Michigan Football Starts and Sits: Breaking Down Each Position Battle

Michigan football is in week four of fall camp now and it is quickly approaching game week. Their first game will come against Western Michigan on September 5th and the coaches will hope to make final position battle decisions soon. Let's dive into each position battle and which way it's trending ahead of their first game below.

Starting Left Tackle: Blake Frazier vs. Andrew Babalola

I'll start with the biggest and most important battle, in my opinion, which is the starting left tackle job. Blake Frazier played at left tackle some games last season but didn't exactly look great when doing so. While he has the athleticism to play the position, he had a clear need to add some weight and further strength to his frame. He was often getting beat on bull rushes in pass pro, and had issues moving defenders off the line of scrimmage in the run game.

Entering 2026, Frazier set out with the goal of adding the necessary weight and strength to his frame. So far in fall camp it appears that he's done so successfully, if fall camp reports are to be believed.

Andrew Babalola is the other name competing for the starting left tackle job, and he is a former 5-star recruit who had a chance to start last season as a true freshman before tearing his ACL in fall camp. Heading into this year's camp, he was supposed to be healthy but has reportedly suffered a minor injury that's been hampering his chances to ultimately start in week one.

With Andrew Babalola a bit banged up, momentum has surged for Blake Frazier to win this position battle and start in week one for the Wolverines.

Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman Nathan Efobi during warm ups before the game against the Central Michigan Chippewas | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Starting Right Guard: Nathan Efobi vs. Brady Norton

With the left tackle battle seemingly settled, this is the other position battle going on along the offensive line. Left guard is seemingly wrapped up by Evan Link, which leaves a couple guys fighting for the starting role on the right side.

Brady Norton is a former transfer who came over from Cal Poly where he was an FCS All-American. He didn't play a ton last year at Michigan, but did appear in seven games. He's reportedly taken a step forward with his work in the weight room and with new offensive line coach Jim Harding this off-season.

Nathan Efobi is a veteran, experienced player who is seemingly leading this battle. He's appeared in 19 games as a Wolverine thus far, and had his best game of his career in the bowl game against Texas. If he can take that momentum and spin it forward to 2026, he could be in for a really nice season as Michigan's starting right guard.

There's excitement in the air with the wide receivers, and Jaime Ffrench is one of the names to know! pic.twitter.com/nkKpcpdUiS
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) August 20, 2026

Wide Receiver #3: Channing Goodwin vs. Jamie Ffrench, Salesi Moa, and Travis Johnson

This is the last real position battle on offense, with the wide receiver three role still up for grabs. There are a lot of different ways this one could go, with each player bringing something different to the position. All four of them should play this season but who will start and play the most is still to be decided.

Channing Goodwin has gotten a lot of praise this fall camp and he won this battle a year ago. He did have some drop issues though once the season started last year, so personally I'm going to have to see him make those catches once the games actually start to fully buy into him.

Salesi Moa and Travis Johnson are two really talented freshmen who still have a chance to go win this job. Travis Johnson especially has gotten a lot of praise lately in fall camp, showcasing both high level speed and also the ability to go up and get it with his 6'-3" frame. Both should figure into the rotation no matter what, but they both would' need an outstanding finish to fall camp to beat out the two more experienced players.

Jaime Ffrench is the guy most people circled as Michigan's likely WR3 entering fall camp. It sounds like he's been solid in fall camp, but other names have gotten more buzz lately. He's still probably leading the battle at this point due to his experience and run after catch abilities, but he also hasn't gone out and won the job yet which might indicate this battle leaking into the early parts of the season.

#Michigan LB Nathaniel Staehling missed all spring ball with a shoulder injury, but he’s fully recovered and ready to go for the start of fall camp.

He confirmed he’s currently at 6-2.5, 242-pounds and running up to 21.2 mph.

“I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.” pic.twitter.com/NKp54Wa0Uy
— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) August 1, 2026

Starting Linebacker's #1 and #2: Nathaniel Staehling vs. Troy Bowles, Chase Taylor, and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng

This is another one of the hotter position battles in fall camp, with all four still having a chance to start at linebacker in week one.

Nathaniel Staehling is a guy who's gotten a lot of high praise from both players and coaches alike in fall camp. He transferred over from NDSU this off-season and brings a lot of experience to the position group. As of right now, he's projecting to be one of Michigan's starters at linebacker.

Troy Bowles is a player who originally transferred over from Georgia prior to the start of last season, and he appeared in all 13 games last year for Michigan. He ended up making 27 tackles with 2 tackles for loss and one sack in a backup type role. He's right in the mix for the other starting role.

Chase Taylor was getting as lot of hype over the summer but his name appears to have cooled off a bit once practices actually started up in fall camp. He's still in the mix to start at linebacker as well but as of right now could be on the outside looking in.

Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng is probably running 4th right now amongst this group but will still play a fair amount this year. He's still one of the younger names with a chance to start, but he just hasn't received the same praise from players and coaches as some others in this position group.

Edge Rusher #2: Dominic Nichols vs. Cameron Brandt and Nate Marshall

This is the last real position battle going on right now, with a number of different names who could ultimately win the starting role.

Dominic Nichols appears to be the one trending up the most recently. Andrew Sprague recently called Nichols "the best pass-rusher on the team". That would certainly be a positive development for Michigan's defensive line, because John Henry Daley had 11.5 sacks last year for Utah. If Michigan could have two standout pass-rushers, that could do wonders for this defense as a whole.

Cameron Brandt is the other more experienced player in the mix here, but he's seen as more of a run-defender first. He may play more on early downs when compared to Dominic Nichols who's seen as the better pass-rusher. Even if Dominic Nichols does win the job, Cameron Brandt will still get on the field as a part of the rotation at defensive end.

Nate Marshall is another name battling for this job, and he was the highest ranked recruit of the bunch. He had a good freshman season last year, and will surely take a step forward as a sophomore. The fact that he may be the defensive end three or four for the Wolverines could be a really good sign for the strength of this position group.

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