By: Joe Cardoso
The temperatures are starting to dip a little, and you can hear the whistles of football coaches across the country. For the 2025 Michigan Wolverines, a new season is upon us with a chance to build off last year. With the NCAA in the review mirror, fans and players look ahead to regroup and put the Big 10 on notice.
“We take pride here,” senior fullback Max Bredeson, a captain, said. “I feel like Michigan’s all about whatever happens, we’re always ready to play football. That’s kind of the focal point, pillars you could say, of (the program).”
Hard to end the season better than we did with wins over Ohio State and Alabama. Not too many programs can say they did that. On offense, it will start with the wonder kid star freshman Bryce Underwood, who has ALL the hype but hasn’t thrown one pas in a real game yet. Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes will be looked to for a strong running game and take pressure off Underwood, setting up play-action and managing 3rd downs. Behind them, I want to see what the other 3 running backs can add to the mix.
The playmakers on the outside and between the hashes, who will they be? This offense STRUGGLED to make plays downfield and be a threat to the opposing defense. Fresh out of the portal, former Indiana wideout Donaven McCulley, word out of camp is that he will open a lot of eyes, as well as rocking the iconic number 1 jersey. New OC Chip Linsey also has UMass transfer Anthony Simpson to sprinkle in. Add in two dynamic first-year players in Andrew Marsh and Jamar Browd.
There are position battles up front, at left tackle, and right guard. We have locks at center, left guard, and right tackle with Giovanni El-Hadi, Greg Crippen, and Andrew Sprague, holding it down and starting last season. It will be up to them to open up the holes and protect our star under center. A fast start by this group is important to a good season. Read that twice lol.
On defense, the defensive line has SIZE! With multiple dudes standing at least 6 feet and 300 pounds, creating a nice rotation keeps guys fresh and ready to attack. Two names to keep an eye on are Trey Pierce and Enow Etta, who, reports say, has gotten jacked over the summer. Linebacker will be interesting as we look to see who can play along with Ernest Hausmann, Jaishawn Barham.
The secondary has a ton of depth with playmakers everywhere. This is what you need to combat today’s college football offenses. It won’t be a question of who can make a big play, but when a big play will happen. As the season goes on, this will continue to be a strength for the team.
Conclusion
Any real Wolverine fan will tell you this is not a National Championship team, but one that is ready to take a step towards it. I see a 9-3 record for Sherrone Moore and company; road trips to Oklahoma, USC, and Nebraska will be losses. The Buckeyes come to us, and we will gladly show them how we get down in Ann Arbor. Can’t wait for the season to start. What do you think our win total will be? #GoBlue