With Week 1 against Western Michigan getting closer, Michigan Football’s final roster decisions are coming into focus. The biggest battles still hanging in the air are along the offensive line, at edge rusher and at linebacker, and the picture is clearer than it was a month ago even if nothing is fully locked in yet.
At offensive line, the safest projection starts with the spots that already have some clarity. In the spring, Whittingham named Jake Guarnera and Andrew Sprague the starting center and right tackle, so those jobs are essentially spoken for. That leaves the left tackle and guard spots as the real tug-of-war.
My best guess is Blake Frazier at left tackle, Evan Link at left guard, Guarnera at center, Nathan Efobi at right guard and Sprague at right tackle. The left tackle race has centered on Frazier and Andrew Babalola, but Babalola’s nagging injury gives Frazier the edge right now.
That said, this is not just a default pick. Whittingham said at Big Ten Media Days that Frazier had a “really good spring” and could end up playing “multiple positions.”
Jon Jansen added similar praise earlier this month on the In The Trenches Podcast, pointing to the fact that Frazier handled freshman duty well and has done “a tremendous job.”
Link feels like the next closest thing to a lock. He has spent most of his career on the outside, but the move inside has been expected for a while, and new offensive line coach Jim Harding confirmed it earlier this month. Link is also taking some preseason snaps at tackle to stay fresh, but he still looks like the most likely answer at one of the guard spots, probably the left side.
The right guard job is less settled. Efobi has six starts there from last season, while Brady Norton has bulked up by 30 pounds in an attempt to move inside.
Neither player seems to have fully separated yet, which leaves the door open for more movement once the season begins. Whittingham and Harding have both stressed that the best five will play, and Whittingham has said the starting five are already in place.
The only catch is that Babalola’s health could still shuffle the deck once he gets more work.
On the edge, John Henry Daley is the anchor. Whittingham said at Big Ten Media Days that Michigan is “really, really blessed” at the position, which sounds like a room built for rotation more than a single ironclad answer opposite Daley.
Dom Nichols appears to be the name to watch there. Sprague called him “the best pass rusher (on the team)” and “one of the best in the country,” though he also noted he doesn’t face Daley because Daley lines up on the other side.
There are more names in the mix too. Cam Brandt, Lugard Edokpayi and Benny Patterson should all get opportunities this fall, and Whittingham also singled out sophomore Nate Marshall as “exceptional” while praising true freshmen Carter Meadows and Tariq Boney for “exceptional” camps.
Still, if Week 1 is the measuring stick, Nichols looks like the most likely player to see the most snaps behind Daley. Even then, this rotation feels like one that will stay fluid well into the season.
Linebacker may have been the biggest source of offseason worry, but the latest signs point to Nathaniel Staehling and Troy Bowles as the front-runners. Chase Taylor and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng are both very much in the conversation, and all four could get on the field in the opener. If the prediction had been made before camp, Taylor probably would have been the pick over Staehling.
What changed that view was Jay Hill’s comments last week. The defensive coordinator said the linebacker room has improved more than any other position group this offseason, and he also made it clear there are options.
“There’s really five or six guys that I feel comfortable playing in games. I’d like to see some of those guys just completely cement themselves as the starter, but that’s a good problem that we have right now.”
Staehling’s case is strong because he surged during fall practice after missing spring with an injury, and even though he was at North Dakota State last year, he still brings the most experience in the room. Taylor had the early momentum this spring, but he remains a sophomore and is a little undersized compared to some of the others.
Bowles looks like the safer bet on the other side. He’s the only linebacker in the room on Michigan’s 2026 Leadership Council, and both Alex Whittingham and Jansen have spent the offseason talking up his football IQ and speed.
So the lean for Week 1 is Staehling and Bowles, with Taylor and Owusu-Boateng close behind. The gap is not huge, and this is one of those battles that looks set to continue once the season starts.
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