The Michigan Wolverines are 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in Big Ten Conference play. Through six games we have seen three starting quarterbacks, multiple versions of an offensive line, and a depth chart flip at running back.
Not your average problems for the reigning national champions.
Nonetheless, the Wolverines were able to pick up one key win against USC, and they sit exactly where most fans expected them to be with the bye week upon us. With six more games to go, let’s dissect the first-half position grades.
Quarterbacks: C
There isn’t anything normal about the quarterback position right now. The Wolverines started off the season with Davis Warren, who only lasted the non-conference season. Alex Orji took over and despite not losing a game, he was replaced by Jack Tuttle during last week’s Washington game. Tuttle and the Wolverines had the lead, but two costly turnovers in the fourth quarter led to Michigan’s second loss. Tuttle will be the starter going forward, but given the turnovers and lack of offensive momentum, fans don’t have much to be excited about here.
Running backs: B+
There was a lot of hype coming into the season surrounding Donovan Edwards, but the biggest surprise of this year’s team has to be the production from Kalel Mullings. Edwards was named as the cover athlete for College Football 25 in the summer and was primed for a star role. However, Mullings has been the more efficient player, averaging almost double yards per carry compared to Edwards.
Currently, Mullings has 597 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 98.2 yards per game. Edwards has tallied 365 rushing yards and three touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. It’s no secret Michigan wants to run the ball to win football games, and it will continue to do so.
Wide receivers: C-
Offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell has called passing plays sparingly through the first half of the season, and it has been largely dependent on the quarterback. The leading wide receiver for the Wolverines, Semaj Morgan, has just 78 receiving yards on the season (and he missed a game due to injury). Behind him is Tyler Morris with 51 receivers yards on seven catches. The two other with more than one catch are Fredrick Moore and Kendrick Bell, who have totaled 43 and 42 yards, respectively. Tuttle may unlock the passing game in the second half of the year, but for six straight weeks, the receivers haven’t done much.
Tight ends: A-
The tight ends are the heart and soul of the passing and rushing attack. Colston Loveland leads the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns with 29 catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Marlin Klein doesn’t quite have Loveland’s production, but he is fourth on the team in receptions and yards (seven catches, 75 yards). For a team with struggling quarterbacks, the tight ends have been, and will continue to be, the safety blankets in the passing game.
Offensive line: C
As a reminder for the 100th time, Michigan lost six offensive linemen from last year’s team. Not to mention, Sherrone Moore was promoted to head coach, and he promoted tight ends coach Grant Newsome to lead the offensive line.
Six games into the season, there may not be a solidified line. The Wolverines started the season with Myles Hinton, Josh Priebe, Dominick Giudice, Giovanni El-Hadi and Evan Link (from left to right). However, Michigan has been interchanging Giudice with Greg Crippen at center, and Hinton missed the Washington game due to injury and was replaced by Jeff Persi. The line play has not been great, to say the least. With three ranked opponents over the next month, the offensive line needs to step it up.
Defensive line: A-
The Wolverines have two future first-round picks on the interior defensive line, and they have been stellar throughout the first half of the season. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant have kept Michigan in games, with Graham leading the way with 21 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two quarterback hits and four tackles for loss despite being double-teamed on practically every play. Not to mention, he is playing way more snaps than last year, eclipsing 45 snaps in five of the six games this season compared to a season-high 42 against Ohio State in 2023.
Grant has been solid as well, totaling 12 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. Finally, Josaiah Stewart has been highly productive on the edge, leading the Big Ten with five sacks. As a defensive unit, Michigan ranks fourth in the Big Ten in sacks with 17 and fifth in tackles for loss with 36. You can expect the defensive line to continue pulling its weight.
Linebackers: B
Michigan’s linebacker room has continuously led the team in tackles each week. Ernest Hausmann leads the team with 40 tackles, and Jaishawn Barham is right behind him with 30. The linebacker group has consistently made big plays in huge moments, but it also has catastrophic lows. Hausmann and Barham have shown they can be the best linebacker duo in the Big Ten, but there have also been moments where the group will force a sack or a turnover, and then give up a big play on the very next drive.
With missed tackles, blown coverages and getting gashed in the run game every now and then, the linebacker room has plenty to work on for the second half of the season.
Defensive backs: C+
Michigan has been without Jaden Mangham, Ja’Den McBurrows, Wesley Walker (and Rod Moore) for multiple weeks, so the secondary has been extremely inconsistent. Opposing defenses have been trying to stay away from Will Johnson, so that has left Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill and company to get targeted repeatedly.
The Michigan secondary is allowing 259.8 passing yards per game and has given up 12 touchdown passes this year, but those numbers do not tell the whole story. Against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the secondary played well, with Berry and Hill forcing turnovers. Nonetheless, against the Washington Huskies, the secondary was a liability. At multiple points throughout the game, questions were raised about Hill’s cleats and if he had enough traction to cut since he continued to slip, and safety Makari Paige gave up multiple deep balls, leading to three completions of more than 35 yards.
With Johnson on an island, it is up to the rest of the group to step up, and Illinois is going to be another big test next weekend.
Special Teams: B+
Kicker Dominic Zvada is tied for the best field goal percentage in the conference with Michigan State kicker Jonathan Kim. Through six games, Zvada is 8-for-8 on field goals, including a long of 55 yards, and he is 15-for-16 on extra-point attempts (his one miss was blocked).
Punter Tommy Doman has been shaky, as he is averaging 42.8 yards per punt. However, he has logged multiple games, including last week against UW, where he averaged just 37 yards per punt. The Wolverines have also put together a blocked punt and field goal, so holistically speaking, the special teams unit is performing very well.
