What anonymous coaches said about every opponent on Michigan football's 2025 schedule

The Michigan Wolverines football schedule is a little bit lighter this season compared to 2024, but there are plenty of storylines throughout each matchup, especially with 6 games away from the Big House in 2025.

Athlon Sports released its national college football preview magazine this week with anonymous quotes from across the conference on what Michigan might look like. The 2025 slate currently features all but one team having a worse record than U-M’s 8-5 mark last season.

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“It’s tempting to look at these rosters after the national title and define them by what they lose to the draft every year, but we don’t do that with [Kirby] Smart or [Nick] Saban or those programs,” one Big Ten coach said. “Michigan is an elite-level recruiting program. So yeah, they lost a Mason Graham, but they’re ready to plug in that next guy. It’s not plug and play, but it’s close.”

Another said: “[Michigan] would’ve been a serious postseason contender last year if they had a quarterback on the roster. Now they do, so it’s all about how fast [Chip] Lindsey can get him up to speed and going.”

Anonymous coaches from the Mountain West, Mid-American Conference and Big Ten spoke on each of the 12 opponents on Michigan’s slate. Their quotes can be seen below as a roundup.

New Mexico (2024 record: 5-7)

“They’re starting at rock bottom again. Bronco [Mendenhall] leaving makes sense, but it doesn’t help them, and they lost most of the quality guys that staff brought in for the one season…. Jason Eck is the best move they could make. This is a place that makes sense for an FCS head coach to come in. You aren’t going to attract someone already at this level or a promising coordinator… The only way to create a long-term change is if they can build a recruiting culture that starts in high school and builds with word of mouth among recruits. Bronco was a great move, but he’s gone. They need to find something they can own and build with in recruiting, or they’re going to be stuck in the bottom of the league.”

Oklahoma (2024 record: 6-6)

“It’s a hot-seat situation for sure. They’re banking on an instant impact from [Ben] Arbuckle and [John] Mateer the way Vanderbilt brought in the New Mexico State coach/QB combo. That could happen. Their receivers were nonexistent last year, but a lot of that was injury. They should bounce back and give Mateer some options. … Normally, it’s not a great idea when a head coach goes back to play-calling, but hey, [Brent] Venables was one of the best in the nation at it when he was at Clemson. He wants to have more control over what he knows… It’s a huge gamble that Mateer can come in and immediately acclimate to playing against the defenses in this league. We’ll see if he can do it because that’s what will determine this staff’s future.”

Central Michigan (2024 record: 4-8)

“These guys are probably the best ‘new head coach’ program in our league. The defense [Matt] Drinkall inherited is very solid, and they’ve done a pretty good job keeping most of those guys from jumping in the portal…. They’re going to be a run-heavy team coming from Army, which should help out the defense even more. … Expect them to be run-heavy and creative with it, probably more than you can be at a service academy. CMU is a top-end program in this league and invests in football, and they can pull in top guys. They’re selling physicality in recruiting, and Mac [Jim McElwain) left them some good pieces. Drinkall is going to bring some juice, and they haven’t seen that in a long time.”

Nebraska (2024 record: 7-6)

‘Expectations are building here, but think this group can meet them. Putting Dana [Holgorsen] in as OC is a great move for Matt [Rhule], and he’ll create a lot of advantages for Dylan [Raiola] in that offense…. The DC change won’t really affect what they do schematically; they’re still going to run a 3-3-5 base…. They need a big-play receiver to step up; otherwise, I think they’re more talented on paper than the Nebraska roster has been in years. The expectations are that they break out and finally compete among the top level in the league. That might not happen, but I think it’s realistic to expect a better bowi destination and more wins, and Dylan to get more national spotlight. Matt knows how to do this, and they’re heading in the right direction.”

Wisconsin (2024 record: 5-7)

“Nothing about the offense made sense here. [Phil] Longo moving on benefits everyone involved, and if they bounce back and become more of a modern version of that classic Wisconsin power run offense, you’ll wonder why they ever made the move in the first place…. [Jeff] Grimes is a great hire, and they flipped the entire offense except for the backs. They need to go back to Wisconsin football this season, and they’ve got a young backfield that can do it…. They’re talented in some spots, but they’re still very young. [Luke] Fickell is the guy, but the offensive issues have overshadowed the overall plan so much that it’s easy to see why some folks might lose faith. I think they just overreached on trying to modernize the program schematically.”

