Last year, the Michigan Wolverines excelled at defense and the ground game, but their chances of defending their national title were undermined by their struggles in the passing game.
Fortunately, this issue is not expected to repeat itself in the upcoming season.
The Wolverines have been actively searching for a quarterback via the transfer portal but missed out on Maryland’s Billy Edwards Jr., who chose to join Wisconsin instead. However, recent predictions from On3 analysts suggest that they may soon secure the services of quarterback Mikey Keene, formerly of UCF and Fresno State. On December 23, On3 reported, “Michigan insider [EJ Holland] and On3’s [Pete Nakos] & [Steve Wiltfong] have predicted that the Wolverines will acquire Fresno State transfer QB Mikey Keene.” Keene, who has accumulated 8,245 passing yards, 65 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions over four seasons, ended up committing to Michigan on Monday.
Last season, Keene topped the Mountain West Conference with 277 completions, a 70.5% completion rate, and 2,892 passing yards. He recorded 18 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. The Wolverines are in dire need of a reliable passer after ranking second-to-last in the Big Ten with an average of just 133.6 passing yards per game, barely ahead of the last-placed Iowa Hawkeyes.
This average was significantly lower than that of Syracuse, which led the nation with 363.1 passing yards per game.
This article originally appeared in Athlon Sports.
