Every Michigan Wolverines Football Starting Job Up for Grabs This Season

With the 2026 season starting in a few weeks, here's a look at every position that's up for grabs.

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One week into fall camp and there are still jobs to be won. Michigan already has a lot of its starters written down for the Western Michigan game, but there are other spots that are being battled for.

Here's positions that are up for grabs after a week of fall camp.

Wide receiver 3

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Entering fall camp, Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan had the top spots secured, and after one week of fall camp, nothing has changed there. Instead, eyes shift to the third wide receiver position, one that will start in Jason Beck's scheme.

Things could still change, but right now, it's between Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench and five-star freshman Salesi Moa. Both players figure to have a big hand in what the Wolverines' offense does this season, but it's still a spot that's being battled for.

Travis Johnson and Channing Goodwin have also recently been mentioned. But the third spot is certainly between Ffrench and Moa. With having one year of experience, Ffrench could hold a slight edge.

Left tackle

This is one of three offensive line positions up for grabs. The top two competitors are Andrew Babalola and Blake Frazier, but we recently learned that Evan Link is also taking reps there.

Link is better suited inside and it's unlikely he earns the nod at left tackle. If you listen to the coaches talk, Babalola could have the edge here. He is suited to play tackle and he was one of the top prospects in the 2025 class.

Frazier stepped and started most of the season after Link went down last season, but he could also shift inside.

Left and right guard

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Which leads us to our next position, the guard spots. Evan Link is repping inside and we would figure he would slot into the starting lineup, likely on the left side.

Nathan Efobi and Brady Norton are also in the mix, battling for a starting spot. Both are veterans and Efobi has been around the program for a while, but if Blake Frazier loses the left tackle battle, his name will certainly be mentioned as being in contention.

Jim Harding wants to find the best five offensive linemen and if switching positions around gets the job done, then that's what Michigan is going to do.

Edge

John Henry Daley is healthy, and while he remains on a pitch count, the chances of him starting Week 1 against Western Michigan are extremely high.

Daley will start for Michigan this season, but his counterpart might be undecided. From the outside looking in, Cameron Brandt should have the leg up here, but there are other edge rushers getting hyped up.

Dominic Nichols is one of them, and he brings some experience to the defensive line, being one of the rushers on the team last season. Some younger guys are making noise as well, like Lugard Edokpayi, Nate Marshall, and Carter Meadows.

It's likely coming down to Brandt vs. Nichols for the starting spot.

Linebacker

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The biggest battle on the defensive side of the football is at linebacker. Troy Bowles should have a starting spot as the veteran returner, but anything could happen during fall camp.

Both Chase Taylor and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng are entering their second year on the team, and Owusu-Boateng likely has the highest ceiling, but Taylor has emerged as a breakout star this fall. Taylor could have the starting spot next to Bowles.

Then there is Nathaniel Staehling, who is a veteran transfer. Staehling is finally healthy and Kyle Whittingham recently spoke about his upside and his tackling ability.

Those four are battling it out to see who the top two linebackers are going to be for the opening game.