247Sports writer predicts Michigan to finish 3rd in Big Ten East in 2020

The long offseason continues, as more and more projections seem to be coming out each and every day.

247Sports’ national writer Brandon Marcello wrote his predictions for the Big Ten East and West on Wednesday, and he projects Michigan to finish third behind Ohio State and Penn State in the East.

His explanation for U-M:

“Michigan has way too many questions to make a confident pick as a challenger in the Big Ten East as Jim Harbaugh enters a crucial year in his tenure as head coach. Who will be the quarterback? Dylan McCaffrey and Joe Milton are two fine options, but neither have much experience and the question remains whether Milton can run effectively when required. Only one starter returns along the offensive line, but Ronnie Bell returns at receiver after leading the team with 48 catches for 758 yards. Nico Collins follows closely behind and was the top scorer (seven touchdowns), but Tarik Black transferred to Texas after his first healthy season in Ann Arbor and Donovan Peoples-Jones is in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis will provide some consistency in play-calling, but must do so with completely new personnel at some critical spots. The jury is out and looking at the numbers last season is a fool’s errand in projecting what the Wolverines may or may not do on offense.”

He also went on to talk about the defense, saying “the only issue on defense is at cornerback, where the Wolverines must figure out a new rotation. The Wolverines should be able to improve upon their fifth-place finish on defense in the Big Ten.”

I mean...Michigan lost one cornerback this offseason, but that’s neither here nor there I suppose.

Given the circumstances of a possibly weird season due to the pandemic, I don’t think this is a “crucial year” for Harbaugh by any means. With a new starting quarterback and four new starting offensive linemen, placing third in the Big Ten East is probably a safe prediction this offseason. I can’t complain too much about this, and I’m sure most analysts will roll with this prediction until Michigan gives them a reason to predict otherwise.

As for the Big Ten West, Marcello has Wisconsin winning yet again, with Minnesota in second place, followed by Iowa. He has Illinois and Rutgers in last place in the West and East divisions, respectively.

Who do you think wins the West this season? Wisconsin is another safe bet, but I think Minnesota has a lot of momentum heading into 2020. I wouldn’t be shocked to see P.J. Fleck and the Gophers in Indy in December. Leave your predictions in the comments below.

U-M makes top 10 for top 100 2022 recruit

The Wolverines made it on the top 10 list for 2022 four-star athlete Dasan McCullough. Also on his list were some elite programs — Ohio State, Clemson, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Florida State, USC and Florida.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder from Olathe, Kansas can play offense and defense efficiently, but looks to project to a safety/linebacker hybrid at the next level, as his tape shows some great versatility in the defensive backfield.

McCullough is the No. 73 overall player and No. 8 athlete in the 2022 class on 247Sports. He does not yet have a composite score.

National Brews

• With the first pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers picked Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson. Let’s. Get. TORKED.
• Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence will lead a protest along with other teammates of his on Clemson’s campus this Saturday, beginning at Bowman Field.
• The SEC announced it will officially hold its SEC Media Days virtually this year. I would imagine every conference will be doing this amid the pandemic.