- Head coach: Sherrone Moore (1st season)
- 2023 record: 15-0 (won national championship)
- PFF power ranking: 3rd
- Chance to win Big Ten: 14%
- Strength of schedule: 4th
- Projected win total: 8.7
- FanDuel win total: 9.5
- 2024 recruiting rank (On3): No. 15 nationally, No. 3 in the Big Ten
Michigan battled through head coach Jim Harbaugh's six-game suspension after recruiting violations and a sign-stealing controversy en route to an undefeated season and the program’s first national championship in the 21st century.
Now, the Wolverines must replace Harbaugh, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and a program-record 13 drafted players in 2024 as they begin their title defense.
Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore takes over as head coach and performed extremely admirably in an interim role last year, going 5-0 in Harbaugh’s absence with notable wins over then-No. 9 Penn State and then-No. 2 Ohio State. He’ll have one of the best defenses in the nation to help ease him into the job but will need to address several questions offensively if Michigan wants to come even close to the success it enjoyed the past three years.
Click here for more college football:
NCAA Power Rankings | NCAA Premium Stats | NCAA Betting Dashboards 2024 CFB Schedule | News and Analysis | The PFF College Football Show
Biggest Strength: Possibly college football's best defense again
Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and five drafted defenders are off to the NFL, but Michigan is still loaded on that side of the ball. The Wolverines sport the second-best defensive line, the seventh-best linebacker unit and the fourth-best secondary in the nation. Six defenders made the top 10 of their respective PFF positional rankings — more than any other school.
Biggest Weakness: Uncertainty on offense
Far more concerns exist on the other side of the ball right now. Michigan must replace a first-round quarterback (J.J. McCarthy), one of the program’s greatest running backs (Blake Corum), its six best offensive linemen and its top two wide receivers.
Tight end Colston Loveland and running back Donovan Edwards are proven stars, but the rest of the offense is one big question mark.
2023 Team Overview
Offense |
||||
| EPA per play | Yards per play | Successful play rate | Explosive run play rate | Explosive pass play rate |
| 0.176 | 6.3 | 39.1% | 12.6% | 21.4% |
| 10th | T-33rd | 22nd | 111th | 5th |
Defense |
||||
| EPA allowed per play | Yards allowed per play | Successful play rate allowed | Explosive run rate allowed | Explosive pass rate allowed |
| -0.293 | 4.3 | 27.2% | 12.0% | 8.9% |
| 7th | 11th | 8th | 44th | 9th |
Three Notable Transfer Portal Additions
- LB Jaishawn Barham (Maryland): 66.2 PFF grade
- S Jaden Mangham (Michigan State): 69.6 PFF grade
- OG Josh Priebe (Northwestern): 62.7 PFF grade
Three Notable Transfer Portal Losses
- S Keon Sabb (Alabama): 82.1 PFF grade
- CB DJ Waller Jr. (Kentucky): 61.4 PFF grade
- WR Darrius Clemons (Oregon State): 59.7 PFF grade
Quarterback Spotlight: Alex Orji
2023 Grade: 68.9
Key Stat: Two career dropbacks
DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL & BETTING WITH AI-POWERED DATA & TOOLS TRUSTED BY ALL 32
Unlimited Fantasy League Sync
Fantasy Start/Sit Line-Up Optimizer & Waiver Wire
WR-CB & OL-DL Matchups, PFF Player Grades, & Premium Stats 2.0 Tools
Nathan Jahnkes Rankings - #1 Most Accurate Last 70 Weeks
PFF Best Bets, Player Props, & Power Ranking Tools
NFL Mock Draft Sim with Trades & Draft Grades
Already have a subscription? Log In
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.