This past Jan., the University of Michigan football (15-0) won the College Football Playoff National Championship against the University of Washington (14-1).
The game, which was held at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, was a sight to behold. The Michigan Wolverines came on top, and beat the Washington Huskies 34-13. This victory gave Michigan their first national title since 1997.
This past season, Michigan became the first college football team to rack up 1,000 wins. Their performance this year allowed for the Wolverines to make it this far and land on top.
Michigan’s victory was all thanks to top players, Tight End Colston Loveland, Running back Blake Corum, and Quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Each player showed their strengths during the game and contributed to ending Washington’s winning streak.
Now that Michigan claimed the victory, and proved to be elite competitors, what’s next in line for the Wolverines?
Shortly after winning the CFP National Championship, twenty year old Quarterback J.J. McCarthy announced on his social media pages that he will be entering the 2024 NFL Draft.
The announcement came as a sort of shock to Michigan fans, who see McCarthy as Michigan’s key player, but some see this as the right move for J.J. McCarthy. Nonetheless many showed their support towards McCarthy and wishes him the best of luck as he enters the National Football League.
“I think that Michigan is losing their greatest asset. It is unfortunate that J.J. McCarthy is leaving right after a huge win streak. I hope Michigan will bounce back and continue to do great without him. I know a few people at Taft who wanted to go to college at U of M but are upset that they won’t witness his awesomeness,” said Krzysztof Bucko, Taft junior.
As for the University of Michigan’s esteemed football coach, Jim Harbaugh, he too is planning on leaving his Wolverines, as announced by ESPN. Harbaugh similarly announced that he will be leaving Michigan in order to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jim Harbaugh, who’s been head coach at the University of Michigan since 2015 really pulled through with the team, allowing for Michigan to be ranked as one of the strongest college football teams ever. This announcement leaves Michigan fans feeling conflicted about losing their beloved coach.
“It’s a little crazy that we’re losing Jim Harbaugh right after J.J. McCarthy, but I think that Michigan can still do great regardless of who coaches them. They’ve proven their strength and hopefully they can continue to do that next season,” said Jonathan Rutkowski, Taft senior.
With the star quarterback and respected coach both moving on to greater things, where does this leave the team in Ann Arbor?
According to University of Michigan Athletics, it was announced that Sherrone Moore will take over as head coach for the Wolverines. Moore is the 21st head coach and is the first African American to be leading the University of Michigan’s football team. Moore was previously an offensive staff member for six years prior.
Moore told the public that he’ll do everything he can with the team to continue to uphold Michigan’s legacy. Fans are hopeful that Moore can still make Michigan a force to be reckoned with. It’s natural for fans to be hesitant at the sight of change, but it’s safe to say that the Wolverines are in good hands.
To the future Taft alumni who will be possibly attending school at University of Michigan, they have a lot to look forward to when it comes to football. No matter the conditions, the University of Michigan will still have what it takes to be the victors.
