SOTC Update: Michigan Wolverines

Sherrone Moore prepares for his second season at the helm of the Michigan program. 2024 was a mixed bag and now it's time for a big step forward in 2025.

Feb 20, 2025

State of the Chart™ Recap Edition

Live All-In Ranking: 21st
Offense: 75th
Defense: 7th
2024 Results: 8-5 (5-4 in Big Ten)

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|||||| STATE OF THE CHART™ SUMMARY

On the surface this looks like a major step back from a National Championship to a five-loss season. And, while disappointing, it was partially expected. And, it finished strong, giving hope for a full-on Michigan turn around in 2025. Sherrone Moore took over a roster that was ravaged by NFL losses and graduations, but also returned some real studs (on defense). The problem was the offense that struggled mightily due to the quarterback play, or lack thereof. They had to stay one dimensional and it allowed some really good defenses to stack the box and make life tough. The defense did it’s job, without much help from sustained drives from the offense, and kept the Wolverines in (most) games and won a couple (see: Ohio State and Alabama). They were disciplined, keeping penalties to a minimum, which is really important when you want to play a field possession game. The defensive line was completely stacked and caused so many problems. As they turn the page to 2025, the challenge will be replacing some of those pieces on defense - though, one big one is coming back from injury in defensive back Rod Moore - and revamping the offense with new pieces and a new play caller. In order for that to happen, the offensive line play must improve and if the offense holds up their end of the bargain, we could very well see a return to the discussion of the Wolverines at the top of the Big Ten. Many close to the program would say that is the expectation.

|||||| HEAD COACH AND COACHING STAFF

It's not about how you start, it’s how you finish. That's the m.o. that Sherrone Moore should be grasping on to look back on the 2024 season, his first at the helm of the program. That finish included wins over Ohio State on the road and beating Alabama in the bowl game. Those are the kind of wins Moore is going to to need to keep this program amongst the elite. A change at offensive coordinator will be key in 2025.

Coaching Staff Notes/Changes:

The big change is at offensive coordinator. Moore moved on from Kirk Campbell after just one season and moved to Chip Lindsey. He has led some potent offenses in the past at North Carolina and UCF. He fits the mold of what Moore, the former OC here before his promotion to head coach, wants to do on offense. Run the football. He will establish the run and utilize play-action to take shots when the time is right. He’ll have the horses to get it done in 2025 and this is a widely praised move/change for the offense.
The other news is that former Michigan assistant coach and Jim Harbaugh’s right-hand man, Biff Poggi, is heading back to Ann Arbor. His shot as a head coach at Charlotte didn’t work out and Moore jumps at the opportunity to bring him back as an associate head coach.
They added Erik Campbell as assistant wide receivers coach after a long stint at Bowling Green (2019-24). Campbell was instrumental in developing star WR/TE Harold Fannin Jr. and as the pass game coordinator, oversaw a part of one of the best passing units in the MAC.

Note: This is a “dynamic” article; meaning we will update any information that comes in this “off-season” and post a note when impactful moves are made or news breaks.

|||||| 2024 SCHEDULE / RESULTS ANALYSIS

This was the second most difficult schedule anybody faced in FBS football according to our SOS+ rankings. Their non-conference showdown with Texas put it over the top. Also, not having an FCS opponent to bring it down played a role. Finally, playing other non-conference foes with a pulse (Fresno and Arkansas State) to go along with the typical gauntlet of a Big Ten slate made this relentless. So, going 8-5 is still a solid accomplishment, though it’s diminished by the previous seasons’ results that culminated in a National Championship. This was not all that unexpected. Jim Harbaugh wasn’t the only one who left. There were plenty of key contributors — especially on offense — that moved on to the next level. The highs came later as the team started to find their footing, which included continuing their win streak over heated rival Ohio State on the road and beating Alabama handily in the bowl game. They also had some really disappointing results, including losses to Washington and Illinois.

