ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The only safe thing to say about Michigan football is that the program is going to look a lot different next season.
That was going to be the case regardless of how the 2024 season turned out, as many of Michigan’s most recognizable players are seniors or juniors with NFL aspirations. Michigan’s slide to 5-5 has made a roster overhaul all but inevitable.
The Wolverines have two games remaining — their final home game against Northwestern on Nov. 23, at Ohio State on Nov. 30 — and the possibility of a third if they can reach bowl eligibility. It’s unclear if star cornerback Will Johnson will be healthy enough to return, but other top draft prospects have said they plan to continue playing, at least through the regular season. While the Wolverines ride out this season with players who helped them win a national championship in 2023, they’ll also be looking for players who can be part of the future.
As programs prepare for the anticipated arrival of revenue sharing in 2025, evaluating young players becomes even more important. Investing in the right players and retaining talent will be key markers of success, and every snap matters in making those decisions. With five losses, Michigan has an incentive to get young players on the field to assess how they factor into the program’s future plans.
For the final few games of the season, keep an eye on these five players who play crucial roles in Michigan’s future.
Michigan’s defense has had its struggles on the back end, but Hillman has been a bright spot. Once or twice a game, he makes a play that suggests the Wolverines have found their hard-hitting safety of the future.
“B-Hill, he’s just going to keep getting better and better and better,” defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said. “He’s like a heat-seeking missile back there. He likes contact. He falls into that old-school type football player, Brian Dawkins, those type of guys. He’s going to be fun to watch here the next few years.”
@BrianDawkins he definitely channeled his inner you!! Brandyn Hillman pic.twitter.com/kXUa88UBdy
— Shawn Hillman (@RR_HENNO) November 11, 2024
Michigan is heading for a major transition at safety, as Makari Paige, Quinten Johnson and Tennessee transfer Wesley Walker are all fifth- or sixth-year players. It’s unclear what the future holds for Rod Moore, who has missed his entire senior season with a knee injury, but Michigan needs to get the young guys ready either way.
Hillman, a top-150 prospect who originally signed with Notre Dame, was a late addition to Michigan’s 2023 recruiting class. He played quarterback in high school, and teams were slow to pick up on his potential as a defensive back. He’s an instinctual player with a nose for the ball, and he’s only going to get better as he masters the defense.
“I just come out and attack the ball,” Hillman said. “See ball, hit ball. The only thing I know, for real, is don’t let them get the ball. That’s how I roll.”
Marshall, the top prospect in Michigan’s 2024 recruiting class, has been slowed by injuries during his freshman season. Though he doesn’t have a carry, he appears to be healthy again and returned four kickoffs against Indiana, including a 37-yard return that showed his open-field burst.
Marshall has appeared in two games, meaning he can play in two more while preserving his redshirt. Now that Michigan is expanding its running back rotation, the Wolverines should absolutely give Marshall a few carries against Northwestern to see what he can do with the ball in his hands.
“Jordan’s like the perfect freshman,” senior Kalel Mullings said. “I would say the same thing about Micah Ka’apana as well. They both came in and have been nothing but sponges. I’ve been here for five years, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen young guys come in with that much maturity and that ability to adjust to the college game so quickly.”
It’s hard to know exactly what’s going on with Michigan’s running back rotation. Mullings, Michigan’s leading rusher, acknowledged he’s not 100 percent healthy but said that wasn’t the reason he carried only once in the first half against Indiana. Asked if he got an explanation for his diminished role, Mullings gave a lengthy pause before saying, “I don’t know how to answer that one.”
The stated explanation from coach Sherrone Moore was that Michigan felt it was time to get redshirt freshman Benjamin Hall on the field. It could be that Michigan wants to start using younger players in spot duty as the carries add up for Mullings and Donovan Edwards. If that’s the case, Marshall’s first carries in a Michigan uniform could come soon.
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Michigan’s offensive highlight reel is short, and most of it involves Colston Loveland. Even with defenses keying on him, he’s found ways to get open, which is why he’s going to make a lot of money in the NFL.
Michigan’s passing game is so reliant on Loveland that it’s hard to justify taking him off of the field. That means fewer targets for Klein, who’s been projected as the next player in line at tight end. Klein made a few nice plays in the passing game when Loveland was sidelined with a shoulder injury early in the season, but otherwise he’s been doing most of his work in the trenches.
“He’s played so many more snaps this year than he’s ever played in big games, crucial games,” Loveland said. “In the run game especially, he’s grown so much, and pass protection as well. He does his thing in the pass game and maybe doesn’t get as many opportunities, but in the run game and pass protection, he’s really good.”
Michigan has a crowded tight end room with players like Klein, Zack Marshall, Deakon Tonielli, Hogan Hansen and Brady Prieskorn competing for snaps. Loveland committed to finishing the regular season but said a bowl game “may be a different story,” which is the right answer for an NFL prospect on a 5-5 football team. Getting that sixth win could be big for the young tight ends who would have a chance to play meaningful snaps in a bowl game.
No player on Michigan’s defense has raised his stock more than Berry this season. Berry, who signed with Michigan as a safety, won the battle to replace Mike Sainristil at nickel and did a solid job at that position. When injuries sidelined Johnson and Jyaire Hill, Berry moved outside and did a nice job there, too. The versatility to play any position in the secondary makes him a player Michigan can build around in the offseason.
IU gets the ball back, and the defense sets the tone for how the 2nd half is gonna go.
Zeke Berry makes a great jump on the route. I like to think this was something he saw in film study which allowed him to read & react so fast. Big play. 🕶️ pic.twitter.com/JbWYKFh8Ng
— Due# (@JDue51) November 11, 2024
Berry is tied with Johnson for the team lead with two interceptions, including his pick against Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke last week. His ability to recognize plays and anticipate where the ball is going has continued to stand out.
“I was by myself, and I saw the quarterback motion the other receiver to my side,” Berry said of his interception. “From watching the whole game, I just caught on to what was happening. I saw him sit, and I just drove in and picked the ball off.”
Berry is a redshirt sophomore who could play two more years at Michigan if he wants to. He’s playing well enough on the outside that the Wolverines might be tempted to keep him there once Johnson moves on to the NFL.
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It’s a testament to Zvada’s consistency and the direction of Michigan’s season that he’s been one of the most valuable players on the field. He’s 13-for-14 on field goal attempts and 5-for-5 from beyond 50 yards — tied for the second-most field goals from 50-plus yards — making him one of the most accurate long-range kickers in college football.
Zvada should be a contender for the Lou Groza Award, though he trails quite a few other kickers in makes and attempts. Fittingly for a kicker, he’s tried to block out distractions and avoid looking at what other kickers are doing.
“I try to focus on myself,” Zvada said. “I’m kind of superstitious. I just like to focus on the game and my craft, as boring as that sounds.”
Zvada is in his first year at Michigan after playing the previous two seasons at Arkansas State. He’ll have another year of eligibility in 2025, and it should be a priority for Michigan to bring him back. That’s at least one position the Wolverines won’t have to worry about in the offseason.
(Photo of Jordan Marshall: Junfu Han / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
