Michigan’s offense has questions ahead of next season, but also returns good talent

The depth Michigan had on its roster last season doesn’t seem replicable, so what does the team need to win this season?

Michigan’s offense in 2024 will be without goodbye to J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum and an entire starting offensive line, to say the least, but the good news is there are a handful of returning players who have experience.

Since McCarthy announced he was leaving for the NFL, Michigan fans have been wondering if the Wolverines need to bring in a quarterback from the transfer portal to help the team contend for another championship. Michigan has the numbers at the quarterback position, but is still looking for a clear starter.

Having Alex Orji on the roster adds depth at quarterback even if he doesn’t start

Alex Orji seems to be a favorite heading into the fall because of what he can do with his legs. Here’s the thing — having Orji on the roster adds depth whether or not he starts.

Michigan’s offense chose to use Orji even with McCarthy under center. If Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal or Jadyn Davis win the starting job, it’s hard to imagine Orji won’t be on the field at all. He’ll still help Michigan’s offense, even if another player ends up QB1.

Is Jack Tuttle the best option?

At a press conference this spring, head coach Sherrone Moore called Tuttle a “dual-threat,” and if you watch some of Tuttle’s highlights from last season, you can see what Moore is talking about.

Tuttle was one of Michigan’s highest-graded offensive players by PFF at the end of last season. He completed 15-of-17 passes for 130 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. On the ground, he had four carries for 35 yards.

Tuttle is back for his seventh season of collegiate eligibility. His leadership in the locker room could be another thing that sets him apart. If he’s healthy and wins the starting job, Michigan might have a pretty good combination and all the depth it needs with him and Orji. Unpopular opinion? Probably.

Donovan Edwards, Kalel Mullings will continue Michigan’s strong run game

Let’s keep this one short and sweet. Yes, Donovan Edwards took a step back last season, but he looked like the 2022 version of himself in some of Michigan’s biggest games. His two touchdown runs in the National Championship brought back fond memories of his performance against Ohio State in Columbus in 2022.

Kalel Mullings is also back and will help. He’s also shown he can be used in the passing game as well, with a nice snag and some toe-drag swag against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.

Behind Edwards and Mullings are Ben Hall, Tavierre Dunlap and incoming freshman Jordan Marshall. Michigan’s run attack is in good hands and will help take pressure off the starting quarterback.

Michigan’s offensive line has questions, but young players looked good during the spring game

The guys expected to start on Michigan’s offensive line looked pretty good when they saw time on the field last season. Center Greg Crippen is expected to be a solid starter for the Wolverines this fall. Giovanni El-Hadi, Josh Priebe, Andrew Gentry and Myles Hinton should all get more playing time and keep the offensive line play at a high level following the departures of Zak Zinter and company.

The spring game can’t answer all our questions about backups and depth, but it does look like Grant Newsome will have Michigan’s linemen ready to go this fall. The Maize and Blue teams had opportunities to score and put together some solid drives in April even without the starters in the game.

The Wolverines might have lost a lot of players at the position — six, in fact — to the draft, but they did not lose all their talent. They may not have the same depth, but this should still be a good enough group that Michigan has the potential to win in some of its biggest games.

Michigan did what it needed with the transfer portal to add depth at wide receiver

Michigan’s receiving core on paper is among the weaker spots on the team. The team benefited the last couple seasons from the consistency of Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson, which meant guys like Tyler Morris and Semaj Morgan were solid in their depth roles.

Michigan’s wide receiver room is now suddenly made up of young guys. That youth and inexperience could cause some issues for Michigan.

Thankfully, Michigan picked up CJ Charleston in the portal. Charleston adds some age and experience to the receiver room, as he will be playing his fifth college season this fall. While he’s learning a new system, the group should benefit from his experience.

Amorion Walker also returns from a short stint at Ole Miss. He is expected to play at receiver moving forward and adds much needed height (6-foot-3) to the position.

Michigan’s receivers will have help from Colston Loveland, other tight ends

Colston Loveland is entering his junior season and should be able to help take some pressure off Michigan’s wide receivers. If people somehow didn’t know about Loveland before 2024, they will now. He’s getting talked about as TE1 for the 2025 draft class.

Loveland and the other tight ends like Max Bredeson and Marlin Klein will help give the quarterback another option in the passing game. I’d expect to see Loveland as the go-to, especially early in the season. Opposing defenses are going to have to respect what Loveland can do, which should help other aspects of Michigan’s offense.

We’re not entirely sure what Michigan’s offense will look like under first-year offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell, but he won’t be short of weapons. Michigan has the pieces it needs to be competitive in a growing Big Ten Conference.