The second week of fall camp is where the pecking order starts to get real, and Michigan is already sorting through a few spots that don’t look settled just yet. With the first game a little more than three weeks away, there are starters who have reasons to stay alert as the Wolverines work through position battles.
Cameron Brandt is one of them. He started only one game at EDGE last season, but he’s been slotted as a starter on plenty of depth charts because of how much he played.
By snaps alone, he’s basically been treated like one. Still, there’s pressure coming.
Dominic Nichols has the look of a player who could become one of Michigan’s best pass rushers, and Carter Meadows has also turned heads during camp. That gives the Wolverines more than one challenger who could chip away at Brandt’s role.
Blake Frazier is in a different kind of fight. The junior opened eight games at left tackle last season after Evan Link was injured, and while he gave up too many pressures late in the year, he handled the job well enough.
He’s also bulked up this offseason like the rest of the roster, thanks to the strength program that was rebuilt after Jim Harbaugh left. Even so, there’s a big-name threat waiting behind him.
Andrew Babalola is the highest-ranked offensive line recruit in program history, and once he settles in, the expectation is that he becomes the starting left tackle. Frazier may be able to hold him off early, but Babalola is the one who should eventually take over.
Then there’s the right guard picture, where Brady Norton and Nathan Efobi are both in the mix. Each started games last season, and right now Norton appears to have the edge at that spot.
Efobi is also competing with Evan Link at left guard, which keeps the whole interior picture fluid. If Babalola gets on the field sooner than expected, Michigan could end up with a guard combination of Link and Blake Frazier.
That’s one possible wrinkle, but Norton and Efobi are still very much part of the conversation.
In Other News...
Michigan Fall Camp Buzz Centers On Two Names Fans Arent Watching
Michigans fall camp chatter has started to widen beyond the usual headline names, and one of the more interesting voices in the room has been offensive lineman Andrew Sprague. He pointed to wide receiver Channing Goodwin as a player who is getting overlooked, but who has shown enough in practice to suggest he can matter this season. For a roster always searching for reliable answers at receiver, any quiet rise from an under-the-radar target is the kind of development worth tracking.
Sprague also brought up Jonah Lealea, the Utah transfer working at defensive tackle, as another player drawing notice on the practice field. Michigan likes when newcomers settle in quickly, especially up front, and Lealeas early buzz suggests he may be closer to a meaningful role than the casual observer might assume. The staff still has time to sort out how those pieces fit, but the early signs have put both names on the list of players to watch as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Jyaire Hill Just Raised The Stakes For Michigan's Season
Jyaire Hill is already setting the tone for what Michigan wants this season to feel like. The senior cornerback said he is chasing a championship now, and the message lands with a little extra weight because the Wolverines are trying to keep their edge in a year when expectations are back where they usually are in Ann Arbor. It is the kind of veteran voice that can help frame a locker room, especially for a team looking to stay steady while the rest of the roster continues to evolve.
Offensively, Michigan is still working through how to best harness its ground game under Jason Beck, with Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter giving the staff real options in the backfield. There is also familiar Michigan quarterback chatter in the background, with ESPN analyst Booger McFarland saying J.J. McCarthy still has the tools to become a franchise quarterback even while backing up in Minnesota. For the Wolverines, it is another reminder that the programs present and future are both pulling in interesting directions. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fall Camp Is Heating Up Around A Few Crucial Starting Battles
The second week of fall camp is already sorting through a handful of Michigans most important jobs, and the competition has a way of making every practice rep feel a little bigger. Savion Hiter, JJ Buchanan, Channing Goodwin and Travis Johnson are among the players drawing attention as coaches sort out who can handle bigger roles this season, while Andrew Babalola, John Henry Daley, Cameron Brandt and Dominic Nichols are all part of the larger mix of linemen and edge players trying to carve out steady spots.
For Michigan, the appeal is obvious: these are the kinds of battles that can shape both the depth chart and the tone of the season before August is even over. Some of the evaluations are still unfolding, with coaches praising what certain players can do and leaving the final answer open, which is exactly what makes camp worth watching this time of year. [Read more 🡒]