Game week is here, and Michigan is ready to open its 2026 season Saturday night against Western Michigan at The Big House. After an offseason packed with anticipation, the offense has been the loudest source of optimism coming out of fall camp, and the depth chart is starting to take shape.
At quarterback, Bryce Underwood is the clear No. 1.
The sophomore is expected to steer the offense toward a bigger season, and the reports out of camp have only strengthened that belief. He should be used more in the run game, where he showed some promise a year ago, while his growth as a passer has been one of the biggest talking points of recent weeks.
Behind him, Kyle Whittingham said freshman Tommy Carr will open the year as the primary backup. That is a notable call with Colorado State transfer Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi in the room and carrying 28 starts with him, even if those starts haven’t all been especially productive lately. Still, Carr has impressed enough since arriving in the spring to earn the edge.
The backfield looks much more settled. Jordan Marshall returns after leading Michigan in rushing in 2025, and there’s no reason to expect a change at the top. He came just shy of 1,000 yards last season, and hitting that number this fall would not come as a shock.
Savion Hiter should be the next major piece. The freshman has been dealing with a minor leg injury, but he is expected to be ready for Week 1 and should see plenty of work as both a runner and a receiver out of the backfield, with some slot usage also on the table. Bryson Kuzdzal is another name to keep in mind; the senior has earned praise from the staff and should get meaningful snaps even with Marshall and Hiter ahead of him.
Wide receiver has drawn the most attention this camp, and it’s easy to see why. The talent influx has changed the feel of the room, with sophomores Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan emerging as the top two options. Both can line up inside or outside, giving Michigan real flexibility in how it builds its formations.
Junior Channing Goodwin is also in the starting mix after Whittingham announced him as the third starter on his radio appearance Monday. Goodwin started Week 1 last year too, but drops eventually pushed him down the depth chart even though he was one of the better separators on the roster.
Behind those three, sophomore Jaime Ffrench and freshmen Salesi Moa and Travis Johnson look like players who will have specific roles based on what they do best. The sense here is that Goodwin, Ffrench, Johnson, and Moa could all end up with fairly similar production and snap counts by season’s end.
Tight end is the one offensive group whose stock has dipped a bit during camp, though that has more to do with the receiver group taking so much of the spotlight and target share than with any major setback at the position itself. Senior Zach Marshall should start in Week 1 after a strong second half last season and because of what he brings as a blocker.
Hogan Hansen should be the No. 2 tight end, with a crowd of others fighting for snaps behind him. The biggest name to rise this summer has been freshman Mason Bonner.
At 6-foot-7, he has the size and athletic traits to eventually become more of a tight end-wide receiver hybrid, and his receiving ability has stood out during camp. He still has some catching up to do after enrolling in June, but if a surprise player emerges from this group, Bonner is the one to watch.
Up front, the offensive line may have been the most fascinating battle of the offseason. The biggest question centered on left tackle, where junior Blake Frazier and sophomore Andrew Babalola were competing. With Babalola already ruled out for the opener, Frazier gets the first crack at the job, and his recent progress may help him keep it beyond Week 1.
Right guard also came into camp as a key competition, and Nathan Efobi appears to have won that job over Brady Norton. Elsewhere, the projected starters are Evan Link at left guard, Jake Guarnera at center, and Andrew Sprague at right tackle.
The sixth lineman spot, Michigan’s “Rhino” role, will be worth tracking as the season goes on, because whoever handles it is still going to log plenty of snaps. Babalola looks like a strong candidate once healthy, and freshman Malakai Lee is another option to watch. At 6-foot-7 and 359 pounds, he brings the kind of size that jumps off the page.
However the rotation settles, this should be a much better offensive line than Michigan has had recently. With Jim Harding leading the group and the players reportedly making real gains in the weight room over the offseason, the unit is expected to be one of the best in the conference, if not the country.
In Other News...
Michigan Freshman QB Rise Just Made The Opener More Interesting
Tommy Carrs climb up Michigans quarterback pecking order has quietly become one of the more interesting developments of camp. The true freshman has earned the QB2 job for the season opener, moving ahead of Colorado State transfer Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi after what coaches viewed as a steady spring and fall. Carrs mobility and knack for extending plays stood out, giving the Wolverines a backup option whose style adds a different layer to the offense.
Fowler-Nicolosi brought experience and a strong arm into the competition, but his late arrival to campus made the race tougher from the start, especially with Carr already building momentum. For Michigan, the backup spot matters more than just insurance - it can shape how the offense looks if the starter has to come out, and it also says plenty about how quickly Carr has earned trust. The opener should still answer the biggest questions, but this one leaves a little more intrigue than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Defense Gets A Needed Boost Ahead Of Week 1
Michigan heads into the 2026 season with a mostly clean bill of health, and that matters especially on a side of the ball that needs to set the tone early. The only major injury in camp is to freshman offensive lineman Ace Hamilton, while the defense appears to be getting some welcome stability with veteran Chris Bracy expected back in the mix and Rod Moore also slated to play as the opener approaches.
Moores return comes with a measured approach after a two-year absence, but the bigger boost may be the presence of edge rusher John Henry Daley, who is fully recovered from his Achilles injury and already working his way into the defense. Kyle Whittingham has pointed to Daleys readiness and explosiveness, the kind of development that can matter immediately for a unit looking to open the season with more depth and a little more bite. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Lost A Freshman Its Rotation Was Counting On
Brandon McCoy Jr. had already carved out a significant place in Michigans plans before the regular season even arrived, starting all three exhibition games on the Wolverines foreign tour. For a freshman expected to play a major role right away, those early reps suggested he was quickly becoming part of the rotation the staff was counting on heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
Instead, Michigan now has to move forward without him after McCoy Jr. suffered an ACL injury during the exhibition trip and will miss the entire season. The Wolverines said they will continue to share updates on his recovery as more information becomes available, but the immediate concern is clear: a young piece the program was banking on will be on the sideline just as the year begins. [Read more 🡒]