This is probably a good time for me to jump in and give a preview of Michigan. I will not give a prediction because I don't know enough about your squad yet (plus you'll just call me a homer)
***A note before I do a position breakdown: One of the biggest things with the coaching change is the new S&C guy. We had a great one but he left with Harbaugh. His a replacement was an internal promotion but his development results were significantly different. The new guy (from Utah) has an outstanding rep, the players love the change and this spring you could already see the results as it looked more like the big physical teams of the Harbaugh era***
QB: He did not live up to hype last year and it was mostly because his mechanics were bad. We didn't have a QB coach and it showed as he seemed to regress. Reports where pretty positive (and he now has a QB coach) during the spring...but then came the spring game and he didn't look that different. But it was in limited action with a split squad so it didn't prove much other way. What will be different is that the new staff has a track record of running the QB (which Moore was against) which is a strength of his. That alone should make him more effective. We also have a little bit of depth this year if Underwood gets banged up.
RB: It is the best unit on the team. You guys know Marshall. He was All B10 last year while starting only 4 games. You might not know about 5* Savion Hiter who #1 RB recruit in the country this past cycle. Kid is not only electric but big. Some (nationally) are already considering it as possibly the top 1/2 punch in the country... are installing packages to get them both on the field at the same time. Our third back can play too...he had a spot start last year and ran for over 100.
OL: They were significantly better at the run last year than pass pro. The issue with pass pro were the tackles. Of the three that played significant time (all three return) one simply should be playing on the interior (and likely will this fall) and the other two were RS freshman that probably started a year before they were ready. There is still concern at this time. What is reason for optimism (for Michigan) is that the new OL coach is a significant upgrade (both his OTs last year just went in the 1st round) and Michigan gets back a former 5* OT that sat out his freshman year (last year) who is a man-child. He is coming off injury but will likely start at some point in the season and will likely be in our jumbo package early.
WR: This is an extremely talented group but is very young and mostly unproven. The top 2 guys will be true sophs. You guys know about Marsh as he had a stellar second half of the season as a freshman. The other guy transferred in from Utah where he started as freshman. A bigger WR (actually was listed as a TE as a recruit) but has decent speed. The next 3 were highly ranked as recruits but have yet to do anything. One was a 5* last year who technically is a transfer as he was at Utah for about a week before coming over with the new staff. Another is a transfer who did little his freshman year at Texas (but was a top 50 recruit) and the final is considered one of our more underrated recruits despite being top 100. So the word he is potential but will be much better than last year (in part because our group last year sucked besides Marsh).
TE: They're fine but we've had better TE rooms. The starter is probably a mid-round draft pick. There are some decent guys behind but this staff is going to use the TE differently than Michigan has in the past. You're not going to see many multiple TE sets anymore. Base will be 3 wide or 2 RBs. The jumbo is extra OL.
DT: This is one of the better, deeper and more experienced groups on the team. But they won't have a Mason Graham or Kenneth Grant. The closest is Trey Pierce who was honorable mention All B10 last year. He is expected to make a jump but he isn't Graham or Grant. This group has a lot of experience including a starter at Utah last year who will be coming off the bench.
EDGE: From a recruiting rankings stand point this is probably our best unit. But the stars are young including a true frosh 5*. There are also a couple top 100 guys who got their feet wet last year as a part of the 2nd unit. Really showed flashes. But the key to this unit will likely be a Utah transfer who was a first team AP All-American last year. However, he got hurt late in the year and while it is said he is back 100% you just never know how long it will take for him to get back playing like that. If he is the same player it gives the younger guys time to get comfortable either as the second starter or in the rotation.
LB: For most fans this is the biggest concern. The top 4 from last year (and we only play two) are gone and while we added some bodies in the portal it wasn't a homerun. There are a couple 2nd year guys they absolutely love (and they will either start or be first off the bench) but they simply haven't played yet. The third guy has some experience and was a top end recruit (though at UGA) but he was still behind some other guys last year (in his 1st year at Umich). In time it can be a good unit but could be some growing pains.
DB: They challenge the RBs for best unit on the team. This group is truly two deep with second teamers that could start on many other P4 teams. It also has some stars including Hill who has 1st round talent and if Rod Moore can get back to form (after a couple injury seasons) he was a pre-season All-American before the injury. A big thing is that within the two deep there is a diverse set of skills so it might be less about starter and backup and more being able to put different packages on the field for different matchups and situations.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Michigan's special teams was a flat out disaster last year. The coach was fired immediately after the season and before the whole Sherrone Moore thing came out. The new guy is a veteran (was at Ohio State), and well respected. So they got to be better...but just average would be significant improvement.
Hope that helps
