One of the biggest question marks going into Week 1 of the season for Michigan football is whether or not the passing game will take a big step forward in year two of Bryce Underwood.
The Wolverines have a new head coach in Kyle Whittigham, who surrounded Underwood with Jason Beck, a known QB guru, as the offensive coordinator, as well as Koy Detmer Jr., a dedicated QB coach.
Whittingham is known as a defensive head coach; however, he added two elite pass catchers to the roster for Underwood, J.J. Buchanan and Salesi Moa.
Buchanan had a stellar freshman season under Whittingham at Utah last season, especially in the last four games. Moa was a top-100 signee for the Utes and will play in Ann Arbor, likely early.
Whittingham added one of the best offensive line coaches to the staff, too. That's made a difference and the O-line is expected to be much better, too.
Underwood has improved, which makes you wonder what the passing game is capable of. If all the buzz about Bryce is real, could he throw for 3,000 yards? He would need to up his average yards per game by 42. That's a leap, but certainly possible.
Andrew Marsh was one of the Big Ten's best wideouts down the stretch. He had 651 receiving yards last season and almost all of them came during Big Ten play.
There's been a view that he could hit 1,000 yards. Yet, Buchanan has looked so good in camp, it's hard to separate the No. 1 and No. 2 receiver.
Underwood will be a better passer this season. There's little doubt about that. His wide receiver room has also been upgraded. All the pieces around him will be better.
Will Michigan football have a 1,000-yard receiver in 2026?
As far as the actual receiving numbers go, it's hard to see either Marsh or Buchanan reaching 1,000 yards. Marsh is my bet between the two. He seems poised for a huge season.
Buchanan is a big play waiting to happen, though. He had a reception of 29 yards or more in each of the last three games of 2025. Both players will be difficult for opposing defenses to handle.
That's one thing that also ensures they will have some production. Buchanan is the kind of legitimate No. 1 option that Donavan McCulley just never turned into. He was solid, but not the kind of player defensive coordinators lose sleep over. Buchanan is. So is Marsh, and the only thing keeping them under 1,000 yards this season will be each other.
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