Michigan’s linebacker room has gone from the biggest question mark on the defense to the group drawing the loudest optimism in camp.
That’s a pretty sharp turn for a unit that lost all of its main starters from last season and had to be rebuilt with young players and transfers. But junior Troy Bowles, a former Georgia transfer, isn’t shy about where he thinks this is headed.
"I kind of like it that way, so I feel like people are gonna be surprised because it's definitely the most uncertain group," Bowles said. "So I feel like we are gonna surprise a lot of people."
The uncertainty is real. Bowles himself pointed to the linebackers as the most unsettled part of Michigan’s roster entering 2026, and the list of names tells the story: Bowles, Chase Taylor, Nathaniel-Owusu-Boateng, and North Dakota State transfer Nathaniel Staehling.
Those four are expected to make up the core rotation in the middle of the defense, now working under first-year linebackers coach Alex Whittingham, the son of head coach Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham arrives with a strong résumé after spending the last eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and defensive coordinator Steve Spanuolo.
Staehling is viewed as the most experienced of the group, and the linebackers figure to be used in a rotation-heavy approach this season. That rotation could stretch as many as six deep, with Max Alord and Aisea Moa also in the mix.
The scheme helps explain why. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill has shifted Michigan into a 4-2-5 look, leaving the two linebackers in the middle with more ground to cover. With that setup, keeping fresh legs on the field every couple of plays makes sense.
Hill has also been encouraged by what he’s seen. He said the linebackers have become a very strong group and the most improved unit in fall camp, which lines up with the growing belief inside the program that this position could end up being one of the season’s bigger surprises.
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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
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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 🡒]