Michigan Embraces Change, Faces High Expectations in 2025

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Two weeks ago, the Michigan Wolverines sat at 5-5 overall and 3-4 in Big Ten Conference play, and needed a win in one of their last two games just to become bowl eligible. Up to that point, 2024 looked to be a blown season, and a portion of the Michigan fan base started to question if head coach Sherrone Moore was the right man to lead the program. Fast forward a few weeks and Moore has changed even the biggest of skeptics, and because of it, raised the expectations for the 2025 season.

For the majority of the season, Michigan's play had fans drawing comparisons to the Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez eras—a period Wolverines' fans want to forget. With the pressure building and the possibility of finishing a season without being bowl eligible Moore saved his best for last and put together Michigan’s best two weeks of the season. Moore turned what looked to be a disaster into a season filled with promise and hope for 2025.

With success comes higher expectations. Moore now faces increased pressure to compete next season with not only the top teams in the B1G, but also in the country. Moore used up any leeway he earned in the 2023 season putting the pressure on him to have 2025 look nothing like this season. Despite a severely underwhelming season, Moore somehow changed the narrative and the expectations for the program moving forward and did it in a very short amount of time. How was Moore able to turn disappointment and criticism into hope and anticipation?

Top 10 Freshman Class

Michigan has finally bought into NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) and used the resources they had to flip the No. 1 player in the country, quarterback Bryce Underwood, from LSU to the Wolverines. Underwood's flip to stay in his home state sent shock waves through the college football world. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Belleville, Mich. native looks to be a can’t-miss prospect and fills one of Michigan's biggest positions of need—quarterback.

Michigan didn’t stop there and used its newfound resources to flip players from some of the top programs like DL Nathaniel Marshall from Auburn, DBs Jordan Young from Clemson and Shamari Earls from Georgia, to name a few. Michigan went from having a respectable top 20 class to being ranked No. 9 in the country according to On3 and third in the B1G. Michigan now looks to be fully embracing NIL and will be able to compete for the best high school players in the country each year. 

Finished Strong/Tough Decisions

Michigan flipped Underwood just two days before beating Northwestern (4-8, 2-7) 50-6 to become bowl-eligible. Beating a bad Northwestern team is no accomplishment but putting up 50 points for a team that only averaged 22.3 a game is. Michigan finally looked to have found an offense at the right time with “The Game” looming.

In their last game of the year Michigan went into Columbus, Ohio as more than a 20-point underdog and beat the No. 2 Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2) 13-10. The win for Michigan was the biggest upset in the history of the storied rivalry. Moore, without two of his top players and starting a walk-on QB, found an away to win and improved his record to 2-0 against the Buckeyes.

Even with the success at the end of the season and momentum building it still didn’t stop Moore from making the tough decision of letting offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell go. By doing so, Moore proved he can make the hard decisions and is willing to do what’s necessary to put his program in the best position to accomplish its ultimate goals. Michigan's offense struggled all year under Campbell and couldn't figure out how to fix it. Michigan’s offense needed to be substantially better and moving on from Campbell so fast gave Moore time to find the perfect fit to run the offense he wants. A top-10 recruiting class, along with the top QB in the country, should make the job very desirable to possible hires.

Realistic Expectations

The College Football Playoff should be the realistic expectation heading into the 2025 season. At a minimum, Michigan should go 10-2, with its three hardest games on paper being Oklahoma, Penn State and Ohio State. It would be a stretch for Michigan to win the B1G championship next season.

Oregon and Ohio State will come in as the preseason favorites to make the B1G Championship game, but that's not to say the Wolverines can't. Michigan will have a more talented team next season, they will attack the Transfer Portal aggressively and have a few true freshmen that should contribute right away.  

The 2024 Michigan season has only one game left and even with a win, this season went nothing like it should have. But Michigan needed a disappointing season to get the push to embrace this new world of college football. Rivals enjoyed the Wolverine's struggles but it's those struggles that finally brought the changes to the Michigan athletic department that were needed. Finishing 9-3 instead of 7-5 Michigan would have never embraced NIL like they have. Moore now has all the resources he needs and will have no excuse not to compete next season with the top teams in the B1G and country.