Greg McElroy breaks down expectations for Michigan roster

Michigan is coming off the best season of Jim Harbaugh’s tenure in Ann Arbor. After six seasons of competing for the playoff, they finally broke through with a 12-2 season that included a berth in the CFP. Success like that, though, doesn’t come without a price. The Wolverines lost personnel across the board from that team yet still have the expectation of competing again in the Big Ten. However, ESPN’s Greg McElroy says Michigan should be just fine even with all the changes.

McElroy broke down the Wolverines during a segment of ‘Always College Football‘. He says their ticket to contending again in 2022 is their remaining offensive firepower.

“I expect (Michigan) to be extremely good offensively. I know Josh Gattis was a terrific coach…and losing him to Miami was a bit of a gut punch. When you look at what comes back, especially on that side of the ball, you got to be excited,” said McElroy. “It doesn’t matter who the quarterback is. It might be JJ McCarthy, it might be Cade McNamara. (With) either one, I think you can certainly win the Big Ten East. They’ll have a great backfield tandem…(and) couple that with experience and talent on the outside on the perimeter at wide receiver.”

Michigan’s offense ranked 16th in the NCAA last season at 35.8 points per game. The real issue, though, is making up for the losses from the nation’s 8th best defense that allowed just 17.4 points a game. They lost three players in the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, including the No. 2 pick in Aidan Hutchinson. McElroy says Michigan will sustain their success from 2021 if they can find ways to fill the void left behind on defense.

“We know the defense (has) some key pieces to replace. Aidan Hutchinson is gone, David Ojabo is gone, Daxton Hill too. All three of those guys will be difficult to replace and you have to break in a new coordinator,” McElroy said. “I expect this team to be excellent as long as they can fill some of those voids on the defensive side.”

Michigan will be focused on staying near the top now that they’ve made it to the CFP. Beating Ohio State, winning the Big Ten and making the playoff field is no longer the hope for them. After last season, it has become the expectation moving forward. For analysts like Greg McElroy, there’s belief that Michigan can sustain it and stay in the top tier in 2022.