The Michigan Wolverines are in their third consecutive College Football Playoff. They are the top seed in the playoff for the first time and will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl presented by Prudential (Jan. 1, 5 p.m. ET on ESPN).
Michigan was rarely tested this season and cruised through a fairly easy schedule. Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines did it through a powerful rushing attack and salty defense.
How did Michigan get to another semifinal? We look at the Wolverines' recruiting and usage of the transfer portal and how that construction translates to what they do on the field.
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Recruiting | Transfer portal | By the numbers
Recruiting
Recruiting focus: Michigan focuses on the Midwest, but its roster has players from across the country. Jim Harbaugh has reeled in 34 ESPN 300 recruits over the past four recruiting cycles (2020-2023), although only the 2022 class, which ranked eighth, resided in the top 10. While an impressive haul of recruits, it's not even in the top 10 compared to other blue-chip programs. The Wolverines' rise to three straight College Football Playoff appearances has come from player development and commitment. Michigan's offense is a balanced attack that spreads the ball out, which requires recruiting prospects who value winning over individual accolades. The success of Michigan's roster comes from the sum of its parts and the buy-in to that philosophy when recruiting.
Biggest win: The Wolverines' biggest win came early in the process when QB J.J. McCarthy committed roughly a year and a half before he signed. He never wavered, but fans had reason for concern over that long period when, due to the COVID-adjusted 2020 season, he transferred to the high-profile IMG Academy to play his senior year. Michigan also struggled that year, going 2-4. McCarthy was a poised prospect with good touch as a passer. He remains the highest-ranked recruit Harbaugh has signed at Michigan. McCarthy battled with fellow touted QB Cade McNamara in Year 1 before taking over and bringing needed stability and consistency to the position. He now leads the Wolverines into the playoff for the second straight season and is 24-1 as a starter.
Sleeper recruit: A national recruiting power, Michigan regularly signs multiple four-star recruits. But three-star Kris Jenkins ended up becoming a productive starter in the defensive trenches. Jenkins has a good football background -- his father, also named Kris, was an All-Pro NFL defensive tackle -- but he entered college without much fanfare. He had other Power 5 offers and took an official visit to Northwestern, but he did not have an extensive list of blue-chip suitors. Part of that is because he was a different type of player coming out of high school. Jenkins was a big defensive end at the time who weighed under 250 pounds. He has since developed into an active 300-pound presence as an interior player for Michigan. Talented big men are always coveted. In Jenkins, Michigan saw, signed and developed a key contributor to its highly ranked defense who became a two-time all-conference selection. -- Craig Haubert
Transfer portal
The team has had a ton of success along the offensive line, winning the Joe Moore Award for best offensive line two years in a row, and some of that group's success is thanks to precise use of the portal.
Prior to the transfer portal, Michigan didn't take many transfers. That has changed in recent years, however. The staff's approach is to continue to build the team through recruiting, but if there are holes to fill and players who fit the team's culture, it will take on a transfer. And, so far, Michigan has been extremely precise when targeting transfers.
Michigan has had an elite offensive line during its run of three straight College Football Playoff berths. Drake Nugent, a Rimington Award finalist for best center, and Myles Hinton came to Michigan after multiple seasons starting at Stanford. They were joined by LaDarius Henderson from Arizona State. They became instant starters for an offense that rushed for over 160 yards per game.
On defense, the coaches were able to get UMass corner Josh Wallace, who has been a starter and has helped step up when Will Johnson was hurt. Linebacker Ernest Hausmann is third on the team in tackles with 43 and transferred this past offseason from Nebraska. That being said, 81.8% of Michigan's starters are recruited players, and more specifically, 50% of the starters are either fourth- or fifth-year recruited players. -- Tom VanHaaren
Michigan by the numbers
How Michigan was built directly translates to how the Wolverines play. Here's what they do well and how it affects games:
Tilt the field and wait: No one does it better than Michigan. The Wolverines rank first in average starting field position on both offense and defense -- their overall field position margin is plus-11.4 yards per drive, more than three yards ahead of anyone else (Miami (Ohio) is second at plus-8.0). They dominate from an efficiency standpoint (eighth in overall success rate, second in success rate allowed), they almost never put the ball in danger (five total turnovers), and they constantly force turnover opportunities (24 total takeaways). They don't make many big plays, but they don't allow any either. They force you to nibble and take what you're given without making a mistake, knowing that eventually you'll make a mistake they will turn into points.
This is in no way the most high-flying ball in the world, and their generally soft schedule meant we have absolutely no idea how they play from behind -- they took a total of 39 snaps while trailing, and no one else was under 100. But if you can't find an early advantage, they're going to defeat you in a war of attrition. They're really good at it. -- Bill Connelly