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Michigan Football: 5 reasons Wolverines will struggle in 2018

By Patrick Mayhorn

MADISON, WI - NOVEMBER 18: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines prepares to take the field with his team prior to a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - NOVEMBER 18: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines prepares to take the field with his team prior to a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 18, 2017 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Michigan football enters 2018 with high expectations. It’s time to cool those down because the Wolverines have some major issues to address first.

Jim Harbaugh’s tenure at Michigan has been tumultuous thus far. The former Wolverine quarterback and supposed savior of the program has been in Ann Arbor for three seasons, and he’s seen mixed results. 10 wins in 2015 were encouraging, but missing out on the playoff in 2016 was a massive disappointment. With a down season in 2017 and some struggles on the recruiting trail, questions are starting to arise about Harbaugh.

Whether those questions are warranted or not is yet to be known. He is just three years in, and most of his players thus far were recruited by Brady Hoke. The 2018 season is Harbaugh’s first real chance to show off his recruiting efforts, as his recruits make up almost all of the team. While that’s exciting for Michigan fans, it’s also a dangerous place for Harbaugh to be.

It’s dangerous because that means that Harbaugh no longer has excuses. He can no longer lean on the fact that his players were selected by a different coach. He’s built this roster to his liking, and if it doesn’t work, there will be serious concerns that need to be addressed. All things considered, there are plenty of reasons to think Michigan will be fantastic this year.

They return almost everyone from a fantastic defense. The offense can’t really be any worse than it has been. If Michigan is going to make the jump back to the top of college football, it’ll be this year. This may also be their last year to make this jump until at least 2020. There are just five seniors in this year’s starting lineup, but there are a whopping 12 juniors. A lot of those players could be off to the NFL after this year.

That could put the Wolverines in a very tough spot next year. If more than half of those 12 juniors decide to declare, Michigan will have to usher in another youth movement. It worked in 2015, but the lack of top end recruits will hurt them if they try it again. If Harbaugh doesn’t build up goodwill this year with a big season, he may not survive another rebuild.

There are plenty of reasons to think Michigan will be great this year. However, some people are being blinded by experience and ignoring some key issues. This is not a perfect team by any means, and the Wolverines could be in for a far tougher season than many expect.

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