5 most important Michigan football players in 2024

The best players on a team aren’t always the most important. Sometimes, they are but for Michigan football, one of the most important players is going to be the quarterback — whoever that ends up being.

In my mind, the best option for Michigan football is Alex Orji. There are concerns there but there are concerns with the other quarterbacks too.

Orji is the only one who offers something with his legs. J.J. McCarthy wasn’t a true dual-threat because Michigan would rarely run with him, but he wasn’t a statue either. In some of the biggest games of his career, he was active on the ground and having a QB who can run is important.

Keeping that in mind, here are the five most important Michigan football players going into 2024.

Alex Orji

If Michigan is going to repeat as Big Ten champions, they need an above-average quarterback. People always reference Cade McNamara but he was third-team All-Big Ten in 2021.

Michigan football will need that kind of season from Orji or Jack Tuttle if it wants to win four in a row. Orji has a lot to prove as a quarterback. He has to prove he can be an efficient passer, manage the game, and most importantly, take care of the ball.

Orji has played in some big moments though. He’s an effective runner and if he can keep defenses honest with his arm, it would be huge for offense. Michigan should have an elite running game again, but you have to be able to throw the ball.

If Orji can do that, even if he can be Jalen Milroe light, the Wolverines offense could be better than expected.

Donovan Edwards

The most important player for Michigan football in 2024 is Donovan Edwards. The Wolverines need the running game to be elite and Edwards has Heisman Trophy potential if he can reach it.

If Edwards can produce the way he did down the stretch in 2022, Michigan football will be in business. The Wolverines offensive line should be stout. I’d take U-M’s offensive line over any other in the Big Ten even though Michigan has to replace all five starters.

Edwards looks like a different dude according to all reports. He looked different in the spring. He was more decisive and more physical and as RB1, Edwards has to deliver or the offense will struggle.

Mason Graham

The Michigan football defensive tackle looked like a man on a mission during a recent offseason workout. Graham has been projected as a Second-Team All-American by Phil Steele and other experts but I don’t see that there’s a better defensive lineman in college football.

Graham is going to be a dominant force this season and he needs to be. Michigan’s defensive line should be as good as there is in college football. If not, the hopes of winning a fourth straight Big Ten title will be dashed.

Dominance in the trenches has been the name of the game and that starts with Mason Graham.

Will Johnson

Johnson has been a superstar for the Wolverines. He burst on the scene as a freshman and has been the best cornerback we have seen at Michigan since Charles Woodson.

Johnson wears No. 2 like the former Michigan football great and has lived up to the part. He contained Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2022 and 2023 — intercepting a key pass that helped Michigan win “The Game” for a third straight year. He also made a key interception in the national championship game.

The former five-star recruit was projected as the No. 3 overall pick by ESPN in the 2025 NFL draft. There has even been chatter about him playing some both ways as Woodson once did.

You need superstars to win championships and a defense headlined by Graham and Johnson is a pretty good starting point.

Derrick Moore

A lot of Michigan football fans talk about Kenneth Grant as another potential first-round pick but one defender who isn’t talked about enough is Derrick Moore.

The former top-100 recruit was on the field on the key fourth down stop last season. He also had 34 tackles, six tackles for loss and five sacks.

I’ve talked about Moore developing into a first-round pick this season and won’t be the least bit surprised if happens. Something like what David Ojabo did in 2021 isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Moore will play more snaps than ever this season and with all of the attention that will go to Graham and Grant, he should have plenty of chances to be an impact player on the EDGE.

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