USC (2024 record: 7-6)

“The talk is all about Lincoln [Riley] making another elite quarterback, but I think the metric here should be how much that defense can improve both on the field and in recruiting. I think they take a jump up this year because they’re bringing in more talented players to a proven system. Both the transfers and the freshman [Jahkeem Stewart] will make the defensive line better. That’s what gets lost about the USC teams that won big; they were killers in the front seven. That’s been missing…. If you assume [Jayden] Maiava continues to build a comfort level, they’ll be better for it on offense. But watch the defense. If they take that next step, we’re talking about a team that can go in and play with the best programs in the nation again.”

Washington (2024 record: 6-7)

“If the quarterback continues to develop, I think they’re a most-improved candidate this year. Their biggest problem was the offensive line; that situation is how a coaching change and heavy portal can break bad on you. That group was truly bad last year. The quarterback seems to be a rising star even without a ton of reps, and they have legit weapons at wide receiver. … Keep an eye on them in high school recruiting. They’re starting to notch some big wins and go head-to-head with Oregon. I think they’re a little bit ahead of the build that [Jedd] Fisch had at Arizona because the floor was a little higher at UW, even with the portal losses after Kalen [DeBoer]… They’re not a contender yet, but they’re going to be better across the board this year.”

Michigan State (2024 record: 7-6)

“[Jonathan] Smith is applying a very steady plan here. They’re not going to make a huge splash; they’re just going to improve steadily. He’s got a blueprint that worked for him at Oregon State. … They need a lot of work on defense, specifically the line and the secondary, at corner, and the running game was pretty mediocre for them last year. But they’ve done a really solid job with transfers, and they’re still building their high school recruiting out. If you’re looking for a most improved program this season, these guys might be it. [Aidan] Chiles was doing too much last year; they made a staff change and brought in one of his guys, and I think that can help. A bowl is definitely possible for them this year, and the roster is going to be better overall.”

Purdue (2024 record: 1-11)

“This is a really tough rebuild, and it’s not going to be an add-NIL, instant-win situation like Indiana was…Barry [Odom] is going to be a steadier hand than Ryan [Walters]; he brings a lot of experience in and knows how to sustain a program. If you’re looking for something to build on this season, it’s line play on both sides. [Josh] Henson is a good offensive mind and a good OL coach, too…. They’re still pulling guys in from the portal and auditioning at spots right now. They don’t have a quarterback settled, and they don’t really have a receiving corps. It’s going to be rough for a while, but they’re banking on the more experienced head coach being able to compete long-term in the league. How do they respond to what Indiana’s doing with NIL? That’s the bigger question than anything on the field.”

Maryland (2024 record: 4-8)

“It’s nearly impossible to tell what they’re going to look like, but it sure seems like it’s getting harder and harder for these guys. The portal hit them really hard, and they’re recruiting high schools really well, but I don’t think they can keep pace and expect to stay competitive. You can’t succeed in this league without some roster consistency. … On the flip side, they’re landing elite-level players right now for the most recent signing class and next season. You can’t argue with Lock’s [Mike Locksley’s] results [in recruiting]. So how does it all come together? I think they’re going to struggle on both sides again this season, and the offensive line has to improve immediately. But they’re working a plan for the future. The missing piece is landing, developing and then retaining these players.’

Northwestern (2024 record: 4-8)

“Things don’t look great here. The portal is eating up what talent they do have, and the offensive problems are as bad as ever. The talent level is going to be hard to maintain here long-term because they can’t sign and develop without getting picked off by other schools now. … [Preston] Stone is likely the starting QB after spring and losing [Mike] Wright to the portal…. The defensive identity is still there from Fitz [Pat Fitzgerald], just not as strong. It used to be that playing these guys was such a headache; they were so physical and creative on defense. … I think the comparison here is Vanderbilt. That program got serious about NIL. It’s hard at Northwestern, but it becomes impossible if they don’t embrace the reality of what it takes in the Big Ten.”

Ohio State (2024 record: 14-2)

“Year in and year out, this is the most talented program in the league and one of the most talented in the nation. The question every season is just if they can arrange that talent the right way. Whoever wins the quarterback battle has one of the best receiver rooms in the country. The defense is stocked; defensive tackle might be their question mark, but they’re going to dominate in league play. … The resilience of [Ryan] Day and his staff is really, really remarkable. I don’t think they get enough credit from the public for how they managed the playoff run after losing to Michigan. The calls for his job were absolutely ludicrous. Do they need to beat Michigan? Yeah, sure. But this program is at the very top of the sport because of the head coach.”