Michigan football has set its leadership for the 2026 season, and the group comes with a few notable firsts.
The Wolverines announced Monday night that sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood, junior running back Jordan Marshall, senior defensive tackle Trey Pierce and graduate safety Rod Moore will serve as team captains. Underwood, Marshall and Pierce are captains for the first time, while Moore is now the first three-time captain Michigan has had in nearly 140 years, dating back to Horace Greely Prettyman from 1886-88.
There’s another layer to the announcement, too: every one of those captains has spent his entire career in Ann Arbor. In a college football era where that’s increasingly rare, Michigan is leaning on players who have grown up inside the program.
Underwood stands out as the headliner. The starting quarterback opened every game as a true freshman last season, and he has made it clear since the end of 2025 that he wants to take on more of a leadership role. His elevation to captain says plenty about where Michigan is headed, especially with a young roster expected to feature a wave of freshmen and sophomores on both sides of the ball this season and beyond.
Michigan also named 12 players to its leadership council, continuing a tradition carried over from head coach Kyle Whittingham’s Utah teams.
That group includes Underwood, Marshall, Pierce, Moore, Nico Andrighetto, Zeke Berry, Troy Bowles, Cam Brandt, JJ Buchanan, John Henry Daley, Enow Etta, Blake Frazier, Jake Guarnera, Jyaire Hill, Andrew Marsh and Andrew Sprague.
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Michigan Just Changed The Big House Experience For A New Era
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The inaugural partners are Coca-Cola, Meijer and Google Gemini, with the branding planned to fit the stadiums familiar maize and blue look rather than overwhelm it. For Michigan, the move is as much about preserving the experience as updating it, with the added revenue intended to help support student-athletes in a landscape where every new source of funding matters. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan May Have Found A Receiver Changing The Camp Pecking Order
Fall camp has a way of reshuffling expectations, and sophomore wide receiver JJ Buchanan appears to be doing exactly that as Michigan sorts through its passing-game options. After a solid first season at Utah, where he posted 26 catches for 427 yards and five touchdowns, Buchanan has reportedly carried that momentum into Ann Arbor, drawing attention for the kind of steadiness and competitive edge that coaches notice quickly in August.
Position coach Micah Simon has highlighted Buchanans leadership, work ethic and knack for winning contested catches, traits that fit neatly with the physical demands Michigan tends to place on its receivers. His basketball background has also stood out as an asset, helping him play through contact and track the ball in tight coverage, and all signs point to him becoming an important target as the season takes shape. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Opened A Debate Big House Fans Never Wanted
Michigan Stadium is about to look a little different on game day, and not everyone in Ann Arbor is likely to love it. Michigan athletics has launched the Leaders and Best Champion Partners Program, a new effort that will bring select advertising opportunities into the Big House while still trying to protect the venues long-held look and feel. The university framed the move as a way to support student-athletes financially without losing what makes the stadium feel special.
The first partners under the plan include Coca-Cola, Meijer and Google Gemini, with their logos set to appear on end zone padding and the scoreboard. For a fan base that has long treated Michigan Stadium as one of college footballs most sacred spaces, even limited branding opens a familiar debate about how much change is too much. The school is betting it can strike a balance, but the conversation around tradition and revenue is only getting started. [Read more 🡒]