Two football players from Michigan are included in PFF’s 2024 all-returning defense.

Many wonder if Michigan football under Sherrone Moore will be rebuilding or reloading in his first season. However, the Wolverines may possess greater potential than many college football fans may know.

The offense is riddled with concerns, especially at wide receiver and quarterback, where there isn’t a clear leader. However, the rest of the team is quite strong. Elite running backs, tight ends, and offensive line are what’s needed.

And that doesn’t even consider the ball’s defensive side.

Even though the Wolverines lost players like Mike Sainristil, Kris Jenkins, Junior Colson, and Mike Barrett, they still have a good number of 2024’s playmakers back on defense. There is a lot to appreciate about this new-look defense, which features Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant leading the charge up front, Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham taking over in the middle, and Makari Paige and Will Johnson returning to the back end. In fact, two of the aforementioned were on PFF analyst Max Chadwick’s “all-returning defensive team” list because of how good they were.

Defensive tackle Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson are Michigan’s two finest players defensively, according to Chadwick. That both made his list, in fact.

Rod Moore, the safety, may have also had a claim at his position, but during spring practice, he tore his ACL. Deone Walker, a Kentucky DT who was born in Michigan, can’t be far behind Grant, and the Grant-Graham combination is probably the finest in the nation.

Even if many others aren’t on the list, such edge rushers Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart, they might end up at the top when the season is over.