||||||| POSITION GROUP CHECK-INS

OFFENSE: They purposefully ran this thing slow and boring, not unlike past (more successful) versions of the Wolverines offense. They ran it 61.3% of the time, which is in the top 15 amongst all FBS schools and ran just 30.7 seconds per play, a pace metric that puts them at 131st. It’s interesting that the quarterback seems to be the key to this run-first offense working. J.J. McCarthy provided a true threat when the opportunity arose for him to make a play through the air. They didn’t have that in 2025. They also didn’t have running back Blake Corum, though Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards proved to be more than able to handle the load. Opponents just weren’t threatened (at all) by the passing game and were able to load the box and keep this one dimensional an ineffective. They couldn’t finish drives, posting just a 60.4% touchdown rate. This has to improve and they are going in a different direction with a now more experienced quarterback in Mikey Keene, coming in from Fresno State to work with new OC Chip Lindsey. The philosophy won’t change; but the execution must.

||| QB

Davis Warren wound up leading this group in 2024, somewhat unexpectedly. His was turnover prone and that's the one thing you can't do as a 'game manager' in this offense. He tore his ACL in the bowl game and will not be available to start the season. They bring in former Fresno State (via UCF) Mikey Keene, who fits the mold and is the most likely starter here. Super-recruit Bryce Underwood will sit and learn for the beginning part of 2025, but is the unquestioned future of the position here. Alex Orji heads out west to join Dan Mullen at UNLV and Jack Tuttle has medically retired after what seems like a ten-year career.

||| RB

They needed a replacement for Blake Corum and it wasn’t going to be Donovan Edwards. Kalel Mullings stepped up into that role and did what he could, which ended up being quite a lot. The box was stacked against him. Edwards continued his role as a secondary option and dynamic. Both are gone to the NFL and they quickly went to Alabama to get Justice Haynes to take over a lead role here. Somebody else will need to step into a backup spot; though they will not be afraid of a bellcow if Haynes is up to it.

||| WR

In all fairness, this group could have been better but they didn’t really get a chance to show much due to the lack of continuity in the passing game. Semaj Morgan operated in the slot and led the group with 27 catches for just 139 yards. They need a true weapon and they are hoping that Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley is just that. Anthony Simpson is coming in from UMass as another potential option. They don’t need to got five-deep; but they need 1-2 reliable weapons here.

||| TE

Colston Loveland was a saving grace for this offense as he was (by far) the most targeted receiver and produced at a high level. He didn’t do much to help with blocking, that fell to Marlin Klein and Max Bredeson. With Loveland moving on to the NFL, they will need to replace his receiving presence. As of now (2/20) that isn’t an obvious choice. It could be a player like Hogan Hansen, a 4-star true freshman who got his feet wet in ‘24.

||| OL

There were injuries and inconsistencies with this group all season. It made it tough to function in the way they wanted with moving parts. This is THE key to making, not just the run game work - but the entire offense. They need more talent to step up here. They are losing a lot (again) and a refresh is needed. They may thrust two five-star freshman coming in the 2025 class right into the mix. It may take some time, but second-year offensive line coach Grant Newsome will need to earn his stripes here.

DEFENSE: As rough as things were on the offensive side, Wink Martindale’s group did their job. In his return to the college ranks from the NFL he was handed quite a lot of talent to work with - so this result was expected. Stars on the defensive line were the lynchpin in this defense and set the tone for their 19.9 points per game allowed metric. They limited big, explosive plays and got in the backfield early and often, recording 79 tackles for loss and 36 sacks. The defensive backfield was just as smothering and that was without their star Rod Moore, who was injured in pre-season and missed the entire campaign. This group also tightened in the red zone, allowing just a 49% touchdown rate when opponents did find themselves deep in Wolverine territory. They are losing a TON of talent, but there are reinforcements on the way, both via the portal but also from the roster loaded with young, up-and-coming stars ready to break through.

||| DL

Mason Graham was the super star here but this was about as deep and talented unit on any defense in the country. Kenneth Grant and Josaiah Stewart were also key cogs in this havoc-wreaking front line. They will lose all three, but looking at some of these other players’ ratings coming in and upping their snap counts, they really should be okay. A bonus would be getting the full potential out of former 5-star Damon Payne Jr. who comes in from Alabama.

