Four position battles that will define Michigan football’s 2024 title chances

The Michigan football team is coming off a 15-0 season and national championship, heading into an uncertain spring with Sherrone Moore as its new head coach. 

Optimism abounds for the 2024-2025 team, with former NFL defensive coordinator Wink Martindale serving as the new defensive coordinator and Kirk Campbell at the helm as the new offensive coordinator. 

Michigan has the talent to win a Big Ten or national championship with several NFL-caliber players returning on both sides of the ball. Its schedule might be the toughest in the nation, however, with matchups against Ohio State, Texas, USC, Oregon and Washington. 

The combination of its schedule and inexperience at key positions means it will take a Herculean effort for Michigan to make the College Football Playoff's inaugural 12-team field. 

Here are four position battles that will determine the Wolverines' fate: 

1. Quarterback

Alex Orji, Jayden Denegal, Jack Tuttle and freshman Jadyn Davis will battle it out. 

Orji is the best runner, Denegal might be the best passer, Tuttle is the most balanced and Davis is the wild card.

Prediction: Orji wins the job based on his leadership and running skills. Denegal and Tuttle rotate in and compete for snaps. 

2. Wide receiver

Semaj Morgan, Tyler Morris, Frederick Moore, Kendrick Bell and Karmello English are among those competing for playing time. 

Morgan is the jet-sweep merchant, Morris is Mr. Dependable and the others are relative unknowns with strong high school accolades. 

Prediction: All five receivers play and contribute. Moore is the breakout star. 

3. Offensive line

Former tight ends coach Grant Newsome is the new coach and a former offensive lineman. 

Myles Hinton, Giovanni El-Hadi, Greg Crippen, Josh Priebe (a Northwestern transfer) and Jeffrey Persi are the expected starters. 

All have experience playing significant snaps or starting.

Prediction: Michigan has one of the better o-lines in the country yet again. It will take a few weeks for this group to gel. 

4. Nickelback

The Wolverines must replace NFL Draft fast riser Mike Sainristil at this position. 

Ja'Den McBurrows, a former three-star, is the likely replacement. 

McBurrows is 5-foot-10 and as scrappy as they come. He has plenty of experience and appears ready to contribute at a new position. He plays better than his high school star ranking. 

Prediction: McBurrows becomes a solid player with Brandyn Hillman also in line for playing time.