It feels like it was just yesterday that the 2023 college football season came to a close with the Michigan footballteam hoisting the national championship trophy at NRG Stadium in Houston. It was over three months ago, however, and preparation for the 2024 season is well underway. Teams are having their spring games, and we have made it through the hardest part of the offseason. The Wolverines have their spring game on Saturday, and the team is going to look very different.
Last year's Michigan football team was absolutely loaded with talent, and they might break the record for most players drafted by a single school in one year. It was a veteran-led squad, and the Wolverines won a national championship because of it. However, they are now losing just about all of their production from that team, and they have to build things back up.
Not only did Michigan lose most of their national title team from a player standpoint, but the coaching staff is extremely different as well. Jim Harbaugh brought a national title to his alma mater, but he never won a Super Bowl when he was an NFL head coach. That is a still a goal that he has, and he is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
It wasn't just Jim Harbaugh that left Michigan. He brought a lot of coaches with him to the NFL, and now the Wolverines have a very different staff. From players to coaches, this is a completely different Michigan football team.
Sherrone Moore is the new head coach for the Wolverines. He did serve as the head coach for four games last season because of two different suspensions that Harbaugh faced. Now the job is officially his, and he is essentially starting from scratch.
There are a lot of starting jobs to earn this season for Michigan football players as most starters from last year departed. There are guys from last year's team competing for those spots, but the Wolverines should also be looking at some players in the transfer portal. Here are two to keep an eye on.
Michigan football transfer portal targets
Jason Zandamela, OL, USC
This is a transfer portal player that Michigan football should be contacting without a doubt. Jason Zandamela was in the 2024 recruiting class and enrolled at USC in January, but things quickly didn't work out there, and he is now in the portal. He was a top-50 prospect, and he is now the highest-ranked available player in the portal.
Michigan football's identity has been their offensive line the past three years. They won two Joe Moore awards for the best o-line in college football, and the one year that they didn't was last year when Washington won it. You saw the national title game, it was pretty clear which team had the better offensive line.
The Wolverines are losing that o-line core to the NFL, and they now need to build a new elite line. Jason Zandamela would be a huge get.
Jaden Rashada, QB, Arizona State
Michigan might've missed their chance to get a top QB in the transfer portal, but you never know what will happen in the spring window. Jaden Rashada is the highest ranked available QB in the portal now, and it might be a good idea for Michigan to take a look at him. The Wolverines are losing their star QB, JJ McCarthy, to the NFL, and it might not be a bad idea to throw a transfer into their QB competition.
It was a bit surprising to see the Wolverines not pursue a QB in the portal early in the offseason, but maybe the staff feels confident enough with last year's backups. It doesn't have to be Rashada, but it might be smart for Michigan to look at a transfer QB.
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