Greg McElroy explains Michigan's ranking on Top 10 defenses in college football list

On Monday, ESPN’s Greg McElroy predicted Michigan will have the No. 8 defense in the country in the 2025 campaign. The ESPN analyst didn’t hesitate to explain his bold take, either.

“They’re one of those teams you just almost have to trust them because of the type of identity that’s been created over the last few years,” McElroy said. “Wink Martindale is back now [for] his second season. He’s got a ton of NFL experience, and I think now, after a year in college, he probably has a better feel for how teams are going to attack.

“He probably has a better overall understanding of where Big Ten offenses are. His aggressiveness as a play caller will actually be able to go up a little bit because he knows he doesn’t have those two defensive tackles on the interior that can just create their own shot every single time the ball is snapped.”

Last season was Don “Wink” Martindale’s first as Michigan’s defensive coordinator. He’d previously spent just under two decades coaching defense in the NFL, and his expertise immediately translated to the collegiate game.

Michigan’s defense only allowed 307.0 yards per game last season, the 10th-least in the nation. While McElroy expects Martindale to build on his success in the upcoming season, he knows there will be challenges along the way.

Specifically, McElroy noted that it won’t be easy to replace defensive stars Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Will Johnson. Nonetheless, with a few key returners and several standout transfers, Michigan is poised to put an imposing defense on the field next season.

“I look at this group kind of across the board, and I think the culture is what allows me to feel quite confident in what Michigan is going to continue to be,” McElroy said. “They’re going to be physical. They’re going to be sound along the lines of scrimmage.

“While they might not have quite as much star power as they had last year, I still don’t think there’s going to be much drop off… I remain very optimistic about what Michigan will be this upcoming season on the deep side of the football.”

Michigan will waste no time putting its defense to the test in the upcoming season. After a season-opener against New Mexico, the Wolverines will travel south to take on Oklahoma in Week 2.