When Michigan won its last national championship it had to deal with a mass exodus of players. New coach Sherrone Moore had to see 18 players depart the program as he battled to keep the best players on his roster. Despite the turmoil, he was able to convince the likes of Colston Loveland, Mason Graham, and Kenneth Grant to return to the program and it looks like he has pulled another rabbit out of the hat.

Much like the early months of 2024, there has been uncertainty around the status of quite a few players in Ann Arbor. The program already lost 21 players to the transfer portal in December and the looming NFL draft has added to the anxiety of the Wolverines fans. The program’s three upperclassmen on defense are yet to make a public announcement on their futures. But in a positive development, Moore will see his key defensive asset return for the 2025 season.

After the Wolverines lost J.J.McCarthy, and Roman Wilson, Moore’s squad struggled with their pass defense. Through the first six weeks, they were ranked at No.15 giving up 259.8 yards per game. But one of the few shining lights in their defense was 296lbs senior defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny.

Last season Benny played behind Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, registering 29 tackles, two passes defended, and 1.5 sacks. However, with Graham and Grant headed for the NFL, Benny was going to see an increase in his playing time, if he stayed back for a fifth year and that is what he is going to do.

MLive reporter Ryan Zuke confirmed the news of Benny’s return to Ann Arbor on X. He tweeted, “Spoke with Michigan DL coach Lou Esposito, who says DT Rayshaun Benny will be back next year.” Shortly afterward, Benny officially confirmed his return. He made a post on Instagram on Friday that had an image of him with the caption, “One more year. Let’s run it.” This update will come as a sigh of relief for those in Michigan.

Benny was the anchor of the defensive line in the ReliaQuest Bowl win. After redshirting in 2021, Benny played in 13 of the team’s 14 games as a rotation piece on the interior defensive line and made 13 tackles in his redshirt freshman season. He then had his breakout year in 2023.

He played 14 of Michigan’s 15 games as Michigan marched to the national championship. He made 27 tackles, 5.5 of which were for a loss, recorded one sack, two pass breakups, and forced a fumble. His overall numbers do paint a positive picture. He has 71 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks across 39 games in the Maize and Blue. Benny’s decision to stay is a much-needed boost for Michigan, which may have more good news coming its way soon.

The future of junior linebacker Jaishawn Barham has also been up in the year. Barham had a productive season with the Wolverines despite some trouble with his on-field play. He was second on the team with 66 tackles playing alongside leading tackler Ernest Hausmann and also tallied 3.5 TFLs.

On Thursday, the entire list of college football underclassmen who declared for the 2025 NFL Draft was released and the names of Will Johnson, Colston Loveland, Kenneth Grant, and Mason Graham were on the list. However, Jaishawn Barham’s name was missing. With the transfer portal also closed till spring, it looks like the linebacker will be back in Ann Arbor for the next season. Meanwhile, Zuke Moore provided an update on safety Rod Moore’s future.

“Sherrone Moore says it “looks good” that Michigan safety Rod Moore will be staying in 2025 but will let him officially announce his decision,” he wrote in a tweet. Starting for Michigan in the 2021 season, Moore racked up 33 total tackles with one pass defended. He improved in 2022 as he finished the year with 71 total tackles, four interceptions, three passes defended, and 0.5 sacks.

The following year he continued his impressive run finishing with 38 total tackles, three passes defended, and two interceptions. There was an expectation that Moore would be one of the top safeties in 2024, with a draft call likely. However, an ACL injury during the offseason sidelined him for the entire campaign. Hence, it is looking likely that he will be back for a fifth year, boosting Moore’s defense.

Well, the last season did expose some cracks in the football program. The biggest issue has been Moore’s defense lacking depth. The issue has become more prominent since the 2023 season. Under previous defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, they were historically deep and had multiple starting-caliber players at every position. However, as Minter left Michigan to follow Jim Harbaugh to the Chargers, the defense struggled to find consistency after the appointment of Wink Martindale as DC.

However, the coach with 20 years of NFL experience slowly began to turn the tide. The Wolverines were one of the top defenses in the country in the final five games of the season. By the end of the campaign, they were ranked No. 11 among 134 FBS teams in total defensive production, allowing 307 yards per game from opponents. One of his best feats came with the Wolverines defense holding Ohio State’s high-flying offense to just 10 points.

But this improvement has drawn attention from the NFL and Moore could face the loss of a key member in Martindale.

Sherrone Moore’s take on the Wink Martindale situation

Now that the players are back in the fold, it’s an absolute WIN-WIN situation for Moore. The only thorn that is there on their road to success is the Martindale hoopla. While all other things look to be sorted, there has been confusion about the defensive coordinator’s status. 

NFL programs are eyeing Martindale. The Atlanta Falcons reportedly interviewed the Wolverines DC. Heavyweight programs like the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals are said to be in the line. Now what does Moore feel about it? 

As reported by Angelique Chengelis from Detroit Press, Sherrone Moore said, “Don’t want to lose him. Don’t want him to go anywhere. Want him to be here at Michigan, and I think he does, too, but he has opportunities he has to look at.”

After all, the program can not afford another Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter mishap. But with rumors swirling that names like Doug Mallory and Bryant Haines could be in the mix if Martindale decides to move back to the NFL, it looks like Moore is already alert. His second offseason as HC is throwing up more challenges than ever and so far he is navigating them with quiet confidence.