Michigan wrapped up fall camp last week and began Week 1 preparations for its matchup against Western Michigan yesterday. The Wolverines should be fairly healthy heading into 2026, only facing one season-ending injury to OL Ace Hamilton. However, there are still a few players who won't be available against the Broncos.
New Michigan head coach officially shared his first injury update for the season, even though the report isn't set to come out until Wednesday. Obviously, Hamilton is the biggest injury on the list, as he will be out for the season with a leg injury, but Andrew Babalola won't suit up this weekend either.
Babalola, who was in a heated battle for the left tackle position with Blake Frazier all fall camp, won't be available for Michigan on Saturday. Whittingham said that after suffering an injury midway through camp, Babalola isn't fully back and will sit against Western Michigan.
Couple injury notes:
— Anthony Broome (@anthonytbroome) August 31, 2026
— Andrew Babalola will not play this week
— Rod Moore will play a lot, but not quite a full starter’s load early on
— Couple of other guys a little banged up, but nothing serious outside of Ace Hamilton’s season-ender
Andrew Babalola's injury issues could be a bigger problem for Michigan
Andrew Babalola was one of Michigan's biggest recruits in the Class of 2025, coming in as a five-star recruit out of Overland Park, Kansas. Babalola was the No. 16 player nationally and the No. 3 offensive tackle in his class, making him a player the Wolverines hoped to get a lot out of.
In his freshman season, Babalola never got a chance to see the field, tearing his ACL at the end of fall camp last year, keeping him out for the entire 2025 season. Now, heading into the 2026 season, it seems injury is another problem for Babalola.
Even though it was a tight race for the left tackle job, Frazier now seems to have taken the reins, especially with Babalola's injury. The fact that he won't even be available for the Western Michigan game doesn't spell good news for the Wolverines.
Granted, Whittingham and offensive line coach Jim Harding could be playing this one safe, knowing that it's Western Michigan, and while the Broncos aren't a total pushover, Frazier and the rest of the line should be able to hold things down.
To be fair, the offensive line is still a mystery heading into the matchup against the Broncos, and it will be until Michigan releases its official Week 1 depth chart. Whittingham said with about a week left in fall camp that the offensive line has been determined, but he was keeping his cards close to his chest until the first depth chart, and maybe this is why.
With the injury to Babalola, it might have shuffled the line around even more, especially when it comes to depth. There is still a lot of depth on the line, but Babalola is a big loss, even for one game for Michigan. With all the hype around his coming to Michigan, he has yet to really show off his skill set, and now he still won't in Week 1.
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