Does Michigan football already have the answer at quarterback?
The biggest question mark facing Michigan football is quarterback. Will the Wolverines look to the portal or is the next starter on the team already?
Michigan football is going to have a new head coach on the sidelines in 2024, but the Wolverines are also going to have a new starting quarterback.
Sherrone Moore, who was the acting head coach for the wins over Penn State and Ohio State last season, will take over for Jim Harbaugh. However, we don't know who will take over for J.J. McCarthy who is the greatest college quarterback in Michigan football history according to Jim Harbaugh.
So far, Michigan football hasn't suffered any major losses to the transfer portal since the departure of Harbaugh to the NFL and as long it stays that way in the spring transfer window, the Wolverines should be a top-10 caliber team once again, as well as a College Football Playoff contender.
The offense still has some question marks though, especially at QB. Donovan Edwards should be the starting running back. Kalel Mullings should have an expanded role and Jordan Marshall is another name to know as a top-100 running back from the state of Ohio.
Michigan lost its top six offensive linemen to the NFL draft, but they are still deep and talented. They added an All-Big Ten guard from Northwestern in Joshua Priebe. Greg Crippen and Gionvani El-Hadi will be just fine at center and guard and Myles Hinton will return after being a part-time starter in 2024.
The trenches will be just fine and with Colston Loveland at tight end, as well as Tyler Morris (TD catch in the Rose Bowl) and Semaj Morgan, who was a standout as a freshman, the wideouts should be solid too.
It all comes back to the quarterback. One insider noted that someone on the Michigan staff said that Orji is Jalen Milroe but a more polished passer. Jayden Denegal, another 2022 QB signee, is another name to watch, along with top-100 freshman Jadyn Davis.
It will be fascinating to watch the battle play out in the spring, but unless a big-time signal-caller enters the portal, I see Michigan rolling with Denegal or Orji in 2024. Jack Tuttle could be in the mix too, but with a run-heavy offense, Michigan needs someone solid not necessarily a game-changer, at least to prevent a major dropoff next season.
Orji has a huge upside. Denegal has a lot of upside too, and if either could be productive and mistake-free (most of the time) like Cade McNamara back in 2021, Michigan football can win 10 games next season. That's how good the defense and running game will be and in college football, that still matters a lot.