Just one year in, the Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan has been about as big of a success as could be expected. There was supposed to be at least some semblance of a rebuilding year for the coveted coach, but the Wolverines went 10-3 with a Citrus Bowl blowout of Florida and a near-win against Playoff semifinalist Michigan State.
Jim Harbaugh has everything for a 2016 Michigan Playoff run, if he finds a quarterback
The Wolverines have options, but will any of them stick?
It was Michigan’s first double-digit-win season since 2011 and just its second since 2006. Now the Harbaugh hype train is coming for 2016 — and with good reason.
Yes, Michigan loses quarterback Jake Rudock, who came in as a graduate transfer from Iowa and turned into an efficient player for the Wolverines at a thin position. But other than that, Michigan looks like a monster in a Big Ten East that could take a slide next season.
Many key offensive skill players are back, as are some of the best players on a defense that finished fifth in the nation, giving up just 4.46 yards per play.
Here’s who comes back:
- The best pass catchers in the conference, hands down. All-Big Ten first-teamers WR Jehu Chesson and TE Jake Butt return, as does star WR Amara Darboh.
- Four offensive line starters return from a front that dominated most everyone.
- Running backs De’Veon Smith and Drake Johnson.
- Do-everything safety Jabrill Peppers, who sometimes plays running back and sometimes plays wildcat quarterback.
- First-team All-Big Ten cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
- The entire defensive line that guided the Wolverines to three straight shutouts of BYU, Maryland and Northwestern.
Given how many returning starters the Wolverines have compared to division rivals Ohio State and Michigan State, Michigan looks like it could be the division favorite in just Harbaugh’s second year.
| Team | Offense | Defense | Total returning starters |
| Michigan | 9 | 7 | 16 |
| Michigan State | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Ohio State | 3 | 3 | 6 |
The one question mark is at quarterback, where four players will compete for the starting job vacated by Rudock. Here are the options:
| Player | Year | Recruiting stars |
| Alex Malzone | Freshman | 4 |
| John O'Korn | Junior | 3 |
| Shane Morris | Junior | 4 |
| Wilton Speight | Sophomore | 3 |
It’s an interesting competition, with a lot of different names.
- Morris has the most playing experience, but he redshirted this season after losing the quarterback battle to Rudock. He was a star in-state recruit, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations yet.
- O’Korn starred for Houston in 2013, passing for over 3,000 yards. However, after being benched in 2014, he transferred to Michigan, where he redshirted this season.
- Malzone is this year’s superstar freshman, who comes in with similar hype to Morris after redshirting last year.
- Speight was the backup this season after Morris redshirted. He completed only 36 percent of his passes in limited action this season.
So that’s it — that’s the competition that can turn Michigan into a Playoff contender. There’s certainly potential there, as Malzone was a highly coveted prospect, while O’Korn has proven he can win at the FBS level. And whoever the quarterback is will get a lot of help from a seasoned offensive line and a ton of returning skill players.
It’s a good time to be a Michigan Man, where the Harbaugh hype has just gotten started, and likely won’t be ending very soon.
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