The future in Ann Arbor is bright, even with all of the turmoil in recent years.
Michigan football was under the microscope basically the moment the 2022 season ended and it persisted all the way through a national championship won nearly two years later. Then, once the NCAA investigations had come to a close, with summer 2025 finally seeing penalties handed down, the Wolverines found themselves in another sticky situation, with Sherrone Moore being summarily fired in December after he had an affair with his personal assistant and was arrested in the aftermath of his firing.
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The hire of Kyle Whittingham from Utah shouldn’t just bridge a gap, it should put pretty much all of the messes in the rearview mirror.
Whittingham provides stability on the coaching front, but the coach known for doing more with less will now have an opportunity to do more with more. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg put together his annual future power rankings, where he evaluated where each Power Four team is trending for the foreseeable. And though the Wolverines dropped three spots from No. 13 to 16, they’re still in an excellent position.
Previous future power ranking: 13 (. . .)
Offensive line/defensive line outlook: The defensive front should remain very strong under new coach Kyle Whittingham, who brought All-America end John Henry Daley and tackle Jonah Lea’ea from Utah. Daley’s recovery from a ruptured Achilles is worth tracking, but he can be an elite pass rusher alongside senior tackles Trey Pierce and Enow Etta. Michigan has some non-senior options at end with Cameron Brandt and Nate Marshall, while adding top-25 national recruit Carter Meadows. Respected offensive line coach Jim Harding takes over a group seeking the next step from holdovers such as Jake Guarnera, Andrew Sprague, Evan Link and Blake Frazier. Guarnera, an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick, can play through 2027. Michigan regains Andrew Babalola, a top-30 recruit who sat out last season because of an ACL injury.
Roster management: Michigan absorbed the jarring exit of coach Sherrone Moore without a roster overhaul. The team lost running back Justice Haynes to Georgia Tech but retained junior Jordan Marshall, who will lead a loaded running back room. Linebacker Cole Sullivan (Oklahoma) was another notable departure, along with cornerback Jayden Sanders. But Whittingham brought Daley, Lea’ea, cornerback Smith Snowden and wide receiver JJ Buchanan from Utah, and Michigan also picked up safety Chris Bracy (Memphis) and wide receiver Jaime Ffrench (Texas). Michigan’s retention also stood out with Underwood, Marshall and defensive backs Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill and Rod Moore. Michigan lost several recruits in the transition but still signed the No. 11 class, led by Meadows and five-star running back Savion Hiter. (. . .)
Coaching staff: Whittingham assembled a strong first staff, bringing over Harding, offensive coordinator Jason Beck, strength coach Doug Elisaia, quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer and others from his Utah staff, while plucking veteran defensive coordinator Jay Hill from BYU. He retained running backs coach Tony Alford from the previous staff, while adding veterans such as wide receivers coach Marques Hagans. Special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs, hired right before Moore’s firing, was retained.
There’s more on the quarterbacks and Michigan’s star power this year over at ESPN.
The biggest piece to all of this is the evaluation of the offensive and defensive lines. Whittingham’s brand isn’t terribly different than that of Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore, except he already seems to have streamlined his schematic tendencies, whereas it took Harbaugh from 2015 until 2021 to finally turn his version of the Wolverines into one that could win the Big Ten. Whittingham inherits players who can already run what he’s looking to do, on both sides of the ball, and he supplemented areas on offense, such as wide receiver, that required a bit more talent in order to revamp the unit.
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Given the early returns on the recruiting trail, there’s no sign that this is slowing down. Thus, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Michigan outperform expectations not only this year, but in the coming years, when some of the top talent makes it to campus.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football rank in ESPN future power rankings
