Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive back Will Johnson (2) holds the National Championship Trophy after winning 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game against the Washington Huskies at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan football was dominant in 2023, finishing 15-0 and winning the national title. The roster will have a much different feel this season as 13 Wolverines were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. That marks the fourth-most from one program in any single draft in the seven-round era, which dates back to 1994.
Despite the roster turnover, Michigan had three players named to the AP preseason All-American first-team. Cornerback Will Johnson, defensive tackle Mason Graham, and tight end Colston Loveland earned the honors. The Wolverines acknowledged the preseason accomplishment, tweeting:
All three players joined Michigan as four-star prospects in the 2022 recruiting class. Each is expected to hear their name called in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, with Johnson and Graham in contention to be the first defensive player off the board.
Michigan overlooked by ESPN analyst
Despite entering the 2024 season as defending national champions, the Michigan Wolverines received the No.9 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. That is the lowest ranking of any defending national champion since Auburn began the 2011 season ranked 23rd.
Greg McElroy recently suggested that the Wolverines are in danger of falling out of the rankings altogether. Speaking on Always College Football, the ESPN college football analyst stated:
You look at Michigan’s schedule, I mean, they could, in theory, be an 8-4 football team. Vegas, for the record, nine and a half was the win total for Michigan. That’s now moved down to eight and a half.
Schedule’s brutal and if they can’t get quarterback right, for whatever reason, they struggle on offense, tell me they couldn’t possibly play their way out of the top-25. It could absolutely happen.
While the Wolverines quarterback room does not have much experience, the rest of the roster remains stacked with talent. The suggestion that Michigan could fall out of the rankings shows that pundits are overlooking Sherrone Moore’s squad.
Check out Greg McElroy’s comments below (starting at the 16:40 mark):
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