||| LB

This group benefitted from the work being done in front of them. A couple of transfers led the way with Ernest Hausmann (Nebraska) and Jaishawn Barham (Maryland) playing key roles. Jimmy Rolder was a backup, but his player-level data shows he is performing at a high level despite not racking up many counting stats. He may be asked to take on a larger role, but just about everybody returns for this group in 2025.

||| DB

This group took a hit in the off-season with news that Rod Moore would miss the season with injury. They surely stepped up and got great performances up and down this rotation. Jyaire Hill emerged as a top cover corner and Will Johnson struggled with injuries all season but was very good in the six games he played. They will get Moore back from the ACL injury and that’s big. However, they will lose a lot of production and talent from this rotation. The Metcalf brothers (TJ and Tevis) are coming in from Arkansas, with TJ providing the most experience and potential to contribute right away.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Dominic Zvada was one of the best kickers in the game last year and he will return for one more season. Tommy Doman handled the punting, and while he was good, the numbers suggest the punt coverage was not. They allowed an average of 17.1 yards per return (when Doman allowed that to happen). Semaj Morgan handled most of the punt returns, which he did a fine job, though nothing spectacular. Tyler Morris also chipped in there and was a bit more dynamic and he’s moving on to Indiana.

Reader feedback is requested and encouraged! Who knows these teams better than their passionate fan bases? We don’t pretend to know it all and would love your feedback. We will update/edit based (and credit) for anything that is brought to our attention. Let’s do this together…

|||||| TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER

They are addressing some key areas of need, including quarterback (Mikey Keene), running back (Justice Haynes) and wide receiver (Donaven McCulley). The volume of losses, especially on the offensive line, is what brings this ranking down quite a bit. Michigan doesn’t usually rely on the portal to bolster their roster, but they are doing so this year. They usually have top classes who are developed and work their way into starting positions. The nature of the beast this day in college football is forcing them to change that up as players are impatient and looking to get on the field — and who can blame them?

Below is a screen shot of the full, live Transfer Portal Tracker over at CFBDepth.com. Click the image or the button below to view it in its entirety…

Live Michigan Portal Tracker >

|||||| 2025 RECRUITING CLASS

As usual, the Wolverines are coming in as a top ten class in 2025. They continue to pull in top-level high school talent and now the challenge is keeping them around while others get their opportunity. The headliner of this group is quarterback Bryce Underwood who flipped his commitment from LSU. He’s rated as the top recruit in the country. He is apparently a “can’t miss” prospect and he may even challenge transfer-in Mikey Keene for the starting gig right away (or at least until Keene struggles) in 2025. They are beefing up the offensive line quite a bit with two 5-star offensive tackles with Andrew Babalola out of Kansas and Ty Haywood out of Texas. They flipped Haywood from Alabama during the recruiting cycle. The other primary focus area is in the defensive backfield with five 4-star recruits coming in and putting them at 5th in the nation for that position group.

Here is a snapshot of the 2025 Recruiting Class+ with a link to the live page with updates throughout the cycle:

2025 Michigan Recruiting Class+ >

|||||| 2025 SCHEDULE LOOK AHEAD

They flip out Texas for Oklahoma and even though that’s in Norman, it’s still an easier draw. They also flip out some new in-conference opponents:

Home:
Minnesota » Wisconsin — Impact: Wash
Oregon » Purdue — Impact: Much easier
Road:
at Illinois » at Nebraska — Impact: Wash
at Indiana » at Maryland — Impact: Easier

So, as you can see the overall impact of the new Big Ten opponents is making this 2025 schedule much more manageable. Plus, they get those Buckeyes at the Big House to close out the 2025 season.

There is a lot of movement and decisions to be made throughout the off-season, including more portal moves, winter workouts and spring ball. Get all caught up with the full-on State of the Chart Magazine coming in July. If you missed the ad before, get more information and give us your e-mail to stay in the loop on everything SOTC!

State of the Chart Magazine >

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