While Michigan fell back down to Earth in the first year of the Sherrone Moore era, a late surge gave the Wolverines about as much positive momentum as any team in the country entering the offseason. After a couple of early marquee victories in Moore’s tenure and the landmark recruiting win to pull No. 1 overall prospect Bryce Underwood to Ann Arbor, there is reason to believe that this is once again a playoff-caliber operation. Expert Sam Webb from The Michigan Insider joined Bud Elliott on the Cover 3 College Football Summer School series to preview expectations for the Wolverines this fall.
What are the stakes for Michigan in 2025?
Michigan’s defense of its 2023 national championship was underwhelming. This may not be the year that the program returns to the mountaintop, either, given the youth at quarterback and the need to replace a bevy of draft picks, including three first-rounders. But that does not mean the Wolverines will limp their way through a rebuilding year. Underwood has the potential to dazzle as a true freshman, and a defense that features Jaishawn Barham, Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill and other rising standouts should be capable of at least keeping Michigan in the national conversation while it loads up for the future.
“I think it’s a year where you build,” Webb said. “The notion that they are going to come out and really go through this season unscathed and be a national championship, Big Ten championship team, it’s hard for me to see that with a true freshman that you’re going to have to grow up. I do see them being a playoff contender.”
Under the assumption that the defense remains a top-flight unit, Michigan’s ceiling will be a product of how well Underwood settles in under center and whether his supporting cast is any better than last year’s underwhelming crew. If the offense takes a step forward, the Wolverines could deliver on their +210 odds to make the College Football Playoff (per FanDuel Sportsbook).
Breakout player everybody needs to know
The wide receiver position was one of the biggest holes on last year’s Michigan roster, and it is not immediately clear whether the pass-catching unit is any more talented in 2025. Only two wideouts arrived through the transfer portal in Anthony Simpson and Donaven McCulley. It could be a matter of quality over quantity for the newest Wolverines wideouts, as McCulley turned heads in spring camp as arguably the top candidate to step up as the go-to weapon in the passing game.
“They didn’t have size at the receiver position, so you go and grab him from Indiana,” Webb said of McCulley. “He gives you a big 6-3, 6-4 [frame], can give you the huge catch radius target. Former quarterback at the position, so he has that understanding. We’ve seen him be a guy who has been capable of making big plays down the field. He showed those flashes in spring ball.”
The intangibles are one thing, but production is another, and McCulley does not have a whole lot of it on his résumé. He rode an upward trajectory over three years of development at Indiana but made just two catches across four games last season before he hit the portal in the middle of the campaign. McCulley flashed upside with 48 catches, 644 yards and six touchdowns as a junior, so perhaps he can rekindle the momentum and deliver a career year in his final stanza of eligibility.
Win total outlook
FanDuel Sportsbook set Michigan’s win total at 9.5 with juice on the under. Would a 9-3 season be good enough to get the Wolverines back into the playoff? They likely need to outperform their projection in order to have a seat at the table, barring some help from other teams on the postseason bubble. According to Webb, that hinges largely on one position group: the offensive line.
“If the offensive line develops, then their playoff hopes by the end of the season will be intact,” Webb said. “I see them losing a couple of games, at least, this year. But it will just be a couple of games if the offensive line develops. If not, they’ll be a four- or five-loss team. But there’s a real shot there.”
Banking on Moore’s ability to construct formidable offensive lines has been a rewarding proposition in years past, so it is quite easy to picture him and his staff replicating their past success with the likes of Giovanni El-Hadi and Greg Crippen in the trenches. If that happens, the Wolverines will be well positioned to reach their best-case outcome. And considering this program has not suffered a losing season since 2014, it has a high floor regardless of what happens on the O-line.
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