Top three concerning positions for Michigan Football going into 2022

Heading into the 2022 season, I really feel good about all of the positions. Obviously, there was a good amount of talent lost to the NFL from last year’s squad, but this 2022 Michigan Wolverines team should still be in great shape.

However, there are always going to be positions that are weaker than others. Here are the three most concerning positions headed into 2022:

3. Quarterback

Now, before I get bombarded with comments on this one, I want to say this position is on this list because of how talented the quarterback room is. I have it as a concern because I don’t know how the staff is going to handle all that talent.

First we have Cade McNamara, who I think will trot out onto the field to take the first snap against Colorado State on Sept. 3. McNamara is solid as a rock and got the job done all of 2021 and is a Big Ten Championship winning quarterback.

Then there’s J.J. McCarthy, a former five-star who showed last year he can be a wizard with his arm and his legs.

It feels like both deserve to be on the field, and it feels like a bummer if one of them has to sit. So what do the coaches do? Jim Harbaugh seems to be very loyal to his quarterbacks and it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing if he tries to split up time even if one of the two is clearly better than the other.

It’s tough to manage a quarterback room with two really good guys for the job, so that’s why I have it down as a concern.

2. Safeties

When you play Ohio State every year, and especially this year with the absurd amount of talent they have in the passing game, something in the pass defense is going to be down as a concern. The Wolverines have been burned from it before, and due to losing Daxton Hill and Brad Hawkins to the NFL, the safety position makes this list.

I think Michigan has a lot of guys who can hold down the fort this year, but it’s just so hard to find someone to fill the void of Hill. RJ Moten is going to have to step up big time and younger guys like Rod Moore will have to step up as well.

I hope to see Keon Sabb out there this year as well, as I think he’s going to have a remarkable career in the maize and blue.

The safety position will work itself out as the season goes on, and luckily there’s a lot of tinkering that can be done before the OSU game. However, it’s going to be tough to replace some of the guys that are gone from a year ago.

1. Edge rushers

The Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo tandem of 2021 simply cannot be recreated. If you’re expecting something like that again, you’re going to be really disappointed. That position and those two guys were such an important part to Michigan’s defense in 2021, so having them both gone is certainly a concern.

It’s a similar situation with the safeties where I think there are guys who are going to be able to get the job done, but it is a concern to see what losing two guys like Hutchinson and Ojabo will do to the Michigan defensive line.

At the end of the day, Michigan is coming off a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff appearance. The 2022 squad is loaded with talent, and there really isn’t any feeling besides excitement that Michigan fans should be feeling.