The University of Michigan’s football program reached the summit of the sport last fall, going 15-0 with a third straight win over rival Ohio State, a third consecutive Big Ten championship, a victory over super-program Alabama in the Rose Bowl on its way to winning a national championship over Washington.
Following those achievements, the Wolverines have been hit with about as much roster and coaching staff turnover as any team in the country. Michigan returns several key contributors — especially on defense — in star cornerback Will Johnson, defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, as well as on offensive with running back Donovan Edwards and tight end Colston Loveland.
With opinions on how good Michigan will be in 2024 varying widely, the host of one of college football’s most-watched podcasts gave his insight into what he expects to see out of the Wolverines this upcoming fall this past weekend. 247Sports’ Josh Pate — host of Late Kick w/ Josh Pate — expanded upon his view regarding Michigan after a fan suggested he was “down” on the Wolverines heading into the 2024
“Relatively speaking, I am very high on Michigan,” Pate said on his podcast Tuesday. “I don’t think they’re going to win the national title this year, so if that’s being ‘low’ on them, maybe we define that differently, but I’m very high on them as a team.”
“[Michigan’s] defensive line, linebacker combination is about as good as you’ll see in college football this year, or very close to it. Will Johnson’s still their corner, [and] can man up on any wide receiver one in college football. Culture — check. Identity — check. Those things aren’t going away over night just because that coaching staff left.”
Pate also pointed to predictive advance metrics like ESPN’s SP+ ratings, which rank Michigan at No. 6 heading into the new season. However, he also explained why the Wolverines are not his favorite to win the national title again in 2024, starting with how difficult it will be to do so as the College Football Playoff expands from four participants to 12.
“I’m not high on anyone repeating as a national champion from this point moving forward,” Pate said. “That could be Georgia, that could be Ohio State, that could be whoever. It’s extremely hard to do this. It always has been. It’s just going to be a lot harder with the more random variability-esque things thrown in that a 12-team playoff brings.”
