Michigan vs Central Michigan: Three Wolverines to watch on Saturday

The Michigan Wolverines suffered a tough loss on the road to the Oklahoma Sooners this past weekend. Their defense played pretty well, holding John Mateer and the Sooners' offense to 24 points, but their offense really struggled to get anything going. This week, the Wolverines will host Central Michigan, and they'll look to iron out some wrinkles in their offense.

Here are three Michigan players you should keep your eye on this weekend when the Wolverines host the Chippewas.

Bryce Underwood

Obviously, the main player to watch this weekend will be Michigan's QB1, Bryce Underwood. The true freshman five-star is going to want to put the Oklahoma game, where he went 9-for-24 for 142 yards, behind him quickly, and a big game against Central Michigan would be a great way to do that.

Last weekend, Underwood didn't look horrible despite what the stat sheet says. The offensive line didn't give him much time to work, and he made some throws that made you see why he was the top quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class.

This is a perfect get-right game for Underwood. After this, Michigan jumps right into the thick of their Big 10 schedule, so making sure Underwood gets some of his confidence back will be paramount. Expect to see the Wolverines call some short, easy passes early and then dial up a few big shots to get their quarterback's confidence up.

Sep 6, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) runs past Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Sammy Omosigho (7) during the second half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Justice Haynes

Justice Haynes transferred to Michigan from Alabama this offseason and has given the Wolverines a true RB1 that they desperately needed after losing Kalel Mullings and Donovan Edwards. In week one, Haynes rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. He then followed that up with another big performance against Oklahoma, rushing for 125 yards and a score on 19 carries.

Haynes is going to be a big part of what Michigan wants to do offensively early in this game. I wouldn't expect him to be in this game too long if things get out of hand, but they should give him a healthy workload early on.

Jayden Sanders

Jyaire Hill, TJ Metcalf and Zeke Berry have been the Wolverines' three main cornerbacks this year, but with Berry potentially missing this game with a lower-body injury and this game potentially getting out of hand, I want to highlight Jayden Sanders, who's quietly had a strong true freshman season.

In week one, Sanders played 25 snaps against New Mexico and was targeted four times, allowing three catches for just 20 yards. He wasn't supposed to play much against Oklahoma, but when Berry went down, he replaced him and played 35 snaps against a very good Sooners offense, and allowed just one catch for nine yards.

This game is a very good opportunity to get Sanders more quality reps, especially if Berry can't go. Sanders has made the most of his opportunity with multiple of Michigan's corners out with an injury, and even though they're expected to get Shamari Earls and Caleb Anderson back this week, Sanders should still be the next guy up behind Hill, Metcalf and Berry.

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