The Michigan Wolverines had a transition year in 2024, taking a step down after replacing superstar head coach Jim Harbaugh with offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore. The team won eight regular-season games, capped off by a thrilling victory over No. 2 Ohio State, which set the tone for 2025.
Despite Sherrone Moore’s Suspension, Joel Klatt is in on the Michigan Wolverines
Klatt’s rankings, released before Moore’s suspension, put the Wolverines in the No. 12 spot, with the belief that they can take a step forward this season.
“Now here’s why I believe in Michigan,” Klatt said. “Last year, they beat USC, they beat Ohio State, they beat Alabama. And in those games, you know what? Their offense did virtually nothing, virtually nothing. And specifically in that game against Alabama, remember all the guys that were going to the draft weren’t playing in that game. So they stopped Jalen Milroe and Alabama basically with the group of guys that are going to be playing this year. Wink Martindale figured it out. I thought early in the year, there were growing pains with him coming back to college. He had to dumb it down. He’s too smart.
“Wink Martindale is too smart of a defensive coordinator, and they, at times, were doing a little too much. They simplified a little bit. He learned the college game a little bit more, the tendencies of it, and that defense took off in the second half of the year. So because of that, that’s going to allow their offense to get its footing.”
And while there are questions on who will start for the Wolverines at the most important position, Klatt thinks the defense is going to be elite no matter what.
“Now, they’ve got that tough game early in the year against Oklahoma, but think about it, man, they beat Ohio State, they beat Alabama, and in those two games, they had 234 yards, and then 190 yards of offense. That’s it. So they don’t need to be great on the offensive side,” Klatt said. “They bring in Chip Lindsey as their new offensive coordinator, and now it’s going to be kind of a wait and see, like, who’s going to be the quarterback.”
KEEP READING: 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Power Rankings
“Now, if the offense is good, this is a top 10 team, and so that’s when we get into like, what could they possibly be? Is it Bryce Underwood? Is it Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene there to bridge whatever gap there might be … I know they have to replace Mason Graham, I know they have to replace Kenneth Grant, I know they have to replace Will Johnson, but that defense, even without those players, largely stopped Alabama in that bowl game when they got that win.”
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