Michigan is entering 2026 with a different look, a new head coach in Kyle Whittingham, and enough roster talent to make people think the Wolverines can take a real step forward. With kickoff against Western Michigan less than two weeks away, the buzz around this team is easy to understand. The schedule will test them, but there’s a path here for Michigan to be better than it’s been the last two seasons.
One of the biggest swings on the board is a Week 2 win over Oklahoma. Michigan fell to the Sooners 24-13 last year, and that game laid bare a lot of the offense’s problems, from shaky line play to a receiver group that didn’t help quarterback Bryce Underwood nearly enough.
This time around, Oklahoma still brings a tough defense and dual-threat quarterback John Mateer, but Michigan should be better equipped to handle it. Jim Harding’s coaching, a year of experience for the offensive line, a rebuilt pass-catching group and home-field advantage all point to a much more competitive Wolverines team.
That confidence starts up front, where Michigan could be back in Joe Moore Award territory. The Wolverines have not been as dominant on the offensive line the last two years after winning the award in 2021 and 2022 and finishing as a semifinalist in 2023.
Even last season, with pass protection issues, Michigan still made the semifinalist cut. Now the group returns six offensive linemen who started games last season, and with Harding guiding them, a jump back toward elite status makes sense.
If that line does take another step, the run game could be nasty again. Michigan already leaned on the ground attack last season, and the idea here is that Jordan Marshall, Savion Hiter and Underwood could combine for 3,000 rushing yards.
Underwood is expected to be more involved as a runner, and Whittingham’s push to spread the field more with the pass-catchers should create lighter boxes for the backs to attack. The identity still looks like a run-first team, only with more space to work with.
Defensively, Jay Hill has a chance to make a big immediate impact in his first year coordinating the unit. Michigan lost some pieces from last season’s front seven, but the secondary brings back a lot and the team added transfers Smith Snowden and Chris Bracy, along with a healthy Rod Moore.
Hill’s track record at BYU leaned heavily on strong secondaries, and he has already compared this defense to Michigan’s 2023 unit under Jesse Minter. That group worked with a similar formula: a secondary carrying more of the load than the front seven and a “bend, don’t break” style that made red-zone touchdowns hard to come by.
Long drives may happen early while the front seven develops, but scoring should still be tough for opponents.
On the individual side, junior edge rusher Dom Nichols is the pick to lead the team in sacks. He has spent two years in a rotational role and now appears ready for a larger workload.
His speed gives him a chance to cash in, especially with offenses likely paying extra attention to former All-American John Henry Daley. Michigan’s edge group as a whole could be better this year too, with Lewis Powell coaching the unit and a deep rotation that includes at least five players who could all deserve meaningful snaps.
Put it all together, and the prediction is a 9-3 season that still falls short of the College Football Playoff. If Michigan beats Oklahoma, that leaves Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State as the most likely losses, though nothing is being ruled out before the games are played.
A three-loss team could still have a case, but the recent CFP precedent doesn’t make that an easy call. Alabama got in with three losses only because its third came in the SEC Championship, while 9-3 Texas was left out.
Until a 9-3 team actually breaks through, predicting Michigan to get in at that record feels like a reach.
In Other News...
Michigan May Have Found Answers In Three Crucial Spots
Michigan wrapped up its final fall camp scrimmage with game week now on the horizon, and the early read on this roster looks a lot more encouraging than it did a few weeks ago. Bryce Underwood appears to have taken a real step forward, the wide receiver room has brought more consistency and playmaking to the table, and an offensive line that looked like a question mark entering camp seems to be settling in and improving at the right time.
On the other side of the ball, linebacker play has also started to look like a strength, with transfer Nathaniel Staehling drawing particularly positive evaluations. For a program trying to sort out several key spots before the season begins, that matters, because Michigan does not need every answer in place yet, but it does need enough of them to feel like the foundation is there when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Is Chasing A Receiver Who Could Change Its Future Air Attack
Michigan has jumped early into the chase for Jaedon White, extending a scholarship offer to the Westside High School receiver from Anderson, South Carolina, as the Wolverines continue building out their vision for a more dynamic passing game. White is already drawing major attention as a four-star prospect, ranked No. 31 nationally and the top player in South Carolina in the 2029 class, which tells you how much upside is attached to his name this far out.
Kyle Whittinghams staff, with wide receivers coach Micah Simon helping lead the recruitment, is clearly treating White as the kind of versatile, explosive playmaker that can help reshape Michigans air attack down the line. For a program looking to add more juice on the perimeter, getting in early on a prospect with that profile is the sort of move that could matter again and again if the relationship keeps trending the right way. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans New Passing Buzz Is Starting A Real Fall Camp Debate
Fall camp has brought a little extra life to Michigans passing-game conversation, and Utah transfer wide receiver JJ Buchanan is right in the middle of it. After arriving in Ann Arbor, Buchanan has talked up his transition to the program, his comfort with quarterback Bryce Underwood and the way the two have started to build timing as the Wolverines sort through what their offense can become this season. He also pointed to his basketball background as part of what helps him at the catch point, a useful detail for a receiver trying to carve out a role in a competitive room.
Buchanans optimism has fit neatly with the broader mood around camp, where Michigan has been drawing notice for the talent on hand and the energy around the new group. He has been quick to credit the coaching staff as well, another sign that the early impressions have been positive on both sides of the ball. The bigger question, of course, is how all of that translates once the real games begin, and whether the buzz around the passing attack turns into something the Wolverines can count on when the season starts. [Read more 🡒]