Michigan’s roster has been turned over, the transfer dust has settled and fall camp still hasn’t started. So the only real question left is what this team looks like on paper heading into 2026.
The answer: the offense appears to have taken a clear step forward, while the defense looks more like a unit that has lost some ground than one in free fall. That’s the broad shape of it, anyway. Break it down position by position and the picture gets a little more specific.
At quarterback, Michigan is banking on development. Bryce Underwood is the key piece, and after an underwhelming freshman season, there’s still plenty of belief that a sophomore jump is coming.
That alone makes the room look better than it did a year ago. The depth helps too, with Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and Tommy Carr behind him.
The backfield should remain one of Michigan’s strongest areas, even if last year’s version never quite got fully healthy. Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall flashed as a dangerous pairing when they were available, but they were rarely on the field together. This season, the Marshall-Savion Hiter combination has a chance to be just as good, if not better, and Bryson Kuzdzal is back as the third option with another year of experience.
Fullback is a different story. Max Bredeson was a program legend, and replacing that kind of presence was always going to be a steep drop. Jalen Hoffman and Eli Owens have both shown promise, but this group is still a dramatic step back from what Michigan had before.
The biggest offensive jump may come at receiver and tight end. Andrew Marsh was the lone freshman who really popped last season, and Semaj Morgan’s drops were hard to ignore.
Now Michigan has added a near-complete overhaul at receiver with transfers JJ Buchanan, Jaime Ffrench and Salesi Moa joining Marsh. That gives the Wolverines a room that should be among their best in a long time.
At tight end, Marlin Klein’s production last year was merely average, but if Hogan Hansen and Zack Marshall can stay healthy, the group should at least match last season and maybe top it.
Up front, the offensive line should be better simply because it has more continuity and more bodies ready to play. Injuries wrecked the 2025 unit, with Evan Link, Andrew Babalola and Gio El-Hadi all missing time and forcing younger players into action too early.
This year, Jake Guarnera and Andrew Sprague lead a group that also includes several highly regarded recruits who have had time to develop. Blake Frazier, Babalola and others look like they’re finally ready to matter.
It may not reach the standard of the 2023 line, but it should be a noticeable upgrade from last season.
The defensive front is a little trickier to sort out. Trey Pierce gives Michigan a legitimate anchor at tackle and should be one of the better players at his position in the Big Ten.
After him and Enow Etta, though, the depth gets shaky. Last year’s group had a lower ceiling but a safer floor with Damon Payne Jr. and Tre Williams.
This year feels more volatile: more upside, less certainty. The expectation here is a modest step back before a bigger leap in 2027.
Edge rusher lands in a similar spot. John Henry Daley could change the conversation if he’s healthy, but that’s the catch.
There’s talent behind him and Cam Brandt, and the depth chart is loaded with highly rated recruits. Still, Derrick Moore was a major force last season and ended up as a second-round pick by the Detroit Lions.
Daley might eventually be better than that if everything clicks, but for now this group gets the benefit of the doubt only to a point.
Linebacker is where the drop-off looks most severe. Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham gave Michigan a deep, talented unit last year, and even Jimmy Rolder wasn’t technically a full-time starter yet still got drafted.
This year’s group is not that. Cole Sullivan’s transfer to Oklahoma was a major loss, and while Chase Taylor and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng have plenty of upside, neither has logged much meaningful game action.
Michigan is going to be sorting this room out on the fly.
The secondary, though, looks better. Zeke Berry and Jyaire Hill are back at corner, and both should benefit from another year of experience and a stronger coaching setup.
Michigan also added Smith Snowden from Utah and Chris Bracy from Memphis, two names drawing plenty of praise. If Rod Moore returns, as hoped, that only raises the ceiling.
This group should be noticeably improved.
Special teams is the one area that’s hard to pin down right now. Losing Dominic Zvada matters; even with a down 2025 season, he was one of the better kickers in Michigan history. But until the new specialists actually show it in games, there’s no clean way to grade the unit.
Put it all together and the story is pretty clear: Michigan’s offense looks much better on paper, while the defense has taken some hits, even if it still has enough talent to avoid a major collapse. The Wolverines kept more of their offensive core intact, and that shows.
In Other News...
Paul Finebaum Took Another Shot At Michigan And Fans Will Boil
Paul Finebaum has never been shy about stirring the pot when it comes to Michigan, and his latest swipe landed in a moment when the program is already adjusting to a new era. After moving on from Sherrone Moore, Michigan turned to Kyle Whittingham, the longtime Utah coach whose teams built a reputation on discipline, physical play and defense, the kind of identity Wolverines fans have long expected to see on the field.
That backdrop makes Finebaums latest comments even more combustible, because the debate around Michigan is no longer just about the past. It is also about whether the program can keep its edge under Whittingham while still carrying the weight of national expectations, and that is exactly the kind of conversation that tends to keep both the critics and the fan base engaged. [Read more 🡒]
Sherrone Moore Just Sent Michigan Fans One Final Sign It's Over
Sherrone Moores time in Ann Arbor has taken another visible step toward the rearview mirror. The former Michigan head football coach is selling his Ann Arbor-area home for $1.7 million, a move that comes months after his firing in December and after the university moved on with new athletic department leadership.
Moores departure was already tied to an internal investigation that led Michigan to release a report on the matter, and the off-field fallout has continued to define the end of his run there. Putting the house on the market only adds to the sense that the chapter is closing, even as the full story of how Michigan reached that point has remained one of the programs most consequential recent issues. [Read more 🡒]
Three Wolverines May Decide Whether Bryce Underwood Gets Enough Help
Bryce Underwood is still the center of Michigans 2026 outlook, but the size of the help around him may end up mattering just as much. The Wolverines have a few pieces who could shape how quickly the offense and defense settle in, starting with running back Savion Hiter, whose ceiling gives the backfield a chance to become a real weapon, and wide receiver JJ Buchanan, whose late-season growth hinted at more than just depth-chart filler.
Rod Moore is part of that equation on the other side of the ball, too, because Michigan needs him to look like the steady playmaker he has been before the injuries slowed him down. The safetys return would give the defense a familiar anchor, while Buchanans emergence as a possible complement to Andrew Marsh could help Underwood avoid too much of the burden on his own. The question now is whether those supporting pieces can turn promise into the kind of production that makes the quarterbacks job manageable. [Read more 🡒]