Michigan is heading into Week 1 with a healthier look than a lot of teams would envy, and two veteran defenders just got the kind of update fans wanted to hear.
Freshman offensive lineman Ace Hamilton is already done for the year after suffering a season-ending injury in fall camp, but outside of that and a few minor issues, the Wolverines are set to open the 2026 season in decent shape. That includes safety Rod Moore, who has been working back on a pitch count but is expected to be available Saturday night.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham sounded encouraged when he discussed the three-time captain on the “Inside Michigan Football” radio show.
“Now Rod has a tremendous upside," Whittingham told Jansen. "We all know what he is and how he's been in the past. He's a guy that I'm so impressed with when he hasn't been able to take every single rep, every practice, we've really put him on a pitch count.
"But he is feeling really good. We just don't want to overdo it.
He's not hurting or ailing in any way, shape or form. It's just he hasn't played in two years.
So we want to make sure that we continue to - I don't want to say wean him into the program, but make sure that it's, we're in it for the long haul. There's a marathon for Rod, not a sprint.
So we're trying to get him to the point where he can run the whole race.”
Moore isn’t the only veteran defender trending in the right direction. Edge rusher John Henry Daley is fully cleared and taking every rep after working his way back from an Achilles injury he suffered last fall.
Whittingham said Daley’s burst has returned - and maybe then some.
“Yeah, I think Lewis Powell did a great job with John Henry and he is now taking every rep with no limitations," said Whittingham. "We did have him on a pitch count from the onset of fall camp all the way till about maybe 10 days ago.
"And now he is completely integrated into the defense. Doesn't take, he takes the same amount of reps as all the other starters. And so he's ready to go and he's as explosive, maybe even more so and quicker than he's ever been.”
Daley was a force last season for Utah, piling up 11.5 sacks in just 11 games. If he brings that kind of production over to Michigan and stays on the field, he could wind up as one of the Big Ten’s most dangerous pass rushers.
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Michigan May Have A Pass Rush That Changes Everything
Michigans preseason conversation has centered on the kind of growth that can tilt a game plan before it even starts, and Kyle Whittingham pointed to the defensive front as one of the reasons for that optimism. Ahead of the season opener against Western Michigan, he highlighted the progress of young players such as Bryce Underwood and John Henry Daley, while making it clear that the line up front is supposed to be a strength for this group.
Daley, in particular, sounded like a player who could change the tone of the rush after offseason work that left him looking more explosive and quicker than before. Whittingham also mentioned Nate Marshall and freshman Carter Meadows as rising pieces, which gives Michigan a deeper pool of options if the pass rush starts to look the part early and turns into the kind of unit opponents have to account for every week. [Read more 🡒]