Michigan football got its first look at fall camp on Wednesday, and the early buzz centered on Bryce Underwood.
The 2026 season opened on the practice field, and it marked the first fall camp under new head coach Kyle Whittingham. That alone brings a different kind of energy around the program, especially for fans eager to get back to football and leave the off-field noise behind. Whittingham said at Big Ten Media Days that his aim at Michigan was to win a national championship, and Underwood figures to be a major piece of that push.
The former five-star quarterback showed flashes right away. One of the day’s more eye-catching plays came on an over-the-shoulder throw to JJ Buchanan, a player who followed Whittingham from Utah. Buchanan, listed at 6-foot-3, had at times been listed as a tight end last season for the Utes, and he already looks like someone who can be a real weapon.
Buchanan didn’t post the same receiving numbers as Michigan standout Andrew Marsh, but he closed last season with a strong stretch. Over the final three games, he averaged 71 receiving yards per game and had at least one catch of 29 yards or more in each of those contests.
The receiver group should look deeper this year, and Buchanan is only part of the picture. Marsh is expected to build on a standout freshman season, Jaime Ffrench could make an impact after transferring in from Texas, and true freshmen Travis Johnson and Salesi Moa are names worth tracking as camp moves forward.
Johnson, a 6-foot-3 freshman ranked No. 125 overall in the 2026 class by the 247 Sports composite rankings, also appeared in a highlight video Michigan released from the first day of camp. That clip included Underwood’s throw to Buchanan, and it also showed Johnson catching a pass over the middle from Tommy Carr, the true freshman quarterback who enters camp as the No. 2 behind Underwood.
After practice, offensive coordinator Jason Beck spoke with the media and pointed to the work Underwood put in over the summer, especially on his footwork. That was a major focus, and it makes sense given how important consistency is for a young quarterback.
One throw and one clip won’t tell the whole story. But for a first day in camp, Michigan got a promising glimpse.
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