go-go offense

A week and change on from the national title, attention now turns to the basketball program what Team 145 is going to look like. This may be an exercise in futility since there's a distinct chance that Jim Harbaugh takes an NFL job this offseason, throwing everything into a mild state of higgeldy-piggeldy. But they'd probably just plug in Sherrone Moore, avoid significant portal departures, and be more or less the same minus a predilection for weird press conferences.

So.

QUARTERBACK

Obviously the biggest question mark on the team in the aftermath of JJ McCarthy's draft entry. The options on campus do not feel like plugging in JJ McCarthy, to say the least. They are:

• Jayden Denegal, a 6'4" pocket passer who was a high three star on the composite and got a reasonable amount of garbage time last year. He'll be a redshirt sophomore next year.
• Davis Warren, a former walk-on who's looked solid in a couple of spring games but was hurt (probably) much of the year, ceding non-JJ snaps to Denegal.
• Alex Orji, a Tebow-esque runner who got on the field for various snaps down the stretch where he always ran the ball. Michigan did dial up a pass for him in the Rose Bowl but 'Bama covered it and he ran out of bounds for a two yard loss.
• Jadyn Davis, a true freshman who was a five star but has slid down recruiting boards to be a fringe top 100 prospect. Davis did join the team for bowl practices and has buckets of experience in high school.

In the season preview I asserted that the best case scenario for Michigan entering 2024 is that Orji was the clear frontrunner and I still maintain that because we have an indication he does have an elite skill. I'm not sure the Tebow/Denard offense can be a national title winner in the year of our lord 2024; neither am I sure Michigan can pivot a ton of option stuff that would be necessary. Even so: Orji has It on the ground, and I'm not sure anyone else can say they're there as a passer.

[After THE JUMP: loaded RB room… not so loaded WR room] 

Essentials

Overview

Michigan's run of completely overmatched nonconference opponents continues with UNLV, a Mountain West team coming off a 5-7 season. Last year the Rebels played two P5 teams, losing 20-14 to Cal and 44-21 to Notre Dame. This year they've got a win over Bryant, which is probably an FCS school but may be an Ann Arbor elementary school. In the latter case: rude.

First year head coach Barry Odom was Mizzou's head coach from 2016 to 2019; prior to that he was first a Mizzou LB and then a defensive assistant in various capacities until becoming a DC in 2014 at Memphis; he was most recently the Arkansas DC. Odom got the job off the back of a pretty miserable season: Arkansas finished 13th in the SEC in YPA allowed and 10th in YPC allowed; they were dead last in yards per game allowed and 68th in SP+.

But he hired a fun offensive coordinator and has some talent on offense so this might be more interesting than, say, UConn.

[AFTER THE JUMP: "American River College"]