Anonymous Big Ten coaches weigh in on state of Michigan and its rivals

The Michigan Wolverines sport a new look heading into the 2024 season with Sherrone Moore taking over as head coach. Still, U-M is projected to be one of the top teams in the country and could factor into the race for the Big Ten Championship, along with a spot in the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Athlon Sports released its annual national preview magazine this month, where an anonymous Big Ten assistant weighed in on the top storylines with the Wolverines ahead of the upcoming campaign.

“The trick for Sherrone [Moore] is to keep the momentum of a national championship culture through all the roster turnover,” the anonymous coach said. “I think you’ll see a lot of familiar [Jim] Harbaugh practices and ideas this first season because they’ve got to rebuild before they can put a new signature on the program.

“The defense will lead the way for them; that can help bridge the rebuild on offense. Will [DC] Wink [Martindale] just rip it and blitz? That will be interesting to see… They’re basically turning over the entire offense, and they need to find some receiver talent for whoever wins that starting job at QB…. This is going to be a massive transition even though they kept on the interim from last year. They’ll take a step back, but maybe not as far as you think.”

Of course, there are plenty of storylines with Michigan’s two primary rivals – Michigan State and Ohio State – ahead of the season. An anonymous Big Ten coach also weighed in on the Spartans, who are entering their first season under head coach Jonathan Smith after the tumultuous Mel Tucker era. MSU comes to Ann Arbor to renew the rivalry tilt on Oct. 26.

“[Jonathan] Smith is a great coach, and his offense can really be effective in the Big Ten, but it will be a bumpy transition after the few years that roster has lived through,” the coach said. “This is a staff that does more with less, which is why they were so good at the last place, but I think there’s a resistance from some people at MSU to go back to that [Mark] D’Antonio mentality.

“I think they’re bracing for a lot of turnover through the portal windows. They’ve brought over the Oregon State QB [Aidan Chiles] who will probably be their starter. … The run game was really bad last year; they need to put everything they can into getting some balance for that offense to be successful in Year 1. … This Is a big transition year. The culture change from Tucker to Smith is pretty massive.”

Last but not least are the Ohio State Buckeyes, who enter the season as one of the favorites to win it all but have a dark cloud over their head of their recent woes. Michigan has beat them three-striaght times and won a national title, which spurred plenty of action in Columbus in trying to climb the mountaintop.

But the pressure is mounting for Ryan Day.

“It’s not national title or bust, but it’s certainly beat Michigan or bust, and the expectation is always to win the league,” an anonymous coach said. “This is maybe the most talented roster [Ryan] Day has had since he took over… QB Willl Howard doesn’t have to be special; he just has to be smart. That signing didn’t turn heads the way some of the other flashier portal quarterbacks might have, but all he has to do is manage and distribute. They’re absolutely stacked at other positions. … Day is a great collaborator; the Chip [Kelly] thing won’t be a nuisance or a problem at all. If you believe what Chip’s said, that he just wants to focus on ball and not worry with the administrative stuff, this is a fantastic hire for them. … Nothing really matters until they can get Michigan off their backs in November. The standards here are higher than anywhere else this season.”

Michigan and Ohio State renew their rivalry on Nov. 30 in Columbus.