (junior).
Reserves: LT Evan Link (sophomore) OR Blake Frazier (freshman), LG Nathan Efobi (sophomore), C Raheem Anderson (graduate), RG Jeff Persi (graduate), RT Tristan Bounds (senior).
The buzz: The bulk of the line that won back-to-back Joe Moore awards as the nation's top line is gone, but some faces remain, such as El-Hadi, Crippen and Persi. The upside of the group will likely be set by Hinton, who struggled at times last year and ultimately fell out of favor, but his position coach Grant Newsome called him "a guy who, potential-wise, has all the ability to be the next great first-round tackle from the University of Michigan." Ultimately it's about how lineman such as Prieve, a Northwestern transfer, and Crippen and El-Hadi, both multi-year backups, come together as a unit. As their head coach has preached dating back to his days as the O'line coach: It's not about the best five, it's about the best five together.
Defensive line
Edge starters: Derrick Moore (junior), Josaiah Stewart (senior).
Edge reserves: TJ Guy (senior), Cameron Brandt (sophomore).
Defensive tackle starters: Mason Graham (junior), Kenneth Grant (junior).
Defensive tackle reserve: Rayshaun Benny (senior), Enow Etta (sophomore).
The buzz: For a line that lost three players to the NFL (Kris Jenkins, Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor), it's in remarkably good shape, thanks to what's widely considered the best interior duo in all of college football. Graham, a true disruptor, is expected to go somewhere in the top 10 in next year's NFL draft; Grant is not as capable of a pass-rusher but is every bit the run-stuffing force of his counterpart. They're coupled with Moore and Stewart, the edges who combined for the game-winning tackle-for-loss on Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in last year's Rose Bowl. With depth pieces like Benny, Etta, Guy and Brandt, this line, on paper, could be even better than last year's No. 1-ranked defense.
Linebacker
Starters: Ernest Hausmann (junior), Jaishawn Barham (junior).
Reserves: Jimmy Rolder (junior), Jaydon Hood (senior), Micah Pollard (junior), Christian Boivin (senior).
The buzz: Both of last year's starters, Junior Colson and Michael Barrett, were NFL draft picks. Yet, for a position group that lost nine years of experience, it's in pretty impressive shape. Hausmann, a former Nebraska transfer, recorded 46 tackles last year as he served as a backup at both Mike and Will linebacker, while Barham, a Maryland transfer, was an All-Big Ten honorable mention as he recorded 37 tackles (including three for loss), three sacks and an interception. Behind them, Hood, Pollard and Rolder all have multiple years of experience in the system while Boivin proved an asset on special teams last season and could sneak into the rotation.
Defensive back
Starters: CB Will Johnson (junior), SS Jaden Mangham (senior) , FS Makari Paige (graduate), Nickel Ja'Den McBurrows (senior), CB Aamir Hall
Reserves: CB Keshaun Harris (graduate), SS Quinten Johnson (graduate), FS Wes Walker (graduate), Nickel Zeke Berry (junior), CB Jyaire Hill (sophomore)
The buzz: Like most positions, this unit lost multiple players to the NFL (second-rounder Mike Sainristil and UDFA Josh Wallace). The unit got even thinner than expected, though, when junior safety Keon Sabb transferred to Alabama, DJ Waller Jr. transferred to Kentucky and three-year starting safety Rod Moore suffered a knee injury that required surgery. Still, U-M has experience in another potential top-10 pick in Will Johnson and veteran leadership in Paige. Also, U-M picked up a former FCS All-American in Aamir Hall, nabbed MSU's best defensive player in the secondary last year in safety Jaden Mangham and safety Wesley Walker; who played for three years at Tennessee and two years at Georgia Tech.
Contact Tony Garcia: apgarcia@freepress.com. Follow him at @realtonygarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football depth chart: Who is the best option at QB right now?
