Why Michigan is in a great position to compete for back-to-back national championships

While conventional wisdom, for a number of reasons, dictates the 2024 season is likely to come with a slight dip for Michigan as the Wolverines defend a national championship, On3’s Andy Staples and The Wolverine’s Clayton Sayfie aren’t sure that’s the case. The duo discussed the possibility of Michigan being closer to contending for a back-to-back championship than some might think.

There are, of course, two major figures weighing staying or leaving and their decisions will wildly alter how the Wolverines enter 2024: Head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback J.J. McCarthy, both of whom could be NFL-bound. But if those two come back, the questions Michigan has to answer suddenly become managable.

“He’s got a situation where if he comes back, they can run this thing back,” Staples said of Harbaugh. “This is not a question of will they have the talent. They do lose a lot, but it is amazing when you think about what they’re bringing back. Especially along the defensive line, skill position guys. We’ll see with J.J.”

The defensive line for the Wolverines, in particular, showcases a few of the key sophomores that will be back for Michigan in 2024: Defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, cornerback Will Johnson, tight end Colston Loveland, safety Keon Sabb, wideout Tyler Morris and a number of others.

“But think of the sophomore class, though: Will Johnson was sitting up there today, we mentioned him a couple times. But Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, your guy, who just had — the bull rush and the sack was incredible. But that sophomore class is really good,” Sayfie said.

That’s on top of a handful of juniors (and a few seniors with one more year) — linebacker Junior Colson, safety Rod Moore, running back Donovan Edwards, edge rushers Braiden McGregor and Jaylen Harrell — who could also opt to return for 2024. This includes McCarthy.

Already, the Champions Circle collective has launched a “Those Who Stay” NIL campaign to fuel a repeat in 2024, much akin to the “One More Year Fund” launched by Valiant Management a year ago, a move that helped keep Blake Corum, among others, on campus.

“Retaining your best players is the best money you can spend in NIL,” Staples said.

“We saw that come to fruition on Monday night,” Sayfie said.

One area where Michigan won’t be able to retain its way out of roster attrition is up front, where all five of the season-long starters on the offensive line are likely gone to the NFL draft. Transfer tackle Myles Hinton seems poised to return for the 2024 season and Michigan has no shortage of top line recruits that have been schooled under offensive coordinator and line coach Sherrone Moore.

It might not be the smoothest or most ideal transition, but both Staples and Sayfie are confident Michigan is capable of reloading on the offensive line. Plus, the transfer portal will still avail itself should Michigan want to add a player or two at a key spot.

“Michigan is one of those that they’ve done well strategically recruiting out of the portal. When they find a spot they need to fill, they fill it. And it’s interesting because they are one of the teams — so the SEC has that rule where if you want to transfer to another SEC school you have to enter the portal during the winter window, you can’t do it in the post-spring window. Michigan’s one of those teams players from the SEC would want to transfer to. So you could potentially get them after the spring if there’s somebody you like,” Staples said.

There are plenty of big hurdles, still, for Michigan to navigate before the Wolverines are truly contending for a back-to-back set of national titles, but as far as Staples and Sayfie are concerned, a few good shakes and Michigan could be right back in the thick of the playoff.