Position Battles That Will Define the Season for Michigan Football

Michigan has a handful of positions up for grabs with fall camp just around the corner that could have a significant impact on the success of the football program in Kyle Whittingham's first year in the program.

From players with experience to talented youngsters making a push for playing time, there always seems to be a surprise or two that unfolds during the leadup to the season opener.

Below are some position battles that could define the 2026 season for the Wolverines.

Offensive Line (RT/LT and RG)

Instead of breaking down the individual battles between at the tackles and right guard spot, it's a situation where, depending on the winner, the entire offensive line could be impacted which will greatly determine the success of the offense this season.

Starting at both tackle spots, it seems natural that returning players Blake Frazier (LT) and Andrew Sprague (RT) have significant headstarts to their counterparts in their respective position battles, but Andrew Babalola could throw a hefty wrench into those plans if he takes a big step during fall camp.

After a promising start to fall camp in 2025 where he was right in the thick of a position battle for snaps at tackle, the former five-star prospect suffered an ACL injury that sidelined him for the season. While it was unclear whether Babalola would end up winning a starting job, the hype surrounding his rise up the depth chart was real and, at the very least, put himself in a position to receive snaps at some point during the 2025 season.

Now, assuming he has a healthy fall camp, a starting role is very much up for grabs for Babalola which could have a major impact across the offensive line depending on how things play out elsewhere.

Let's assume for the sake of argument that Babalola beats out Blake Frazier for the left tackle position, but Frazier also has performed well during camp. There has been talk that Sprague could see time time at right guard, with players like Brady Norton and Nathan Efobi competing for a starting role there. There's also a possibility that a player like Evan Link, who missed most of the season with a knee injury and is expected to enter camp fully healthy, could be outplayed as well.

This would allow the Wolverines to mix-and-match along the line with confidence knowing that your two tackles, Frazier and Babalola, earned the start and were given roles out of necessity. While Sprague is a very capable right tackle, his versatility allows him to play at guard, which could end up being his best position. Before any of those long-term projections can happen, however, a lot of it is going to depend on how Babalola performs in fall camp and whether he has to force the hand of the coaching staff.

Wide Receivers not named Andrew Marsh or JJ Buchanan

The offensive staff spent significant time and resources adding to the wide receiver room this offseason in hopes of a more efficient passing attack and more explosive options for Bryce Underwood this season.

One thing Whittingham made abundantly clear coming out of spring practice is that Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan are WR1 and WR2 and the rest of the field are left jockeying for depth chart positioning. This doesn't mean the group is void of talent in the back-end, there is a mix of inexperienced and experienced players who are looking to make some noise this season in a pass-friendly offense ran by Jason Beck.

Highly touted recruits Jaime Ffrench and Salesi Moa are considered among the more logical options to see some early playing time behind Marsh and Buchanan, but will need a strong fall camp to have their names written in ink on the depth chart. Not seeing the field with Texas, Ffrench has all the athletic abilities in the world to be a premier receiver, he just needs an opportunity to showcase it after being buried on a loaded depth chart with the Longhorns last season.

For Moa, the former five-star showed flashes during spring practice and during the spring game, but the current talk is that those flashes need to turn into consistency before he truly gets the training wheels off and becomes a receiving and return threat. That's not to say that it's impossible to happen in a matter of weeks, but there could be a scenario where his impact is felt later on in the season as he develops.

One freshman who gets lost in the conversation and did very well for himself during the spring is former four-star recruit Travis Johnson, who consistently turned heads throughout the spring. He could be a prime darkhorse breakout candidate to steal snaps away from more experienced players ahead of him.

Elsewhere on the depth chart, Channing Goodwin, Kendrick Bell, and Jamar Browder return and have playing experience and will certainly make a push to receive snaps. While Goodwin looks to be more of a slot receiver, he is capable of playing on the outside. Bell has had moments during his U-M career where he has made impressive catches with his athletic ability and could be a reliable deep ball threat if the offense continues to evolve. I'Marion Stewart also returns, and he has seen the field sparingly during his short collegiate career.

With a new offensive mentality in tow, and the hopes that Bryce Underwood continues to develop positively, U-M's new look and loaded receiver room could quickly go from weakness to strength in a year's time, which could have a significant impact on the trajectory of the season for the Wolverines.

Linebackers

Arguably the biggest question mark on both sides of the ball, linebacker is going to be a position where the talent is certainly there, the group, overall, lacks experience and doesn't necessarily have a player it can rely on quite yet. That doesn't mean that can't change.

It's assumed that both Troy Bowles and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng will be the starting linebackers. Bowles, who returns to the program after seeing significant snaps last season, seems most likely of the group to have guaranteed himself a starting role coming out of spring practices. Bowles had a strong spring and was consistently mentioned as a standout on defense. Missing most of the season due to offseason surgery, former five-star recruit Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng saw the field for the Wolverines during the later stages of the 2025 season and is poised to lock down a starting role in fall camp. Much like many young players on the roster, Owusu-Boateng needs to find consistency in his play before he's given full access to the defense.

In the interim, North Dakota State transfer Nathaniel Staehling was a highly-coveted target out of the portal, with the defensive staff believing they landed a stud and someone who can come and make an immediate impact on defense. Whether that is the case will have to play out during camp, as Staehling had offseason surgery which sidelined him for the spring, with the expectation that he will be available for fall camp. A very productive player during his time with NDSU, he's in line to directly take on Owusu-Boateng and could be named a starter for the season-opener.

Another name who is hoping to see a larger role this season is Chase Taylor. After some bright spots during his true freshman season, a strong spring put him in the conversation to see the field this season and he certainly appears primed to do that. Elsewhere on the depth chart, transfers Aisea Moa and Max Alford appear to be depth pieces and it's unclear how much of a factor both will play into the position battles, if any.

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