Michigan Football Preview 2015 – Offensive Overview

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers and Tight ends

Offensive line

Michigan struggled mightily on offense last year, and in the spring game, showed that they still had some work to do. With the two squads combining for seven points, and much of the Blue team’s offense coming by way of “throw it over Norfleet’s head,” it’s reasonable to wonder how good the offense can really be. It’s worth pointing out that the defense was very good last year, and returns a lot of their players. And the defense is almost always ahead of the offense in the spring, but still, it shouldn’t have been by that much.

Jake Rudock coming in will help immensely. Is he going to win the Heisman? No. But at the very least, he’s a competent starter. That is a massive improvement over last year, when Devin Gardner looked lost at times. I can’t fault Gardner himself completely for this; Hoke looked permanently lost, Nussmeier didn’t help matters, and the OC before him thought it was a good idea to try to turn Denard Robinson into a pro-style QB. It’s easy to see why Gardner looked lost – the guidance he was getting sucked. Speaking of less-than-excellent guidance, Rudock’s previous head coach and OC were Kirk Ferentz and Greg Davis, respectively. But you know who’s not going to be lost? Jim Harbaugh and Jedd Fisch. Don’t discount the possibility of them turning Rudock into one of the better starters in the country. And if Morris ends up starting this year, it will be because he beat out a proven QB, whereas last year, he started because “hey, why not, what’s there to lose at this point?”

None of the running backs separated themselves from the pack last year. Drake Johnson looked like he might be Michigan’s best RB, but unfortunately, has been unable to stay healthy. De’Veon Smith has looked solid. Derrick Green could be great if he ever starts hitting the right hole consistently. Ty Isaac joins the mix this year with a lot of potential.

A lot of the offense’s struggles last year had to do with the youth of the offensive line. Kyle Kalis got better as the year went on and began to look like the guy Michigan thought they’d have when he committed. Graham Glasgow returns after being probably Michigan’s best O-lineman last year. Mason Cole was solid as a true freshman and should only get better this year. And new OC Tim Drevno has put together great offensive lines everywhere he’s been. An improved and more experienced offensive line should do wonders for Michigan. Between the O-line improving and gaining Tyrone Wheatley as RB coach, the running game should be just fine this year.

If there’s still a weak spot in the offense, it’s at wide receiver. Amara Darboh is a pretty good wide receiver, but if a team is going to be great, their #1 WR needs to be more than pretty good. Jake Butt is pretty much the ideal TE for Jim Harbaugh’s system, so I have high expectations for him. Still, they need at least one more receiving option to step up.

Twitter: @KSchroeder2325

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com