Michigan Football Insider Reveals Wolverines Secret Weapon for the 2024 Season | Season Preview

New Expectations so you win a National Championship now what well the year after the year that's what Michigan has ahead of them a new head coach a new quarterback and maybe new expectations I know the guy to ask about it let's welcome in Sam web of the Michigan Insider to talk some Michigan I mentioned all the nunas off the top I'm sure you've talked endlessly about that this offseason but we've got to lay it out for people you've got the new head coach you've got some new coordinators new quarterback new key pieces with all of that as a backdrop Sam what level of pressure does Chiron Moore face this year yeah I think he faces pressure that comes with the position at Michigan like even coming off a national championship where you would think you're dealing with house money I I think he knows every year no matter the circumstances uh you're expected to win and so with that coming in with a stacked and loaded schedule even with a new quarterback you have a loaded defense like this a defense that the guys on it are saying they think it's going to be better yeah I think the expectation is they're gonna comp regardless of what my man smoke said smoke is killing me regardless of what smoke said he think they're gonna have a lot of lot of losses I I think they expect to contend for a national championship again that is the expectation so you're walking in thinking that look you know two losses you know that's the I don't think they expect I don't think anyone around Michigan is expecting them to go undefeated uh but I think they're expecting him to to lose you know one maybe two games uh looking beyond that I think they're saying hey you know this is the kind of team uh that shouldn't be thinking uh losing more games than that three at the most but you know you have three losses in in a season uh like this uh with with a even with the 12 team play playoff three losses get you out of there so two losses is where you're looking one or two losses you're still in contention I think that's what Michigan fans are expecting this year I know smoke just throwing that week two game as an automatic win for Texas come on we got to play the game though that's what makes this time of year so fun talking season and uh speaking of the epitome of talking season I was so excited to see you uh in Indianapolis for Big 10 media days and uh there Coach QB Competition Moore did not really give much away in terms of who will replace JJ McCarthy I have a feeling that's what he's been like all offseason but Sam you are in the no what can you tell us about the QB competition yeah so I think Emily I it I think they're koi to a point I think that heading into fall Camp which began yesterday I think they went in with Alex orgy as the the leading guy uh to say he's the number one guy it's probably too strong that's like saying he has the job I do think it's a competition but I I think his skill set I think he is the guy of of the three with Davis Warren and Jack Tuttle he is the guy who has a talent a differen making talent that separates him now you know but there's another piece to the game like he can run in a in a difference making way but you got to show you're can you can be consistent enough throwing the football for that to shine through and that's what they don't know that's what you have to figure out in Fall Camp you look at the other guys Davis Warren is a miracle Story I mean getting over leukemia you know he's a guy that you didn't know if he would you know if he would be able if he would live let alone play football and here he is a triumphant story and you've seen him in his journey as a college football player get better and better have you know good spring games year after year and then this past year take a real step in showing that yeah he can kind of play with some pressure you know but pressure I'm talking about pressure in his face and move around in the pocket a little bit he's he has the arm Talent he has you know the he can throw it like JJ he can't do all the other things like J JJ but like throwing the football if it's just an arm contest he can do that and then Jack Tuttle he has the experience he's a seventh year guy so you have some some different elements in the equation that I think play off of one another in a competitive kind of way what's going to shine to the four I think they were thinking heading into camp that it was it was Alex orgy with a real strong lead and then like maybe a couple weeks leading in the camp some guys kind of saw some of the players kind of saw Jack Tuttle throw the football a little bit and I think it kind of gave Jack tle some some Vibes kind of heading into the camp to kind of make it seem like it's maybe this is a little more of a battle so I'm thinking maybe it's maybe 6535 Alex orgy kind of heading into camp and then we'll see where the chips fall if you ask me I think it's going to be Alex but he's going to have to win it I think he will but he's going to have to earn it in Camp here over the next few weeks see I love that Insight because a lot of times when coaches will say it's a quarterback battle it's just because they don't want to name a starter but it sounds like things are truly a QB battle right now uh for Michigan now they whoever ends up under Center does have some trouble around him as they return Defense only one starter on offense but it's a darn good one in Donovan Edwards so it certainly helps but we're going to talk about the defense of side of the ball