Michigan OC touts 'explosive' offense, won't rush QB decision - ESPN

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan loses quarterback J.J. McCarthy and seven other NFL draft picks from an offense that helped the team to a national championship in January, but was primarily known for the power run and ball control.

Despite the changes, new coordinator Kirk Campbell keeps coming back to a word to describe the 2024 Wolverines offense: Explosive. Campbell sees big-play ability throughout the unit, including with a mostly untested group of quarterbacks that will continue competing to replace McCarthy during preseason camp.

«The blue-collar, physical offense, that's not going to change, that's going to be our identity, but the players are explosive,» Campbell told ESPN. «Any time those guys touch the football, that's what their traits do. My job as a coordinator is to get them the football, because they'll take care of that explosiveness. They're playmakers.»

Michigan technically returns only one offensive starter in tight end Colston Loveland, a Mackey Award candidate who finished second on the team in receiving yards (649) in 2023 and told ESPN he's targeting 1,000 receiving yards among his goals for the fall. Running back Donovan Edwards has delivered long runs in big games and will be complemented by Kalel Mullings.

Campbell likes the field-stretching potential of wide receivers like Semaj Morgan and Tyler Morris, and expects tight end Marlin Klein to have a big year behind Loveland.

«What [Campbell] said is pretty spot-on: This is an explosive offense,» said Edwards, who had two long touchdown runs in Michigan's 2022 win over Ohio State and added two scoring runs of more than 40 yards against Washington in the national championship game. «Regardless if people think our offense is predominantly run-heavy, we