Michigan football opens fall camp later this week, on Wednesday to be exact.
It will be the first fall camp under Kyle Whittingham. Expectations are high, but fans also don't know exactly what to expect.
When you think about all the dysfunction the past two seasons, all the strange coaching decisions, from all the subbing on defense, to not using the bench press, it's kind of incredible that Michigan found a way to win 17 games over the past two seasons.
With a head coach in Whittingham, who has long been recognized as one of the best in college football, stuck at a place without true resources (Utah), it will be interesting to see the result.
Big Ten Media Days were last week. That's a sign that the season is close. Practice gets underway this week, and here are five bold predictions for Michigan football fall camp.
Andrew Babalola wins the left tackle job
It might not be that bold after Kyle Whittingham gushed about the former five-star offensive tackle. Jim Harding, the O-line coach, is an assistant Michigan football fans will love, and he will also play a role in getting Andrew Babalola ready.
Harding who had two tackles from last season's Utah team drafted in the first round, will get the most out of the 6-foot-6, 314-pound, former five-star recruit. Babalola is the highest-ranked recruit in Michigan history on the offensive line, and after Whittingham talked about him, it won't be surprising if he earns the starting job protecting Bryce Underwood's blindside.
Things start to click for Bryce Underwood
Whittingham said during his opening statement that the spring game was not indicative of the progress that Underwood made during the spring.
Bryce has now had more time to work with the new staff. He will feel more comfortable, and remember, things started to come together for J.J. McCarthy when he was a sophomore. He started making more good plays and fewer bad ones.
This will be hard to verify, but the buzz coming out of fall camp will be that Bryce Underwood has taken another step forward. We'll verify against Oklahoma.
Tommy Carr wins the backup job
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi has joined the Michigan football team for fall camp. The coaching staff is going to see what he can do. Whittingham said that Carr was QB2 coming out of spring ball.
That could change, though. Fowler-Nicolosi has 6,938 career passing yards with 38 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. He led the Mountain West in interceptions in one season. He doesn't run the ball, and last season, he only played three games.
It's good to have a veteran, but Carr is more familiar with the system, and seemed ready to play in a pinch this spring. Truth be told, if Underwood struggles, Carr might be the most popular guy on the team among the fans.
The grandson of Lloyd Carr, just seems to have it. Michgan rectified the mistake of not recruiting him harder, by getting him late in the 2026 class, and he will be the next starting quarterback for the Wolverines. That will start with him biding his time as Underwood's backup.
Yet, with how much Jason Beck ran Devon Dampier, and Dampier's backup last season, it wouldn't be stunning to see Carr get some rushing attempts with the first-team offense this season.
Carter Meadows makes the two deep
Meadows is 6-foot-6 and close to 270 pounds. The five-star EDGE wasn't an early enrollee, so he will have some catching up to do.
But the talent is undeniable. It would be asking a lot for Meadows to be a Week-1 starter. It feels like he will be a backup this season; However, he will earn some snaps early in the season, not just in garbage time either.
I don't expect Michigan football to rotate as much as it did last season on defense. Yet, good defensive lines always come in waves.
Meadows would be a nice second wave, along with Nate Marshall, a top-50 signee from 2025.
WR room will be five deep
Andrew Marsh and even JJ Buchanan are somewhat proven commodities. Jaime Ffrench was an intriguing addition, but two freshman, Travis Johnson and Salesi Moa will be consistent contributors this season, starting with strong showings in fall camp.
Johnson and Moa won't play as much as the others, at least early, but they will find their way onto the field right away just like Meadows. Moa caught 44 touchdown passes in high school. It's hard to even consider him or Johnson, both top-125 signees, sleepers.
They are each ranked similar to Marsh, and look at the impact he made. The result will be one of the deepest, most talented Michigan wide receiver rooms in years.
Add us as a preferred source on Google