One of the biggest storylines surrounding Michigan in fall camp, besides Bryce Underwood, is who will be protecting him. With a lot of depth at each position on the offensive line, knowing who should start where was the toughest battle for head coach Kyle Whittingham and OL coach Jim Harding.
Harding said early in fall camp that his ideal plan was to have the offensive line set about two weeks before Week 1. Well, Harding's wish has come true, as Whittingham told the media on Friday that the offensive line decision has been made, but here's the kicker: the information won't be known until the Week 1 depth chart drops.
Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham: U-M has decided on its starting offensive line, but won’t release a depth chart and doesn’t want to discuss it publicly.
— Tony Garcia | Detroit Free Press (@RealTonyGarcia) August 21, 2026
Also says there’s only been one major injury — freshman OL Ace Hamilton out for the year with a lower leg injury. pic.twitter.com/Q2E1h81pPg
This is a sneaky tactic from Whittingham and Harding, not giving too much information away not just to Western Michigan, but also to Oklahoma, the Wolverines' Week 2 opponent. It is a relief that Michigan has the offensive line figured out, but how will they fare on the field?
Michigan didn't go unscathed with injuries at fall camp
There have been a lot of reports from other teams of major injuries suffered throughout fall camp. South Carolina's wide receiver room has been hit hard; Oklahoma lost its starting center for 4-6 weeks, and even Texas will be down an offensive lineman in Week 1. For the most part, Michigan got out of camp fairly healthy, except for one player Whittingham updated fans on.
Freshman offensive lineman Ace Hamilton will be out for the season due to a lower leg injury that was specified by Whittingham when he made the announcement. Coming in as a three-star recruit out of the Class of 2026, this is a hit to Michigan's OL depth, but hopefully he makes a full recovery and can return stronger next season.
Michigan's offensive line will be key to Bryce Underwood's success in 2026
A quarterback at times can only be as good as the offensive line in front of him. Just look at Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in his two Super Bowl losses against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles. Mahomes is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, but even he couldn't overcome having to run for his life because his offensive line was thinner than paper.
In college, it is even more imperative to have a strong offensive line, and for Michigan quarterback Underwood to take that step forward this season, his line has to be solid. Michigan had to move quite a few guys around this season, with the center and right tackle positions solidified by Jake Guarnera and Andrew Sprague. That left the guards and left tackle positions up for grabs.
It was a battle between Blake Frazier, Andrew Babalola, Evan Link, Nathan Efobi, and Brady Norton to fill out the rest of the line. Whittingham and Harding have their answer, and even though we don't know it yet, there is one thing we do know: the protection of Underwood is of the utmost importance from start to finish this season.
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