Five Things Every Michigan Football Fan Should Be Optimistic About In 2021
The Quarterbacks
Much like in 2020, the Michigan quarterback room is a huge question mark entering the 2021 season. For some, that's reason enough to have serious doubts about whether or not the Michigan offense will make significant improvements this year.
However, the 2021 quarterback room should be significantly better than it was in 2020 for a couple of reasons.
1. Experience: There's no question that the presumed starter - Cade McNamara - will have more experience heading into 2021 than he did heading into 2020. Not only was he able to gain valuable on-field experience that eventually earned him the starting job, he's also entering his third year with the program and should feel far more comfortable leading the offense. Additionally, Texas Tech transfer quarterback Alan Bowman - a three year starter for the Red Raiders - is set to arrive on campus this summer and is expected to make a serious run for the starting job. Between McNamara and Bowman, there's no question that the Michigan QB's will have more experience in 2021.
2. Overall talent: Though Michigan lost Joe Milton to the transfer portal during the off-season, the Wolverines gained both an experienced Alan Bowman and a highly-touted recruit in JJ McCarthy. It's hard not to view that as a significant upgrade.
The Running Backs
This is another group that appears to have improved significantly heading into the 2021 season. Michigan lost two backs from the 2020 season - veteran Chris Evans who declared for the NFL draft and junior Zach Charbonnet who is now enrolled at UCLA after entering the transfer portal earlier this year. Though the loss of Charbonnet is significant, the addition of freshman Donovan Edwards is quite possibly even more significant. Edwards, arguably the top running back in the country for the 2021 class, is generally viewed as the future of the running back position at the University of Michigan. He's quick, he's physical and he's likely to make an immediate impact.
Leading the charge in 2021 will be senior running back Hassan Haskins and sophomore running back Blake Corum, two guys who are fully capable of earning the title of RB1 at Michigan. Though Haskins is the most experienced of the two, don't be surprised if Corum is ultimately shouldering much of the load as the 2021 season progresses.
The Defense
This isn't so much about the personnel on the field as it is about the philosophy. Losing veteran guys like Kwity Paye and Carlo Kemp up front can be difficult, but the Wolverines are also returning some significant experience with guys like Aidan Hutchinson, Donovan Jeter, Daxton Hill, Brad Hawkins and Josh Ross.
Beyond the guys on the field, the fact that Jim Harbaugh brought in a new defensive coordinator should be more than enough for Michigan faithful to feel optimistic about the 2021 season. After a dismal 2020 season that saw his defense finish as one of the worst in the country, defensive coordinator Don Brown was replaced after five seasons in Ann Arbor. Brown's defense was extremely aggressive and disruptive at times, but was also extremely predictable and vulnerable against top-tier teams - particularly teams like Ohio State. Couple that with the inability to make any meaningful in-game adjustments and the Michigan defense became a huge liability in crunch time.
With Brown out of the picture, Harbaugh brought in Mike Macdonald who spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Baltimore Ravens. Though there are still plenty of questions surrounding Macdonald's defensive philosophy and how it will materialize on the field, there's no debating the fact that Macdonald has coached (and succeeded) at the highest level for a long time. Even with Macdonald largely being a question mark at this point, I still view this as a necessary change that is an overall positive for the Michigan football program.
The New Staff
Speaking of the new staff, it's clear that Jim Harbaugh felt that a massive change was needed within his coaching staff after signing his contract extension with Michigan. In fact, only half of Harbaugh's staff survived the cut during the off-season.
Returning Coaches:
- Josh Gattis, offensive coordinator
- Sherrone Moore, offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator
- Jay Harbaugh, special teams coach
- Shaun Nua, defensive line coach
- Ben Herbert, strength and conditioning coach
New Coaches:
- Mike Macdonald, defensive coordinator
- Mike Hart, running backs coach
- Ron Bellamy, safeties coach
- George Helow, linebackers coach
- Maurice Linguist, cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator
- Matt Weiss, quarterbacks coach
Given all of the fresh faces on Harbaugh's coaching staff, it's easy to be skeptical of just how well they will perform during their first year in Ann Arbor. At the same time, many of the new faces have also spent significant time coaching in the NFL or within programs where they have developed a proven track record of success. Put simply, the coaches may be new to Ann Arbor but they certainly aren't new to the game of football.
Overall, Harbaugh made significant changes to this football program during the off-season in an attempt to help fix the issues that have plagued Michigan throughout his tenure. Whether or not it works remains to be seen, but it's hard not to feel optimistic about the potential.
The Big House
For the most part, the Big House remained empty for the 2020 season - limited only to essential workers and family members. Not only was it a strange experience for those in the stands and for those watching on TV, it was also a strange experience for the players. When asked about the impact that an empty stadium has on the players, former Michigan running back Chris Evans made clear that the difference is significant.
"It's a different type of sleep," said Evans. “I think as far as the impact, like smack talking instances. You can vividly hear it loudly. I think it was kind of more like a little scrimmage...it’s not the same. It’s a different sleep, I’ll give you that. It’s a totally different sleep when you’re waking up about to play in front of 110,000 people rather than playing in front of zero people.”
Though it's highly unlikely that Michigan Stadium will be at 100% capacity when the Wolverines kick off this fall, it's entirely likely that the Wolverines will run out of the tunnel and touch the banner to the roar of 50,000 fans or more - which would be a welcome sign for both players and fans alike.
Brandon Brown
