Michael Cohen
College football and college basketball writer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. The last glimpse Michigan fans got of their beloved Wolverines was quickly immortalized as one of the most cherished memories in program history. First came the national championship game in Houston, a 34-13 loss to Washington, in which head coach Jim Harbaugh led his alma mater back to the pinnacle of college football. Then came the celebratory parade in Ann Arbor, a raucous affair that saw thousands of maize and blue devotees shower their team with affection.
This weekend marks the program's return to the field in the public eye after an offseason full of changes: for the coaching staff, the roster and those behind the scenes. The reigning national champions will hold their spring game Saturday at Michigan Stadium in front of a national television audience and with new head coach Sherrone Moore leading the way.
“They want more,” Moore said of his players' mentality during a press conference last March. “They've always had that chip on their shoulder. When you win the natty, you would think people would be so happy that we won the natty and that's it. It's not. We want more.”
Here are three storylines to watch during Michigan's spring game, which you can watch Saturday at noon ET on FOX:
A new era
For the first time since 2015, shortly after former coach Brady Hoke was fired, Jim Harbaugh will not lead his alma mater to Michigan Stadium for the program's annual spring game. Three consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff bolstered Harbaugh's resume enough for the Los Angeles Chargers to welcome him back to the NFL, a place he lived from 2011 to 2014 as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. And with that move, completed in late January, about two weeks after Michigan won the national championship, Harbaugh's pursuit of a Super Bowl resumed.
The search for Harbaugh's replacement ended exactly as he hoped: athletics director Warde Manuel promoted Moore, the offensive coordinator, to the full-time role. It was Moore who guided Michigan through four of the six games Harbaugh missed while serving multiple suspensions. And it was Moore whose leadership and astute play ensured the Wolverines' impeccable record was still intact when Harbaugh returned for the postseason. For Manuel it was an easy choice.
Still, there was nothing easy about Moore's first few weeks on the job. Harbaugh brought defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, defensive line coach Mike Elston, defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale and defensive assistant Dylan Roney to Los Angeles. He also took over from director of strength and conditioning Ben Herbert. Moore had to scramble and scramble in his search for suitable replacements as the start of spring training loomed. But even one of the coaches he hired, defensive line coach Greg Scruggs, lasted only two weeks after being arrested for OWI, after which Scruggs resigned.
Throughout the process, Moore has maintained a much lower profile than his former boss ever did. This weekend he is back in the spotlight.
“I don't want any attention on me,” Moore said. “I want it on our players. Everything to do with the players, that's what it's all about. I'm going to stay low and hidden as much as possible and let the players get the credit and the spotlight. Allow them to blossom and work so hard to work as I can to make sure they are in a place where they can be successful.”
Life after McCarthy
One of the biggest decisions Moore and offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell will have to make between now and the season opener against Fresno State is who will replace JJ McCarthy at quarterback. McCarthy arrived in Ann Arbor as the most hyped quarterback of the Harbaugh era, heading into the NFL Draft after beating Ohio State three times, winning three Big Ten titles and giving the Wolverines their first national championship since 1997. action to follow.
That there appears to be no obvious heir remains perhaps the biggest storyline surrounding Michigan as it prepares for the upcoming season. As it stands now, the quarterback room consists of seventh-year graduate student Jack Tuttle, senior Davis Warren, juniors Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal, and true freshman Jadyn Davis. The only player with any starting experience is Tuttle, who transferred from Indiana ahead of the 2023 campaign.
“Super excited about the room,” Campbell said in mid-March. “We've got five guys in that room right now who have an opportunity to compete for that starting job. I'm just excited to see how it goes. We're taking it one day at a time. Everything is an evaluation: from meetings to practice, how they carry themselves in the weight room, how they handle the team, from the completion percentage to the decision-making. We have a lot of talent there. My job is to get the best out of them.”
How JJ McCarthy's tap stock increased
Orji is reportedly the leading internal candidate after seeing the field in certain heavyweight packages last season. The former three-star prospect has made just one attempt in college: a five-yard completion in 2022. It remains to be seen whether he has improved enough as a thrower to be a viable starter for a team eager to win a fourth straight CFP wants to achieve. right year.
Moore gave his thoughts on each quarterback during his February press conference:
About Tuttle: “A guy who played a lot of football,” Moore said. “He's got a great arm, great running ability, can be a dual-threat guy, but also very cerebral in the pocket. So a guy who can do that for you, he's been very impressive, everything he's put into has done in the past and just excited for him.”
About Orji: “Obviously a crazy athlete,” Moore said. “Really, the ability for him to be a game-changer with the ball in his hand and run the football is what he really has, a different element to the other guys. We've seen it in the past. But it's not like he can't throw. He can, and he's throwing pretty well, just like he's been through the spring.”
On Denegal: “Taller, more of a bag guy,” Moore said. “Going through, probably more of a pocket passer.”
On Warren: “It probably has a little bit of a mix of them all,” Moore said. “Slightly smaller in stature, but very cerebral with a good arm.”
On Davis: “Very excited about him,” Moore said. “He's picked things up super fast. But with a freshman, you never know, so we'll see. But he has all the ability. I'm so excited for him.”
The NCAA punishes Michigan for more recruiting violations
Wink and a nod
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
That was Harbaugh's mentality when his defensive wunderkind, Mike Macdonald, returned to the Baltimore Ravens after one revolutionary season in Ann Arbor: the 2021 campaign in which Michigan defeated Ohio State for the first time in a decade and reached the CFP. school history. Macdonald's defense ranked eighth nationally in scoring by allowing just 17.4 points per game.
To replace him, Harbaugh turned to another ex-Raven who had interviewed at the same time as Macdonald. Former Baltimore defensive backs coach Jesse Minter walked after one season coordinating defense at Vanderbilt. And the Wolverines got even better: seventh in scoring in 2022 (16.1 points per game) and first in 2023 (10.4 points per game). Minter took the foundation Macdonald had laid and built the nation's most fearsome defenses on top of it.
Therefore, it made perfect sense for Moore to reexamine the Ravens' coaching tree when selecting Minter's replacement. He made big money by handing out more than $2 million a year to Don “Wink” Martindale, the defensive coordinator in Baltimore from 2018 to 2021, when both Macdonald and Minter were on the staff. The 60-year-old Martindale spent the past two years as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
“Wink is great, man,” Moore said. “I love Wink. Just a great, vibrant person. Great person, but obviously an extremely intelligent coach. Super enthusiastic. The boys love him. He brings such a great atmosphere to the team.”
Martindale called himself the “OG” original gangster of the system Macdonald and Minter installed in Ann Arbor. He got into coaching with collegiate stints at Notre Dame (1994-95), Cincinnati (1996-98), Western Illinois (1999) and Western Kentucky (2000-03) while working under Minter's father, Rick Minter, and Harbaugh's father ,Jack. Harbaugh, on his way. He has worked exclusively in the NFL since 2004.
The group Martindale has inherited at Michigan is among the most talented in the country, having brought back several key players from the national title-winning squad. Cornerback Will Johnson and defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant could all be first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Fellow returners Makari Paige (safety), Derrick Moore (edge), Josaiah Stewart (edge), Ernest Hausmann (inside linebacker) and Quinten Johnson (safety) all logged at least 300 snaps last season.
“What I like about it is that the system works,” Martindale said in mid-March. “It's been proven to work. I think both Mike and Jesse have done a great job here in Michigan, and it's fun for me to watch the tape because, if you like, you become the proud parent of seeing of someone else's success and everything else.”
Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.
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