Joel Klatt explains Michigan's ranking in way-too-early Top 10

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt had Michigan as his No. 10 team in his way-too-early top 10 rankings going into the 2025 college football season.

A hot end to the season was the main reason for putting Michigan in this tier for Klatt. The Wolverines upset Ohio State in Columbus and then beat Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Not only that, Michigan got some wins on the recruiting trail and transfer portal.

“Michigan built as much momentum as any team in college football over the last month of the season,” Klatt said on his podcast. “Think about what they did from the moment that they were able to flip Bryce Underwood, the number one recruit in the country … 

“Then they beat Ohio State, then they beat Alabama. So in this era where nobody gets to win their last game except for the national champion, maybe the only other team in the country that has real positive sentiment moving forward and into the off season is Michigan. That, to me, is just kind of a bonkers thought.” 

Michigan will lose a handful of stars going to the NFL this spring, such as Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Will Johnson and Colston Loveland. The first three were on the Wolverines’ defense.

“However, what we saw against Alabama in that bowl game is that without all of their main contributors, even on the defensive side, they were still excellent,” Klatt said. “This culture at Michigan remains, and it feels like Sherrone Moore has leaned into that even more. Think about it, their defense next year is essentially the defense that we just saw really shut down Alabama and Jalen Milroe … Wink Martindale figured it out. Now, whether he gets a job moving forward into the National Football League or not, that system is going to remain the same. Remember, this is the third straight defensive coordinator that has run the same exact system that has dominated their opponents. So I trust that that defensive structure will be maintained.” 

Joel Klatt high on Michigan going into 2025 season

Michigan landed some good guys in the portal and on the recruiting trail. Sure, Underwood is coming in at QB, but they also landed Fresno State QB Mikey Keene, a college football veteran who previously starred at UCF.

“They’ve been good in the portal on the defensive line, they get Mikey keen to transfer in at quarterback from Fresno State,” Klatt said. “He could bridge to Bryce Underwood. That could be interesting … And the offense can’t be worse, folks. I mean, they were 129th in college football, in offense, like that was their problem. That was their issue. And if they fixed that at all some of these close losses that they had could turn into close wins. They get Justice Haynes, a running back from Alabama, to go with Jordan Marshall, who they really love at running back … 

“They get Donovan McCauley, who’s a guy that at Indiana didn’t really make it through into the Cignetti era, but he’s a really good player, and I’ve liked him. And then they avoid Oregon and Penn State next year, and they get Ohio State in Ann Arbor. They do have a really solid trip to Oklahoma in the non conference. That’s another team probably lands right there, like 19 or 20 in the country, and they’re going to have one of the better quarterbacks in the country and I like what Sherrone Moore is doing.”