Three potential Michigan Wolverines breakout players for the 2024 college football season
Michigan Wolverines fans are still likely floating just reminiscing about how special this past college football season was, but it's almost fall once again. Jim Harbaugh is gone. JJ McCarthy and 20 other now-NFL players have departed as well. The Maize and Blue will need to lean on quite a few new faces if they […]
Michigan Wolverines fans are still likely floating just reminiscing about how special this past college football season was, but it's almost fall once again. Jim Harbaugh is gone. JJ McCarthy and 20 other now-NFL players have departed as well. The Maize and Blue will need to lean on quite a few new faces if they want to be right back in the mix for the College Football Playoff this upcoming season. Yes, the team needs Alex Orji (or whoever the QB is) to break out this fall in a big way, but who else will take a huge leap and be the difference this year?
There are several potential breakout players on the Michigan Wolverines to watch for this fall, but let's talk through three that could completely change the course of the season if they step their game up to the peak of their potential in 2024.
Tyler Morris, Wide Receiver
Sherrone Moore showed the world how much he loved to run the football last season when he was acting head coach with Harbaugh sidelined for four games last fall. However, that doesn't mean the team can't get away with simply not passing the ball this year. Now that Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson are both gone the Wolverines will need a new talent to step up at wide receiver. Tyler Morris should be that man as he has excellent speed and YAC ability that Michigan will need this fall.
Morris caught just 13 passes last fall, but his most important reception came in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama as you can see in the post above. He likely slots in with Fred Moore (who has virtually zero experience) and gadget receiver Semaj Morgan to make plays through the air. Colston Loveland likely leads the team in receiving as a potential first round NFL tight end, but Morris should immediately thrive in the Roman Wilson role.
Jaishawn Barham, Linebacker
Most college football fans likely don't know Jaishawn Barham yet, but they will soon. He splashed onto the scene for Maryland as a true freshman where he tallied nearly 60 tackles and four sacks, immediately looking like a potential all-conference player one day. However, last season he was hampered by an injury for much of the year, leading to a much less impressive sophomore effort.
Now that he's transferred to Michigan he'll be leaned on heavily as he steps in to the role filled by Junior Colson last fall on the national championship team for Michigan. Barham's athletic upside, aggressive attacking downhill style, and instincts to find himself in the right spot more often than not should make him a dangerous force for the Wolverines as a potential quarterback of the defense by midseason.
Jyaire Hill, Cornerback
Michigan defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan could not speak highly enough on second year cornerback Jyaire Hill when asked about him this spring and summer. Morgan on Hill's progress and personality:
"[Hill]'s a unique player…he loves football…he has a silly personality, but it's a good thing…then all the sudden when it's football he's not playing around…He took a big step this spring, and I'm excited this fall to see where he's at."
Michigan lost two strong cornerbacks to the NFL in Mike Sainristil and Josh Wallace, and now Rod Moore will be out with injury for the year too. The defense is going to be replacing quite a bit of experience and production in the secondary this year and Hill will likely be a part of the solution.
Will Johnson is perhaps the best cornerback in the nation, but he can't line up across from every single opposing wide receiver. The Wolverines are also adding two transfer corners in Ricky Johnson (UNLV) and Aamir Hall (Albany), but they won't join the team for real practices until fall camp begins.
Hill likely kicks off the season as the other outside cornerback opposite Will Johnson and will be relied upon heavily to shut down some of the best playmakers in the nation right away. Hill logged less than 40 total coverage snaps last season, but only gave up 18 total yards allowing a completion rate below 43% when targeted. He's flashed real potential. Now it's time to see if he's ready to break out in 2024 as a shutdown cornerback.
Be looking for more Michigan Wolverines coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) on X (Twitter) for all the latest football news!
And if you want to be reminded of the potential Tyler Morris flashed in the College Football Playoff last year just check out the video below!
