Michigan is considered to be a national championship contender this season but there certainly are major things to sort out in August.
Like who will be the starting quarterback.
Junior transfer John O'Korn and sophomore Wilton Speight will compete for the job in August as the Wolverines prepare for the opener against Hawaii on Sept. 3. The duo distanced themselves from junior Shane Morris in the spring and are waging battle under the watchful eye of second-year coach and former standout quarterback Jim Harbaugh.
"They are the two front-runners coming out of spring practice, competing for the job," Harbaugh said Sunday during Michigan's Media Day. "The thing I like about both of them is how important it is to both young men and the competitive situation that they are in that they are embracing."
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O'Korn has the experience edge after playing two seasons at Houston before transferring to Michigan. He passed for 3,117 yards and 28 touchdowns as a freshman in 2013 and started the five games of his sophomore campaign before losing his job.
"There's no substitute for experience," O'Korn said. "Not having to run out there and look at the crowd or worry about what a defense is doing. I've seen pretty much every defense I'm going to face in my time at Houston on field and in game situations so that definitely helps."
Speight hasn't started a college game but did guide the Wolverines to a winning touchdown against Minnesota last season when he replaced injured starter Jake Rudock.
"That was huge to be able to go into a hostile environment on the road like that in a rivalry game," Speight said. "I built on that a lot. Coach Harbaugh kept reiterating that I was able to do that and why not again and why not this season. I felt good about that performance, but I know I can do more and hopefully this season I can kind of show that."
Whomever wins the job will shoulder the heavy expectations in Year 2 of the Harbaugh Era. The Wolverines were a stunning 10-3 last season after being just 5-7 in Brady Hoke's final campaign.
"The excitement seems to continue to build, and right now it's like a hype train that's going a little faster every day," senior tight end Jake Butt said. "Even if you're not paying too much attention to it, you can feel the hype train build up from it."
NOTES, QUOTES
SPOTLIGHT ON SEPTEMBER: Michigan has the chance for a fast start with nonconference home games against Hawaii, Central Florida and Colorado. Those three teams were a combined 7-31 last season with only Colorado (one) notching a road victory. The soft slate gives the new quarterback time to settle in as well as giving young players more time to absorb what is being asked of them by the coaches. The Big Ten opener is Sept. 24 against Penn State, a team the Wolverines defeated 28-16 on the road last season.
KEYS TO SUCCESS: Identifying the correct starting quarterback is crucial and Houston transfer John O'Korn and sophomore Wilton Speight have separated themselves from junior Shane Morris. The player that wins the job has three superb targets to throw the ball to in senior tight end Jake Butt (51 catches in 2015) and senior receivers Amara Darboh (team-best 58 receptions) and Jehu Chesson (50). A defense that allowed seven or fewer points on six occasions last season -- including three shutouts -- will again be sturdy and promises to keep Michigan in every game. Standout senior cornerback Jourdan Lewis and all-purpose standout Jabrill Peppers -- the sophomore is moving from safety to outside linebacker -- will be asked to provide big plays in the return game as well as receive offensive snaps.
AREAS OF CONCERN: It often takes time for a new quarterback to click with his teammates and coach Jim Harbaugh will work to find ways to alleviate the pressure. Michigan will again mostly operate under a running back by committee approach unless starter De'Veon Smith (team-high 753 yards as a junior) avoids injuries and explodes into a game-breaking back. The linebacker position is inexperienced after three starters concluded their eligibility last season. Getting production from the safeties will be crucial after the move of Peppers to outside linebacker.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "The change started from (Harbaugh) and the messages he gave to the team from Day One. He said if we wanted to compete for the national championship, there had to be some changes, and we had to compete every single day. He expects greatness. Everything we do comes back to competition, and there's no complacency whatsoever." -- Cornerback Jourdan Lewis on the approach of coach Jim Harbaugh.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
HEAD COACH: Jim Harbaugh, second year at Michigan, 10-3 record at Michigan and 68-30 in eight seasons as a college head coach.
MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER: OLB Jabrill Peppers -- The sophomore will be stationed all over the field and should be ready to dominate after a strong first college season. The Wolverines have moved him from safety to outside linebacker and will again use him on offense as well as a return specialist. "I've been doing that since Pop Warner," Peppers said during the school's media day. "I don't know why people make a big deal out of that. I'm just playing football. I guess it's because it's at this level, but it's not as hard as you guys make it seem to be. I just get my plays and try to execute."
BREAKOUT STAR: QB John O'Korn -- The transfer route worked well for the Wolverines last season when Jake Rudock (Iowa) emerged as a standout signal caller and the same type of success could be on the horizon for the Houston transfer. O'Korn had a big freshman season for the Cougars before regressing as a sophomore and losing his job and he had a season to learn the Michigan offense last season while sitting out a transfer campaign. O'Korn played in a no-huddle offense at Houston so returning to a more traditional attack has been a transition. He was impressive in spring drills and is competing with sophomore Wilton Speight for the starting job.
NEWCOMER TO WATCH: DT Rashan Gary -- It won't surprise anybody if the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder is the opening-game starter after being considered the top prep player in the nation last season. Gary's presence makes a solid defensive line even better and he has the speed and strength to be a difference maker as a true freshman. There has been some chatter about moving him to defensive end with Michigan having so many options in the interior. Either way, Gary should carve out a huge role on the Wolverines' defense.
ROSTER REPORT:
--Former starting LT Mason Cole, a junior, has switched to center to replace third-round NFL draft pick Graham Glasgow.
--Starting WR Jehu Chesson (knee) missed spring practice after being injured in the Citrus Bowl but the senior is expected to be healthy by the season opener against Hawaii.
--Sophomore DT Brian Mone is healthy after missing all of last season due to a broken ankle and is expected to be a key run-stuffer.
--RB Derrick Green, who was a disappointment last season with just 157 yards, departed the program and moved on to TCU as a graduate transfer.
--Sophomore T Grant Newsome figures to be the new starter at left tackle due to Cole's move to center.
