6 Michigan Football Players Under the Most Pressure Entering Fall Camp

These Wolverines will be under the spot light this fall.

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Fall camp will open up in just days for Michigan football and if the Wolverines are hoping to attain all of their goals this season, Michigan will need to get the most out of its stars. But the Wolverines are also going to need some of the younger players to emerge, along with figuring out who is going to win the camp battles.

Here are six players under the most pressure to perform in fall camp.

QB Bryce Underwood

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Let's start with the obvious. There is no question who Michigan's starting quarterback is this season, it's Bryce Underwood, but if the Wolverines are going to beat teams on their daunting schedule, Underwood has to improve.

Last season, Underwood threw 11 touchdown passes, along with nine interceptions. His footwork wasn't good, and the speed of the game was just too fast for Underwood. But with a dedicated quarterbacks coach, along with a quarterback-friendly scheme, the sky is the limit for the former five-star.

Kyle Whittingham has noted different areas where he has seen improvement, but there are still working points. Fall camp will be a good indicator for just how much Underwood has improved, and how much of the new offense he has picked up.

OL Nathan Efobi

Entering his fourth year on the team, it feels like now or never for Nathan Efobi if he's going to cement his starting role on the team. Efobi has appeared in 19 total games for Michigan, with five starts at guard.

There are three position battles happening this fall and Efobi is fully entrenched in those. We know Jake Guarnera and Andrew Sprague will start, but players like Andrew Babalola, Blake Frazier, Evan Link, Brady Norton, and Efobi are battling for the other three spots.

If Efobi is the odd man out again this season, for younger players, he won't likely start at Michigan, barring injuries. He needs a massive fall camp and for Jim Harding to believe he is the best option at guard this season.

LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng

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The linebackers are one of the biggest question marks on the team. Michigan lost its top three linebackers from last season, and the Wolverines will be starting some inexperience this season. Troy Bowles, Chase Taylor, Nathaniel Staehling, and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng are the top four linebackers on the roster.

With Jay Hill running a 4-2-5, Michigan will likely only have two linebackers on the field most of the time. Bowles feels like a lock to start, being the returning veteran on the team, which leaves one spot open next to him.

Taylor has been named an emerging star, and Staehling brings experience from North Dakota State. Owusu-Boateng might have the highest ceiling of them all, but the former top recruit has battled a few injuries. Entering Year 2, Owusu-Boateng wants to live up to the hype and having a big fall camp could give Michigan another linebacker it can trust moving forward.

Edge Nate Marshall

The former high four-star recruit carved out a role last season as a true freshman, and Nate Marshall was expected to have an even bigger role this season.

But interestingly enough, Kyle Whittingham didn't mention Marshall's name during Big Ten Media Days when talking about his edge room. Instead, players like John Henry Daley, Cameron Brandt, Dominic Nichols, Lugard Edokpayi, and five-star freshman Carter Meadows were mentioned.

Whittingham spoke for 45 minutes, and it's possible he just forgot about Marshall, but that's an issue in itself. Marshall's play needs to be good this fall so coaches don't forget his name. He has a high ceiling, with a high motor.

Marshall needs to prove he can beat out a few of those players mentioned and getting himself into the two-deep isn't out of the equation.

CB Shamari Earls

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Michigan's top three corners on the team could be among the best in the Big Ten, but there are questions past Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, and Smith Snowden.

The fourth spot will likely belong to Shamari Earls. At one point, he was a five-star prospect, and he opted to come to Michigan. Earls played sparingly last season as a true freshman, but an early injury paved road for players like Jayden Sanders and Elijah Dotson to play over him.

Entering his second season, Earls needs to prove he is the future star of the Wolverines' secondary. When he signed with Michigan, that was the expectation and having a big fall camp can prove to the coaching staff that Earls can be counted on if an injury occurs and for the future of the team.

CB Jo'Ziah Edmond

Speaking of cornerbacks, depth is a real issue. Kyle Whittingham has spoken about his secondary depth being thin and needing some players to separate themselves this fall.

Entering Year 3, Jo'Ziah Edmond needs to have a breakout fall camp, or he could continue to fall on the depth chart. As a true freshman, Edmond played quality ball and looked like someone who was going to become a mainstay for Michigan.

But true freshman passed him on the depth chart a year ago, and the best-case scenario for Edmond this season is being fifth on the depth chart. But with two more years of eligibility left after this season, he can play well enough to show the coaching staff he is someone who can compete for a starting job next season alongside Shamari Earls.

It's now or never for a player like Edmond.