Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham has a strong roster as the Wolverines get set to open the 2026 season.
How good that roster is remains an open question. Much of that depends on the development of players like Bryce Underwood. Other young stars need to reach their potential, too, like Andrew Marsh, J.J. Buchanan, and Savion Hiter, just to name a few,
We analyzed the best and worst-case scenarios for Michigan football this season, and building on that, here's a look at the biggest strengths of the roster, plus one position that has to improve.
5. Wide receiver
This might surprise some Michigan football fans, but the wide recievers should be one of the strongest groups on the roster.
Andrew Marsh, who had 46 receptions for 651 yards last season, was a revelation. He was the impact receiver Michigan fans have been waiting for, honestly, since Nico Collins.
Roman Wilson and Ronnie Bell were solid players, but Marsh seems like star. It wouldn't be surprising to see him hit 1,000 yards this season. J.J. Buchanan could be a monster, plus Jamie Ffrench, Travis Johnson, and Salesi Moa should give Bryce Underwood plenty of viable options.
4. Cornerback
This is easily one of the most proven groups on the team. Jyaire Hill took a huge step forward last season. He even had an interception against Ohio State. If the Wolverines had been able to punch that in for a touchdown, it could have changed the game.
Hill still did a solid job on Jeremiah Smith. He's got first-round potential. Zeke Berry has been starting for the past two seasons (23 starts) and was second-team All-Big Ten last season after 11 pass breakups. Those two, along with Smith Snowden, the second-team All-Big 12 selection last season, make up one of the better corner trios in college football.
When you add in the younger players at cornerback like Shamari Earls and Jo'Ziah Edmond, it's easy to buy that this is one of the strongest groups on the team.
3. OL
Michigan's offensive line should grow by leaps and bounds this season. The Wolverines had three redshirt freshmen starting last season in Blake Frazier (left tackle), Jake Guarnera (guard), and Andrew Sprague.
All three of those players have first-team All-Big Ten potential. Guarnera has locked down the starting center job. Frazier and Sprague feel like the tackles, but Andrew Babalola is waiting in the wings. He's expected to be healthy, plus you have Evan Link, who started all season at tackle in 2024.
Even Nathan Efobi and Brady Norton started mutiple games last season. It feels like Link should bump inside to guard, which could make the Week 1 starting lineup: Frazier, Efobi, Guarnera, Evan Link and Sprague. Babalola can open the season as the swing tackle. It will be hard to keep him off the field for long, though.
2. DL
Whittingham's teams have been known for elite play in the trenches. That shouldn't change this season. Jim Harding will have the offensive line playing well. There are multiple coaches on the defensive line with Lewis Powell (EDGE) and Larry Black (DT).
John Henry Daley, a Utah transfer with 11.5 sacks last season, should be 100 percent by the start of the season. He will be Michigan's top pass rusher. Others who should be tough to block, too, are Nate Marshall, a top-50 signee in 2025, Carter Meadows, a five-star in 2026, and Cameron Brandt.
Trey Pierce and Enow Etta should be one of the best defensive tackle combos in the Big Ten. Pierce is poised to be a first-team All-Big Ten selection, which is just one reason to believe this will be the strengh of the Michigan defense.
1. Running back
Savion Hiter is being talked about as one of the best freshman running backs in Michigan football history. If you saw him in the spring, or watched his high school highlights, which were legendary, you will believe the hype.
We still need to see it, though. Whittingham hasn't shied away from praising the freshman, who could be elite right away behind a stout offensive line, and a team willing to run the quarterback.
Beyond Hiter, Jordan Marshall averaged 6.9 yards per attempt in Big Ten play last season. He had four 100-yard games, and if he would have been healthy against Ohio State, he might have run for 200 yards. It would have been a much closer game. He got 61 yards on seven carries when he wasn't 100 percent.
Both backs could run for 1,000 yards. That's not an exaggeration.
Quarterback needs to improve
Despite having the No. 1 overall quarterback for the 2025 class, that group didn't crack the top five. It's easier to feel better about it overall, especially after the emergence of Tommy Carr this spring, but Underwood needs to take a huge leap forward.
The Wolverines need to allow him to run the ball. It sounds like they will, and if he lives up to the hype as a passer, this Michigan football team could be dangerous.
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