cuz they return four starters that's more than one but a lot of them are multiple First Team all Big 10 Talent so how do you think the defense will follow up last year's best in the country numbers Sam yeah they were they were smart they were talented they were deep you know if you look at last year's defense I think that's what really set it apart you could come off the bench and not really lose a lot and so when I look at this year's defense the first string I get it when they say we could be better even losing Mikey sistol who I think is one of the best players in the history of Michigan football he is Elite like that dude is an all-time great and I don't think that they can replace him but on the strength of the guys who are coming back will Johnson is the best corner in the country he is an all-time great you have the two best defensive tackle in the country come on smoke you got to come with me smoke two best defensive tackles in the country in Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant who are ball players and then you go in you go in the transfer portal and you get Jon Barham and the guys have been raving out of Maryland and they've been raving about what Jon baram is bringing to the table when we I was on this show a couple months ago talking about the recruiting class I said you know the five star in the class is Jon baram out of the portal you a guy who was a playmaker had an interception against Michigan in that game he was all over the field he came here and in a in in one spring put on 15 15 pounds of muscle he's been in a strength and conditioning program in Maryland for two years he comes here in one spring puts on 15 pounds of muscle and he is killing it up to 215 pounds and so he can do all the the linebacker stuff that Junior cson did who was a second round draft pick for the for the chargers chargers and but now he's also doing things at the line of scrimmage he's coming off the edge they're blitzing him up the middle they think he's going to be the ultimate chess piece so you got all of these different weapons Derek Moore and Josiah Stewart off the edge who who bench press the first round offensive lineman from Bama smoke I'm going to keep calling you out smoke right and so you know you got all of these guys all these first string guys who are Elite what I what we got to find out about Michigan to find out if they can be better is are they as deep do you go two and in some positions three deep like you did last year but first string I don't know that there's a better first string defense in this country than the one that we're going to see from the University of Michigan Year all right you keep calling out smoke this is your time I asked him the same question I'm going to ask you the same question looking at big picture no divisions four new teams in the Big 10 Outlook you got a 12 team playoff so what is Michigan's overall Outlook this year yeah for Michigan listen they the the floor for them is three losses it's the three games it's it's Texas it's Oregon it's Ohio state they're goingon to beat everyone else USC they're at home against USC USC plays no defense now I know they went and they got UCLA's defensive coordinator to try to give them a pulse uh maybe uh maybe coach Lynn kind of gives them a post this year but it's not going to be an overnight proposition and you know the the physicality of this league is not going to be an overnight proposition for them this year either Washington smoke is right about Washington that's not going to be solved for for them this year either for for Michigan even if they lose against Texas There's an opportunity in League Play to grow your quarterback up and that is really what it's all about defensively they're going to be just fine can you grow your quarterback up enough to once you get to Oregon back to you gotta you got to be able to split Oregon and Ohio State that is really what it boils down to Emily can you split those two game so if you lose to Texas if that winds up being the case that you still wind up at the end of the season with only two losses that really is the name of the game you cannot end the season with more than two losses even if you wind up with two League losses you can still wind up in the college football playoff if those two losses wind up being Oregon and Ohio State so really that's what we're talking about you know even with this with this loaded schedule and those two teams Oregon and Ohio State being uh in league and being in the top 10 you can still afford to have it not being in the Big 10 championship game if those two teams are riding high like I think they are I think Michigan winds up splitting between those two teams though and could wind up still being in the uh in the Big 10 championship game that's how I think it'll go I think they split Oregon in Ohio State wind up in the Big 10 championship game I think they wind up in the college football playoff all right Michigan fans here hearing you say that they're going to split the Oregon and Ohio State games are saying all right we'll lose to Oregon absolutely do not lose that Ohio State game Sam you're the best thank you so much for coming on we appreciate it of course you can read more of his work at Michigan insider.com they have a story up right now that details what an exact scholarship offer from Michigan looks like and how it may be a little bit different from shiron Moore so if you're into that sort of thing I am I thought it was very interesting you can check it out for all things Wolverines read it up m migan insider.com [Music]