The Michigan Wolverines will face a daunting schedule in 2024. They will have arguably one of the toughest schedules in the country with opponents like Ohio State, Texas, Washington, Oregon and more. Luckily, the easier schedule this year allowed for several true freshmen and other fresh faces to get valuable experience.
With the Wolverines expected to lose a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, the incoming players of the 2024 class will experience a baptism by fire next season. Many of these young guys will be expected to develop quickly and assist a squad that will be looking to fill plenty of holes.
Let’s take a look at some incoming freshmen who could play a big role next season.
OT Andrew Sprague
Michigan will be losing talent and depth along the offensive line following this season. The Wolverines will likely add a player or two from the portal, but will be looking to maintain a good rotation. It would be no surprise if the highest ranked offensive lineman could see the field early next season.
Sprague is massive, standing at 6-foot-8, 295 pounds. It is expected that Ben Herbert will help refine is physique to maximize his potential when he arrives on campus. Sprague currently ranks as a top-10 offensive tackle and should be able to be a plug-and-play piece for the Wolverines if he is able to acclimate to the college pace of play quickly.
RB Jordan Marshall
One shifty running back exits, another enters. The Wolverines lose Blake Corum following this season, and while there is some uncertainty regarding Donovan Edwards’ plan, Michigan will return Kalel Mullings, Ben Hall, Cole Cabana and more. Four-star commit Jordan Marshall has the traits to come in and make an immediate impact.
The Wolverines struggled at times this year creating holes for their backs. This resulted in Corum getting extra carries down the stretch since he had the ability to make plays on his own. Marshall has a similar running style to Corum and could be a playmaker for the Wolverines should they face a similar situation next season. He was named 2023 Ohio Mr. Football after rushing for more than 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns his senior season.
TE Brady Prieskorn
The Wolverines have been known to maximize the use of their tight ends in recent years. The coaching staff likes to develop their tight end room into both elite blockers as well as receiving threats. This has paid dividends, creating matchup nightmares for opposing defenses. Brady Prieskorn fits the bill for exactly what the
It’s December 5th, 2009. We’re in Arlington, Texas for the Big 12 Championship Game. Down two, Texas is lined up for a field goal attempt that would punch their ticket to the BCS National Championship Game. For Nebraska, if this score holds then they’ll bring home their first conference title since 1999, while simultaneously throwing a major wrench into the BCS title race. So to better appreciate that, to understand what’s going through Colt McCoy’s head, to recognize the game-wrecking greatest of Ndamukong Suh, and to remember why we’ve still got this one tick on the clock, we need to rewind.
Coleston Loveland will be back for a third season and if A.J. Barner returns, Prieskorn will have two incredibly talented tight ends to learn from. He put up good receiving numbers his senior season, catching 33 passes for 665 yards and eight touchdowns. He could very well be TE1 in 2025.
The Wolverines regularly rotated in their freshmen in the secondary this season. With Michigan set to lose Mike Sainristil and Josh Wallace, Michigan will be looking to maintain depth in the future. There is no reason to believe the coaching staff won’t continue to rotate fresh faces in to get some experience moving forward.
It is within the realm of possibility that Jo’Ziah Edmond could get decent playing time next season. He is a big corner at 6-foot-1 who could match up better against downfield threats alongside Will Johnson. He played both sides of the ball his senior season and put up impressive numbers — 59 tackles and five interceptions.
Michigan will not have much time to get incoming freshmen equated with the college game before a huge uptick in competition next season. The Wolverines will retain some talent following this season that will help the incoming class prepare for a bigger role as the coaching staff molds their new roster. The above players will be worth keeping an eye on heading into the loaded 2024 season.
