ANN ARBOR, Michigan – It may be difficult to imagine Michigan football taking a step forward on offense, given that JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, the top two starting wide receivers and the entire offensive line have moved on to the NFL – and that doesn’t even include head coach Jim Harbaugh either. is leaving for the professionals. But as with anything new, there is an area of opportunity here.
The expectation for the Wolverines is that they will be defensive-minded and potentially (though almost certainly) dominant on that side of the ball, but the offense has many people questioning how good that can be. Understandably, since there is no obvious starting quarterback, the offensive line is constantly changing, running back Donovan Edwards – who was special in 2022 – had a down year last year and there is very little production at the wide receiver position. But new offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell may be taking on that role for the first time in Ann Arbor, but he’s there, having been an OC for Old Dominion and was under Joe Moorhead during his impressive tenure in Penn State.
So before you even get into the what, you need to understand the why and the how. And for Campbell, it’s about defining an identity based on the little things.
“The identity I want is to ensure that we are a fundamentally sound unit that prides itself on detail and precision,” Campbell said. “Alignment, assignment, execution.”
It is logical that practically any moment executed, on both sides of the ball, has an above average chance of winning. However, it also takes talent and experience to execute. And while any list of ‘comeback experiences’ probably won’t have many Wolverines — especially on offense — Campbell rejects that notion.
Asked how Michigan can score more than 30 points per game in 2024, Campbell noted how many players have the necessary experience along with great playmaking ability. If the attack can find the pinnacle of experience, playmaking and execution, it will be difficult to stop.
“We have a lot of guys coming back who have had a lot of playing time,” Campbell said. “I just got Tyler Morris right — if you don’t consider him a starter, you better consider Semaj Morgan a starter. Max Bredeson started. Then we added Josh Priebe – yes, he didn’t start here, but he started at Northwestern. We have a lot of guys with experience, so that gives a lot of confidence there.
“The players we have in the room are so explosive and dynamic. We talked about Colston Loveland, his ability to be explosive and the other guys I hit with. a lot of talent in the receiver room, in the tight end room, in the running back room with Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards, as we know, I couldn’t be more confident in the ability of these guys.
Michigan is currently working through the early stages of fall camp, with the season opener set for August 31.
This article was originally published on Wolverines Wire: Will the 2024 Michigan football offense be explosive and high-scoring?
