3 key storylines heading into fall camp for Michigan football

Can the tight end room fill the absence of Colston Loveland?

While much has been made about if the wide receiver room can improve to help the Michigan quarterbacks through the air, the tight end position is what will be missed the most with the loss of Colston Loveland to the NFL. Loveland was by far the leading pass catcher for the Wolverines in 2024 with 582 yards and five touchdowns while amassing 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career. Last season, it honestly felt like he was the only option in the passing game for much of the season.

However, Michigan's staff has been high on junior Marlin Klein since he stepped on campus, and now it's his turn to step up and show the type of weapon he can be for the Wolverine offense, who has loved to utilize the tight end traditionally. Sophomore Hogan Hansen, according to a report from The Wolverine, sustained an injury in the spring, putting his status for the season opener in doubt. Next on the depth chart are juniors Zack Marshall and Deakon Tonelli. Tight ends coach Steve Casula will be looking for one of them to step up in camp to help with the depth of the room.

After tallying 13 catches for 108 yards last season, Casula was asked in an offseason episode of the In The Trenches Podcast with Jon Jansen if this could be a breakout year for Klein.

"It needs to be,” Casula said “And he and I together need to make sure that, that happens, because we have talked a lot about his ability and his potential, and he’s helped us win a lot of football games here and played outstanding as an in-line tight end this past year. But he and I are both in agreement that it’s time for that to happen this fall."

Will the defensive line remain dominant?

A huge part of Michigan's defensive success over the past few years has been the dominant play of the defensive line. Even when the offense has either outright struggled or stalled in certain games over the past few years, the pressure the Wolverine defensive line applied to opposing QBs while helping stuff the run on most occasions helped keep them in games. But Michigan has now lost to top 15 NFL draft picks in Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant at the same time and have to replace the two forces in the interior of its line.

The positive news is that neither of those guys played in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama, and judging by that game, it didn't look like the unit skipped a beat while helping generate five sacks and numerous pressures on Jalen Milroe, while the Michigan defense allowed just 68 yards on the ground in the victory. This is a new season and the unit will have to prove it can perform on a consistent basis, but getting the experience of TJ Guy and Derrick Moore back, who are players who stepped up last season, is a good start. Add a healthy Rayshaun Benny on the interior line with experienced transfers Damon Payne (Alabama) and Tre Williams (Clemson) and a collective unit that can go 10 deep, according to the coaching staff, and the position group should be in good shape to be in top form in no time.