The past three years, when no one else was singing the praises of Michigan football, ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy was a man alone. But this year, he’s no longer on the bandwagon.
On the Always College Football Podcast, McElroy, denoting Big Ten teams via tiers, he put Michigan football in tier two, along with Iowa, as teams who could make the College Football Playoff, but aren’t among the best-of-the-best in the conference.
“We have been pro-Michigan for the entirety of this podcast’s life,” McElroy said. “The problem is this Michigan is not the Michigan that took the field the last two years. So they are in Tier 2 to start the season, which qualifies as a College Football Playoff contender. They can make the playoff, but I am not confident at this point that they can win the national championship.”
Before he gets into the reasons why he has some pessimism, he shares where he’s optimistic about the Wolverines in Sherrone Moore’s first year at the helm.
“You look at last year’s team and that was a culmination of multiple years, building up to the moment in which they finally broke down the door, won in the playoffs, and then went on to win the national championship,” McElroy said. “So this was a three-year stretch — 2021, 2022, 2023 — where they peaked. And now, back to the drawing board a little bit as far as rebuilding is concerned.
“I think the defense has a chance to be elite, OK? The defense is so stout. Yes, they lost five guys to the draft last year — I don’t care. You look at how many guys they’ve played, this is not the side of the ball I’m concerned about, at all. They will be perfectly fine on the defensive side. Here’s the problem: where they’ve made their hay the past couple of years, where they’ve excelled, where they’ve been better than everybody, is along the line of scrimmage offensively. While they won the Joe Moore Award two years in a row, they’ve lost six guys to the NFL draft.”
McElroy goes on to say that the guy that has the most experience only has four starts under his belt. We’re assuming that he’s speaking of Myles Hinton, who has started beyond his time in Ann Arbor. Likewise, Josh Priebe was a starter at Northwestern, and Giovanni El-Hadi and Jeff Persi also have starting experience.
Even if the offensive line coalesces, for McElroy, it all comes down to the quarterback — where he has a ton of questions.
“The other position that’s concerning is quarterback,” McElroy said. “When a play needed to be made, J.J. McCarthy made the play — a la national championship game, third down-and-9, backed up in his own end. If they don’t get it, they’re punting from their own end zone. Well, what does he do? He scrambles for a 30-yard gain. (…)
“I look at the quarterback spot, and I’m really concerned. Jack Tuttle has been around for awhile. I know he’s gonna be in the mix. Alex Orji — I know he’s unbelievable as an athletic option. But there needs to be a massive jump in accuracy and a massive jump in his consistency throwing the football. I look at Denegal, I understand he’s a solid, very sharp passer. I get that. Jadyn Davis, blue chip prospect. Blue chip prospect but young. Davis Warren, former scout teamer. (…)
“I don’t think any solutions at the position are a bona fide, slam dunk, no-doubter.”
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: ESPN’s Greg McElroy explains why he’s bearish on Michigan football in 2024
Wolverines Wire
