Michigan had an expected rebuild year last season after winning the national championship in 2023 and losing head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL. FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt expects the Wolverines to bounce back in a big way this year, and even ranked them as the No. 10 team in his preseason college football rankings. […]
Michigan had an expected rebuild year last season after winning the national championship in 2023 and losing head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL. FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt expects the Wolverines to bounce back in a big way this year, and even ranked them as the No. 10 team in his preseason college football rankings.
“I just love the way that they finished the season,” Klatt said. “This is a defense that got it going late in the year. Even with their star players not playing, they cannot be worse on offense than they were a year ago. And you know what? I think they’re going to be back among the elite in college football.
“This team figured things out at the end of the year. They beat Ohio State. They beat Alabama — basically, without an offense… There’s no way they can be that bad throwing the ball again.”
Michigan’s offense was its downfall last season, particularly the team’s passing game. Michigan averaged just 129.1 passing yards per game, the fourth-least in the country. The three teams that averaged fewer passing yards per game were all service academies.
The Wolverines worked hard this offseason to ensure they won’t face the same issue in 2025. Michigan brought in five-star freshman Bryce Underwood, who was the No. 1 player in the 2025 recruiting cycle.
While Underwood has competition, he is the current favorite to land the starting role. Whoever is Michigan’s QB1 this fall, the team should have a much-improved passing game. Klatt isn’t nearly as concerned for Michigan’s defense, which is returning just five starters from last season.
“I know they’re going to have to replace some really talented players, in particular on the defensive front seven,” Klatt said. “But, remember, without those players on the defensive front seven, without Will Johnson on the edge, they handled Alabama just fine. And that was an Alabama offense that still had Jalen Milroe, that still had Ryan Williams, and was playing at full capacity. Michigan should be better.
“Their schedule is not that bad. If you look at that Oklahoma game, it’s really the barometer. They’re going to go travel to Norman, Oklahoma. And if they win that game, then watch out. This is a CFP team.”
On Aug. 30, Michigan will kick off its 2025 campaign with a showdown against New Mexico at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on NBC.
Category: General Sports
