Michigan will head into Sunday’s preseason opener against Eastern Michigan with a mixed but mostly encouraging availability picture.
At Big Ten Media Day on Thursday, head coach Mike Boynton Jr. laid out where several players stand as the Wolverines get ready to open at home. The good news for Michigan is that a handful of key names are trending toward the floor. The less good news: a few players remain unavailable, and one freshman is already done for the year.
Moustapha Thiam is cleared and ready to go after a minor leg injury knocked him out for the rest of Michigan’s exhibition trip in Europe as a precaution. The Cincinnati transfer will make his Michigan debut on Sunday.
Roddy Gayle Jr. is also expected to suit up after a court ruled in his favor in his bid for a fifth year of eligibility. Boynton said Michigan is continuing to “function as if he’s eligible” and that Gayle “will play unless somebody calls me before Sunday at 2:00 PM.”
Kenny Noland is in the same situation as Gayle, and he, too, is expected to make his Michigan debut on Sunday. His long-term future with the program is still unsettled, but for now he remains available and should play until told otherwise.
Ricky Liburd is another player trending in the right direction. He had hip procedure over the summer and missed the three exhibition games Michigan played in Europe in August, but Boynton said “he’ll be available on Sunday, barring if something happens between now and then.”
Oscar Goodman is listed as probable after tweaking his back in practice this week. The injury appears to be minor, but his status for Sunday is still not fully settled.
Jalen Reed remains questionable as he works his way back from a season-ending Achilles injury last season. He has been a full-go in practice for the last couple of weeks, and he met with doctors on Thursday to get cleared to play.
There are still several players Michigan won’t have for the opener. Marcus Moller is out while he’s back home in Denmark for routine medical scans after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in January. Boynton said Moller is cancer-free and healthy now, but he is unavailable for the exhibition.
Lincoln Cosby is also out as he continues recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in high school. He began easing back into physical activity and live drills last month, but Boynton said he’s “not available at this point” and is “not likely going to play this year.”
Brandon McCoy Jr. will miss the entire freshman season after tearing his ACL in the final exhibition game of the Europe tour. The former 5-star recruit had successful surgery last month and is aiming to return at the beginning of next season.
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