By Micheal Germanese
Michigan’s football season went nothing like anyone thought in 2024. Massive changes had the Wolverines facing more questions than answers. It didn’t take long for Michigan to find out they didn’t have the ability to answer most of the questions they where facing.
Michigan – coming off three straight Big Ten championships and a national title – had an offseason of change before the 2024 campaign. Long-time head coach Jim Harbaugh headed to the NFL and took several key coaches along. Almost all the productivity from the national championship team also headed to the NFL while a few key players hit the portal. Michigan was now in a transition that no fan, alumni, or donor saw coming.
Michigan looked to have everything rolling, but after massive changes and two scandals hanging over the program, the new head coach had a lot of work to do. Sherrone Moore took over and was tasked with finding a way to keep the train rolling in 2024 regardless of everything happening around the program.
It didn’t take long to see whatever expectations Michigan had to start the season were not going to be achieved. The Texas matchup put everything into perspective for Michigan fans that 2024 was going to be a struggle. In the Week 2 matchup Michigan would lose to the Longhorns 31-12 in a game that wasn’t competitive at all.
Michigan’s struggles continued after Texas and would lose to Washington, Illinois, Indiana, and Oregon. And with two weeks left, Michigan found themselves sitting at 5-5 and needing a win just to become bowl-eligible in 2024. Michigan was looking at not just a disappointing season, but an embarrassing one. The season at that point had first-time head coach Moore being questioned if he was the right man to lead the program.
Rivals were enjoying every minute of what looked to be a disastrous season. Unknown to them a change was taking place, and it would be the disappointment of 2024 that would force the transformation of the program for the future.
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Michigan is primed to be an NIL power player, via @SWiltfong_〽️
"They are not going to lose on the NIL front anymore.”
Read: https://t.co/9AYY5O2li5 pic.twitter.com/fPBQiBA43m
— Rivals (@Rivals) February 5, 2025
It’s the disappointment of 2024 that pushed Michigan into the 21st century and made them overcome their biggest obstacle: NIL. Michigan by their description was transformational, not transactional, and never bought into NIL. That’s not the case anymore and now Michigan Football should have the talent to compete year in and out. Make no mistake: if Michigan sat at 7-3 instead of 5-5 this transition would never have happened.
While opposing fans enjoyed the losses, it was those losses that have now made Michigan a national contender in player acquisition. No longer will Michigan walk into any recruit’s house at a disadvantage by not playing the NIL game. Michigan won’t miss out on top targets anymore because of being outbid.
With one move Michigan went from transformational to transactional with the flip of Bryce Underwood, the top player in the 2025 class. The move turned heads around college football and made Michigan a national player moving forward. Now with this newfound investment, Michigan is one of five teams that find themselves in the Top 10 for both their recruiting and transfer portal class in 2025.
The Underwood flip gave Michigan the momentum to flip guys like Shamari Earls from Georgia, Jordan Young from Clemson, Ty Haywood from Alabama, and Nataniel Marshall from Auburn. Their newfound resources also let them find success in the portal bringing in guys like Try Williams from Clemson, Justice Haynes, Damon Payne from Alabama, and Troy Bowles from Georgia. They say it’s hard to out-scheme talent – something Michigan won’t have to figure out how to do anymore.
Michigan Wolverines flip elite Georgia Bulldogs cornerback commit Shamari Earls https://t.co/xR2UipNMgl
— Georgia High School On SI (@SBLiveGA) November 2, 2024
Now with their success off the field comes new expectations on it. The 2024 season played a major role in the success off the field, but what happened on it won’t be tolerated again. Moore now finds himself under even more pressure to win not just on the field but off it as well. Pandora’s box has been opened in regard to spending and it can’t be closed now. Because of it, the exception for Michigan is now to beat both your rivals, win the Big Ten and compete for a national championship every year. When it comes to off the field, the exception is a Top 10 recruiting/transfer class every year.
Record-wise the 2024 season was a disappointment, but the changes it forced into happening made it a success. But with those changes comes a pressure to win for Moore the likes only coaches like Ryan Day, Kirby Smart, Dabo Sweeny and Dan Lanning know. For Michigan, the term “rebuilding” no longer exists, as a program they are now expected to reload like other top programs. Moving forward, Moore will face pressure that no other Michigan head coach has faced. In 2025 it’s up to Moore to prove that under his leadership Michigan is up to the challenge.
