Michigan heads to Minnesota for the first road game of the season, and the Wolverines have a couple of goals wrapped into one trip: bounce back from the heartbreaking loss to Iowa and keep hold of the Little Brown Jug, which they have won in the last five meetings.
That makes this a good week to widen the rotation a bit. Michigan has some players who have flashed enough to deserve more run, and there are four names that stand out as candidates to get more involved against the Gophers.
On defense, the edge group could use a little reshuffling depending on the health of John Henry Daley and Dom Nichols. Both are listed as questionable on Michigan’s availability report, and Nichols was in the same spot last week before still playing a featured role against Iowa. It would be surprising not to see him out there again.
Daley is the bigger question. He appeared to suffer a lower-body injury against Iowa on the second-to-last play of the game, and if he can’t go or isn’t at full strength, Tariq Boney should see a bump in snaps.
Boney has made the most of limited chances. The edge rusher has two sacks in only 27 snaps across four games, and the advanced numbers jump off the page.
According to Pro Football Focus, he owns Michigan’s top defensive grade at 90.3 and leads the defensive line with an 89.9 pass-rushing grade. He looks like he has already moved past Cameron Brandt on the depth chart and could fit as the No. 3 or No. 4 edge behind Nate Marshall.
Michigan’s linebackers have been better than expected overall, with Troy Bowles, Nathaniel Staehling and Chase Taylor all doing their jobs well. Aisea Moa has also logged a lot of snaps and has started for the Wolverines, but Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng has earned a longer look.
The second-year linebacker has played 47 snaps in four games and has five tackles. Among Michigan linebackers, he has the second-best defensive grade at 76.2.
He is also the third-best tackler on the roster with an 81.9 tackling grade, and his 79.4 run defense grade ranks fifth on the team. There’s a strong case that he may have the highest ceiling in the room, and his play has earned him more opportunities.
The passing game offers another area where Michigan could use a spark. Andrew Marsh has 22 catches and JJ Buchanan has 20, and then the numbers fall off sharply to Salesi Moa, who has just two receptions. Only four wide receivers have caught a pass for Michigan this season.
Moa and Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench were the two battling for the WR3 job this offseason, at least that was the expectation. Instead, Channing Goodwin won the role, and Moa now appears to have passed him. Even so, the Wolverines still need more production from the position.
Ffrench, a top-40 prospect when he committed to Texas, brings speed that could help. Coach Micah Simon said Ffrench has been practicing better and could have a role moving forward. It is notable that he has played only 10 snaps in two games this season.
Tight end has been just as thin. Three tight ends have caught a pass, with Jalen Hoffman leading the group with three catches for 25 yards.
Hogan Hansen returned to the lineup last weekend and has two receptions for 13 yards on the season. Zack Marshall, who started most of the back end of the season in 2025, still does not have a catch, and the position has been a disappointment overall.
If Michigan wants to keep leaning on tight ends, Mason Bonner is at least worth a look. At 6-foot-7 and 229 pounds, he offers size that can’t be coached.
He could develop into the JJ Buchanan mold at Utah, where Buchanan arrived as a tight end before quickly moving into the Utes’ receiver group. Bonner still needs to fill out, but giving him a few third-down chances would make sense.
Michigan would clearly benefit from getting more from its wideouts. If the Wolverines insist on using one or two tight ends, though, Bonner is the one who makes the most sense to see the field.
In Other News...
Minnesota Gets A Rare Game Day Spotlight Before Michigan
The buildup to Minnesotas matchup with Michigan is starting well before kickoff, as FOXs Big Noon Kickoff will air from the University of Minnesota campus for the first time. The pregame show is expected to bring a fan pit, giveaways and a set inside Huntington Bank Stadium, turning what is already a major Big Ten stage into an all-day spotlight for the Gophers and their home environment.
For P.J. Fleck, the value goes beyond a single Saturday. He pointed to the exposure the university gets from hosting a national pregame show, noting the boost it can provide in front of recruits and the broader college football audience. With about 170 people involved in production, Minnesota is getting a rare showcase moment before one of its biggest home games of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota Gets A Rare Shot At Michigan With Doubt Growing Around The Wolverines
Michigans trip to Minnesota comes at an interesting moment, with the Wolverines coming off a loss to Iowa and now facing another Big Ten road test. The matchup has drawn a split in outside predictions, which says plenty about how unsettled Michigan looks right now and how much respect Minnesota is getting for having a real chance to make this a difficult afternoon.
Minnesota will be watching closely to see whether Michigan cleans up the issues that showed up against Iowa, because the margin in a conference game like this tends to come down to discipline and execution. Some analysts still see enough recent individual play and overall strength to trust the Wolverines, but the Gophers are in position to take advantage if the visitors are not sharp from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Weekend Just Got Bigger For Gophers Fans
Saturday on the University of Minnesota campus is turning into a full-blown football day before the Golden Gophers even take the field. FOX Big Noon Kickoff will air live from in front of 3M Arena at Mariucci beginning at 9 a.m. CT, giving fans an early start ahead of Minnesotas matchup with Michigan. Gates open at 7:30 a.m., and the setup comes with the kind of extras that turn a game day into an event, including giveaways and a P.J. Fleck lookalike contest.
For Minnesota fans, the timing adds even more juice to a matchup that already carried plenty of attention. The Gophers and Wolverines are set to kick off at 11 a.m., with the game airing on FOX 9, and the national pregame show should only amplify the atmosphere around campus. It is the sort of weekend that can make the whole area feel like part of the broadcast, even before the first snap. [Read more 🡒]