Ranking Michigan's Offensive Positions Entering 2026

Which offensive position is at the top, and which is at the bottom?

Michigan running back Jordan Marshall runs against Ohio State | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan will look very different from what it did in 2025 with Kyle Whittingham coming over from Utah, as well as some personnel changes at a number of different positions. Let's go through and rank the offensive positions from top to bottom as Michigan enters 2026.

#1: Running Back

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Running back is at the top of the board for me. Jordan Marshall returns after filling in for the injured Justice Haynes for much of last season. He carried the ball 150 times last year for 932 yards and 10 TD's, and he didn't stay healthy himself all season either. He does need to prove he can stay healthy this season, but when he's on the field for Michigan there's very little doubt that he will be a very good player.

Behind Marshall, 5-star Savion Hiter comes in and is expected to be RB2 right away. He's drawn a lot of praise for what he did in spring practice, and according to Kyle Whittingham, he looks the part of a future stud and high level draft pick.

At RB3, it will be Bryson Kuzdzal who returns for another year at Michigan. He entered the portal briefly after last season but ultimately elected to come back to Michigan despite being good enough to probably start elsewhere in the Power Four conferences. He didn't get as many carries as Haynes or Marshall last season but when he did get the lions share of the backfield work in the Maryland game, he produced 100 yards on 20 carries and had 3 TD's. He's certainly a more than serviceable RB3, and the depth of having three different players you can feel comfortable carrying the lions share of the work in any given game is a great thing to have at this position and it's why I rank it number one on Michigan's offense in 2026.

#2: Offensive Line

Offensive line is number two for me, again mostly a product of the overall talent and depth in the room. Michigan returns four players who started at least six games for them last season, and also brings back a 5th who started three games.

Jake Guarnera took over at center when Greg Crippen went down due to an injury and looked pretty good in doing so. Blake Frazier stepped in for Evan Link when he went down due to injury and looked good at LT. He did need to bulk up and add weight but with a full off-season to do so he should be better there in 2026 than he was last year. Andrew Sprague is a veteran at RT at this point and has round 2-3 type upside in the NFL Draft if he can have a good season this year. Evan Link is also back from his injury and expected to slide inside to guard which is a better projected position for him moving forward anyways. Brady Norton also returns after starting three games at RG for Michigan in 2025.

The big x-factor for this group in my opinion is Andrew Babalola. He is a former 5-star recruit who had a chance to start last season as a true freshman before he tore his ACL in fall camp. He should be back and full go once fall camp starts in August, and how good he looks will play a big factor into how this offensive line looks in 2026. When healthy, he's the most talented player in this position room. He'll need to prove he's healthy and good enough to start for Michigan this season, but if he does, that would likely mean he beat out some other good players to earn that starting position.

This position group could end up being the best one on the entire team is it all falls right for the Wolverines in 2026. Phil Steele's recent projection has the starting offensive line looking like this: (from left to right) Andrew Babalola, Evan Link, Jake Guarnera, Brady Norton, and Andrew Sprague. That would leave Blake Frazier as the 6th offensive lineman and also leaves Senior Nathan Efobi as a depth piece and the 7th offensive lineman on this team. All seven of those players are good enough to start for most Big Ten teams, and for Michigan to have that many good, capable starting options is a really good sign for this position group entering 2026.

#3: Wide Receiver

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It might be a surprise for people to see this position group rank this highly for me entering 2026, but I'm a big fan of the additions they made to the room in this off-season. Andrew Marsh, the sophomore star, returns to headline this group. He will get a full year of runway as the lead receiver this year and could end up pushing towards that 1,000 yard mark. They also brought in JJ Buchanan from Utah, who had 26 catches for 427 yards and 5 TD's a a true freshman last year. He looks the part of a true X-type wide receiver who can win those contested catches.

They also brought in a rising sophomore in Jaime Ffrench who was a former top-100 recruit who enrolled at Texas but didn't get on the field much there this past season. He has a lot of talent himself and should help Michigan in the slot this season. They also brought in a borderline 5-star recruit in Salesi Moa who's expected to play right away for Michigan as well. That's not to mention young wide receivers they brought back from last year's team in Channing Goodwin, Kendrick Bell, Jamar Browder, and a highly ranked recruit in Travis Johnson.

This position group as a whole is much better than it was last season and could even be a strength of this Michigan team in 2026.

#4: Quarterback

This will probably cause some consternation amongst fans, with the quarterback position ranking this low, but it is where I would slot it heading into 2026. Sophomore Bryce Underwood should improve now that he has a dedicated QB coach, and the new offensive scheme will also help him to better take advantage of his athleticism this season. Michigan is expected to run him more this season and I think that will help take some of the pressure off of his arm. They should also build in some easier passes to complete via the RPO to help him move the football more effectively through the air as well.

I'm expecting Bryce Underwood to take a step forward in 2026 as a sophomore, but how big of a step forward it ends up being might determine how good this Michigan team is in 2026.

#5: Tight End

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This is the lowest ranked position group on offense in my opinion as they enter 2026. That's not to say it's a bad group or anything, but it is the most thin and has the lowest upside from what we've seen. Hogan Hansen has NFL Draft pick upside at the position but he hasn't been able to stay healthy for a full season yet. Zack Marshall has looked solid when he's played, but hasn't shown any real standout traits yet. Deakon Tonielli, Jalen Hoffman, and Eli Owens round out the group from a depth perspective.

All five of these guys might see the field this season, but thus far in their Michigan careers, only Hogan Hansen has shown plus athleticism. I do think they can be solid from both a pass catching and blocking perspective for Michigan in 2026 but I don't really see how this position group will be much better than the 5th best offensive position for Michigan in 2026.