At 3-1, the Michigan Wolverines are in decent shape starting off their 2025 campaign. The loss at Oklahoma looks more and more reasonable by the week, and the road win over Nebraska gives hope for the important
stretch coming out of the first bye. The team endured Sherrone Moore’s suspension and is starting to round into form, keeping its College Football Playoff hopes alive.
With a brand new quarterback, new offensive coordinator, and new faces in many key positions, there were plenty of questions regarding what exactly this team would look like this fall. While not all of those unknowns are completely answered, here are six surprises — good and bad — that Michigan has shown through the first four games this season.
1. The play calling is opening up!
Maybe optimists dreamed about a dynamic offense led by Bryce Underwood and Chip Lindsey over the summer, but surely those fantasies died a couple weeks ago in Norman. However, against all odds, the Wolverines did what few teams seem to ever do: admit their mistakes and make the appropriate adjustments. Maybe this was more evident in the low-stakes environment against Central Michigan than last weekend in Lincoln, but it is clear Underwood is going to get a chance to show off both his arm and legs going forward if that is what the situation calls for.
2. The (traditional) edges are good but not elite.
Derrick Moore came into the season as arguably the highest projected future draft pick and TJ Guy was the chalk selection for breakout star. Neither have lived up to that hype so far, with Guy even absent against CMU. Michigan cannot be successful if its defensive line is not the best unit on the field, and these edge rushers are huge parts of that proposition. Thankfully, Moore had a great game against the Huskers, which hopefully sets off a deluge for the rest of the season.
3. Barham can be an absolute monster!
Though Jaishawn Barham’s talent is not a secret, I was not expecting Wink Martindale to actually line him up at edge despite some chatter over the offseason. It took a couple games to commit to the switch, but it is awesome to see the coaching staff let Barham just get after it. He is definitely raw at edge, but given the aforementioned inadequacies from some of his peers, it is certainly worth the risk. Plus, Cole Sullivan and Jimmy Rolder look more than capable at linebacker, allowing Michigan to get its best 11 players on the field.
4. Secondary development is gradual.
Rod Moore just finally making it back and Zeke Berry missing a pair of games does not help, but any hope for the secondary being a lock-down unit will have to ride it out a little longer. There is no need to hit the panic button yet, but TJ Metcalf is still adjusting and Brandyn Hillman has plenty of growing up to do. After all the talk about “give everyone reps at nickel,” the hope was this group was just super deep, but instead there seems to be a lot of decent options but perhaps not enough studs. Maybe once everyone is healthy the vibes will change.
5. The offensive line is actually decent!
No unit caused me more concern this summer than the offensive line…then Andrew Babalola went down. But even without the five-star freshman — and Giovanni El-Hadi for much of the season — the front five have been more than passable. There are still painful moments, but for the most part Nathan Efobi and Jake Guarnera have been very solid, and even Evan Link looks improved from last year. While Underwood’s mobility might be playing a role here, overall I feel a ton better than expected about this group.
6. Wide receiver is still a struggle.
Donaven McCulley can get a pass despite his modest usage, but is any other wide receiver inspiring any confidence? Andrew Marsh is still too green, Channing Goodwin is not the answer, and Semaj Morgan has been deeply disappointing. The ostensible downfield threat has rarely been a factor in the vertical passing game, and too many times he is an issue or non-factor on screens as well. Maybe calling this position group’s issues a surprise is a stretch, but I was hoping to not experience deja vu from last season.
