With Michigan Football kicking off fall camp today, here’s a look at some of the biggest storylines we’ll be watching as the Wolverines inch closer to the start of the 2025 season:
If you can believe it, Michigan is only 31 days away from kicking off the 2025 season. The Wolverines are coming off a bit of a rocky campaign, but entered the offseason on a high note and have rode that momentum through the summer.
For the second consecutive year, the offseason featured plenty of roster churn, and while there were some big losses, there were also some big additions that fans will be looking forward to seeing on the field in the coming weeks. Before that, the team will pass its final checkpoint en route to the start of the season with fall camp, which begins today.
While there are plenty of questions that have been answered this offseason, there are still some questions and concerns that might linger and not be resolved until Aug. 30. Today, we’ll go though the biggest storylines heading into fall camp.
Re-discovering the passing attack
Michigan’s offense left a lot to be desired last year, particularly through the air. That’s why Sherrone Moore got aggressive this offseason, bringing in Chip Lindsey as the new offensive coordinator and pulling out all the stops to land Bryce Underwood. Despite all that effort, there’s no guarantee everything works perfectly — at least not right away.
Underwood comes to Michigan with as much hype as any recruit in the program’s history. He’s also the favorite to land the starting quarterback job. Back in April, fans got their first exposure to Underwood when he played in the spring game. He looked like, well, a freshman — signaling there are still steps he needs to take in his development to live up to his full potential.
Throughout camp, he’ll look to hone in the finer points of his game, namely decision-making and accuracy down the field, areas he struggled in the spring game.
Additionally, he’ll be continuing to develop chemistry with a group of pass-catchers that has questions of its own. Michigan’s receivers didn’t do the quarterbacks many favors last year, and the group will need to make some serious strides to take some of the weight off Underwood’s shoulders. Donaven McCulley was brought in to lead the group, but it’s been two years since he’s had meaningful production. He has size and a skillset that Michigan needed badly last year, but will it be enough?
Michigan will also need contributions from Fred Moore and Semaj Morgan, a pair of returning juniors that fell short of expectations a year ago. The hope is the two can take their games to another level, with Morgan being more appropriately used in the slot and with Moore stretching the field. If they don’t, Michigan still has talented young guys like Channing Goodwin and Andrew Marsh that could make moves up the depth chart if they’re able to impress in camp.
The Wolverines have never been known as a pass-first team, but they have proven to be good enough in recent years that defenses can’t always sell out to stop the run. That threat needs to re-emerge this fall after being anemic in 2024.
Will the offensive line bounce back?
The passing attack wasn’t the only element of Michigan’s offense that struggled last year, as the offensive line fell off considerably from the standard it had set in subsequent seasons. A lot of the struggle came from the fact that all five of the starters were new in 2024, but that only means the pressure is heightened this year.
The group will return three starters from last season in center Greg Crippen, left guard Giovanni El-Hadi and left tackle Evan Link. Last season, we saw each of those guys go through individual highs and lows, with Link even being benched at one point. However, the group as a whole seemed to end the year on positive terms, setting the stage for an improved 2025.
Another reason for optimism is some of the younger guys Michigan might be employing up front this year. The biggest name of the bunch will be Andrew Sprague, who appears set to take over at right tackle after impressing in his lone start last year in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Say what you want about bowl game performances, but Sprague held his own against a talented group of defensive linemen.
The second big name Michigan will be watching in camp is true freshman Andrew Babalola. A five-star recruit, Babalola has done nothing but draw rave reviews from coaches and teammates since arriving on campus. He’s been praised for both his physical and mental abilities, and represents a player that will be a starter on Michigan’s future offensive lines. The question will be if he can show enough in fall camp to jump into the mix right away.
The Wolverines will be looking at a pair of incoming transfers during fall camp as well in Brady Norton and Lawrence Hattar. Neither of them have experience at the FBS level, but they could be options to push Nathan Efobi at right guard if they show enough in camp.
Finding balance in the secondary
Michigan’s secondary was one of the most interesting developments to follow last year. The group struggled mightily against high-powered (and even some average) passing attacks in the first two-thirds of the season. But the group was real solid later in the year, even after Will Johnson went down with an injury.
So what gives? Was it a lucky small sample size or can fans expect more of the good in 2025? Well, we have to look at some of the things that helped the secondary flip the switch later in the year.
For starters, Wink Martindale was able to adjust his game plan. After being more aggressive and relying on plenty of man-coverage — leaving corners on islands and giving fans Don Brown flashbacks — Martindale softened his approach and dialed up more zone looks to help combat offenses with talented receivers.
Additionally, Michigan played some musical chairs when Johnson was sidelined. Zeke Berry moved to the boundary, where he played much better than he did in the slot. Makari Paige also got some nickel reps.
This season, the Wolverines have plenty of options on the boundary and in the slot. Berry and Jyaire Hill seem like good bets to start at corner, and we haven’t even mentioned Jo’Ziah Edmond and Shamari Earls yet, young players that could creep into the conversation if they’re able to show they’re ready for significant playing time. Meanwhile, Arkansas transfer Tevis Metcalf will look to grab the starting spot at nickel.
The safety position is overflowing with depth as well, as Brandyn Hillman, T.J. Metcalf, Mason Curtis, Jaden Mangham and Rod Moore (depending on his health) are all deserving of playing time.
The Wolverines have plenty of pieces in their secondary puzzle, it’ll just be a matter of LaMar Morgan and Wink Martindale making them fit properly.