The Wolverines are set to lose a whopping nine starters from the 2023 national championship offensive squad. Michigan will have to find a way to replace its star quarterback, running back (with plenty of returning production), and all five starting offensive linemen from the College Football Playoff.
Not only does Michigan lose nine starters, but the Wolverines lost some key role players as well like tight end AJ Barner. Sophomore wide receiver Darrius Clemons transferred out, and he was expected to take a leap in 2024.
While it’s on January and the Wolverines have plenty of time to make some acquisitions from either the transfer portal or during National Signing Day, I’m going to do my best to predict what the 2024 Michigan offense will look like when it takes the field in September.
Quarterback:
Starter: RS SO Alex Orji
Backup:RS SO Jayden Denegal
Other options: FR Jadyn Davis or RS JR Davis Warren
Unless Michigan picks up someone experienced from the transfer portal — there aren’t many options other than Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers — the Wolverines are very limited on starting someone with experience. The player with the most experience would be Alex Orji and that’s not because of his passing ability. The Michigan coaches like to deploy Orji on occasion as a running threat and he ran the ball 21 times in the past two seasons with the Wolverines. He has attempted just one pass with Michigan, but the traits are there and he has been known to have a strong arm. If the Wolverines can get Orji to hone into his throwing ability then he could become an instant threat between his running ability and beating the opposition with his arm.
Denegal and Warren have shown more as a pure passer, but with Warren’s lack of success during game action, I think Denegal will compete with Orji to start. Denegal is 6-foot-5 and Michigan won him over Virginia Tech during his recruitment. He clearly possesses some ability to throw the ball, and like Orji, he has been talked up about his arm strength.
Can’t talk about the quarterback position without mentioning the freshman Jadyn Davis. He was a former five-star talent before ending up as a four-star. He was named Mr. Football in North Carolina and should compete for game action as a true freshman. The key for Davis will be to show the coaching staff he has command of the playbook and the huddle before the games begin.
Running back:
Starter: SR Donovan Edwards
Backup: 5th-year SR Kalel Mullings
Other options: SO Ben Hall, SO Cole Cabana, FR Jordan Marshall
Donovan Edwards is back and will — finally — grab hold of the starting job. Edwards has been biding his time for the past two seasons playing behind Blake Corum and now he can show what he can do as the Wolverines’ lead back. Not much needs to be said about what Edwards can do. He is explosive and is a pass-catching threat for Michigan.
Kalel Mullings is back for his fifth year in the system and showed flashes of being a good ball carrier. He averaged over six yards per carry this year and is hard player to bring down. Mullings should become the instant RB No.2.
Who becomes RB No. 3 is the more intriguing topic. Ben Hall was fantastic last spring and carried the rock a few times this past season. His counterpart, Cole Cabana, was a highly touted recruit and has blazing speed. Both of those guys will get their chance. And so should freshman Jordan Marshall out of Ohio. He was a top RB recruit in the 2024 class.
Wide Receivers:
Starters: SO Semaj Morgan, JR Tyler Morris, SO Fredrick Moore
Backups: SO Karmello English, RS JR Peyton O’Leary, FR I’Marion Stewart
After losing both Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson, the Wolverines are going to need to find some outside receivers. Michigan is lacking the tall, go-to, player on the roster. Moore is 6-foot-1 and caught four passes in 2023. He figures to slot into one of the outside spots. Semaj Morgan had a big freshman campaign and soon-to-be junior Tyler Morris had a solid season. Both of them are as guaranteed as a starter as they come.
The receiver depth is fairly thin right now for Michigan unless it goes and finds some help in the portal. Peyton O’Leary is back and he’s been sensational during spring practice, but hasn’t been able to do as much during game action. He should get some run next season and so should Karmello English. English was a big get for Michigan in 2023 and he has some major speed that could spell him in the slot. Watch out for true freshman I’Marion Stewart as well. Another gadget-type player standing at 5-foot-10, but has the big-play ability if he can get the ball in his hands in open field.
Tight End:
Starter: JR Colston Loveland
Backup: RS SO Marlin Klein
Other options: RS FR Zack Marshall, FR Brady Prieskorn, RS FR Deakon Tonielli
Kind of like Donovan Edwards, not much needs to be said about Colston Loveland. He is a beast, and might be the top target for Michigan next season. The 6-foot-5 tight end was second on the team this year with 649 yards and he scored four times.
With the loss of AJ Barner, depth is where it becomes a slight issue. Talent isn’t lacking — the Wolverines have recruited the position at a high rate — but experience is lacking. Marlin Klein has been with the program for three years and he might get the first chance to step in behind Loveland. He stands at 6-foot-6 and was really good in high school. He would give Michigan that jump ball option.
After Klein, you’re looking at plenty of four-star types in high school. Marshall and Tonielli were with the program last season. But freshman Brady Prieskorn was a highly touted recruit and could see the field immediately.
Offensive Line:
Starters (In order): 5th year SR Myles Hinton, RS JR Giovanni El-Hadi, RS JR Greg Crippin, GR SR Josh Priebe, RS SO Andrew Gentry
Backups: RS JR Tristan Bounds, RS FR Amir Herring, RS JR Raheem Anderson, RS FR Nathan Efobi, 5th year SR Jeffrey Persi
It’s quite unusual for a team to lose so many experienced offensive linemen, but Michigan did just that. The Wolverines lost the entire starting five from their CFP run. Myles Hinton is the lone returner that started in 2023 — but didn’t start during the CFP run. He should slide right into the starting LT next year.
After Hinton, both El-Hadi and Greg Crippin have playing experience at Michigan. They have both shown they belong as starters on the line and have been patient waiting to get that opportunity. Michigan also brought in an All-Big Ten player in former Northwestern starter Josh Priebe who will become a major player next year. The lone player that I think will start that has little experience is Andrew Gentry. Gentry is massive standing at 6-foot-7, 327 pounds. He was a big recruit and the Wolverines should give him an opportunity next season.
Kind of like tight end, depth might be the issue for Michigan at O-line. Plenty of recruited talent, but very little experience. All of the players I mentioned as backups have been with the program and has been around Sherrone Moore and Ben Herbert. I would think with the identity Michigan has instilled with its offensive linemen, all of them should be OK if their names are called.
