The Most Underrated Player At Each Defensive Position For Michigan Heading Into Spring Practice

Spring practice for Michigan is scheduled to start next week, on March 17th. It will be a new era for the Wolverines as new Head Coach Kyle Whittingham has taken over for Sherrone Moore. He brought with him two new coordinators and essentially a whole new coaching staff, except for one holdover in Running Backs Coach Tony Alford. He's also made some changes on the player personnel side in recent weeks, shaking up the front office staff that helps build the football team each year. A lot of things will look differently for the Wolverines this fall, and that's probably a good thing for Michigan fans.

Bryce Underwood is back to lead the offense under new Offensive Coordinator Jason Beck and they've got a lot of underrated players to work with on that side of the ball. The defense however has more question marks. New Defensive Coordinator Jay Hill might have his work cut out for him with everything Michigan lost of last year's defense. It's possible the new scheme can help mitigate some of the losses, and Jay Hill will have more talent to work with than he's ever had in his career thus far. Let's dive more into the most underrated defensive players for Michigan as they enter spring practice below.

Defensive Line: Dominic Nichols

Dominic Nichols coming out of high school was seen as a high ceiling edge player who was quite raw physically. He was listed as a 3-star recruit and entered college with good length at 6'-4" and weighing 235 lbs. He was always going to need to add weight to be able to contribute at a program like Michigan and now two years later he's listed at 6'-5" and 255 lbs. Physically he's going to be much more ready to contribute as he enters 2026 and now that he's had two years of adjusting to the speed and physicality of the college game, he'll be ready to make an impact for Michigan this fall.

He was named Scout Team Player of the Year on Defense for this team in 2024 and played sparingly last year as a backup. This year he'll be tasked with playing more and now that he's physically more developed, I'm betting on him being a good player off the edge this fall for the Wolverines. The starting edge spot opposite John Henry Daley is up for grabs and I think Dominic Nichols might have the most pass rush juice in terms of guys fighting for that starting spot. Look for him to take a big step forward this year for Michigan.

Linebacker: Nathaniel Staehling

Nathaniel Staehling comes into Michigan as a 5th year transfer player who's played a lot of football for North Dakota State. He was rated as a 3-star transfer player upon entering the Michigan program, and Michigan badly needs to replace proven production at the linebacker position. Cole Sullivan left for Oklahoma this off season, as well as Jimmy Rolder who jumped to the NFL so Michigan will have a whole new linebacker group this season. Staehling will definitely have the most experience in this position group as Michigan enters 2026 and will likely be a starter for the Wolverines this fall.

At North Dakota State last year he recorded 74 tackles, 1 pass deflection, 1 sack, and 3 INT's. Staehling at the very least should provide good veteran production at the linebacker position for Michigan in 2026 as a run-stuffer who's also solid in coverage. I believe he's better than the 3-star rating he was given as a transfer and I think he'll end up being a good player for Michigan in 2026.

Cornerback: Shamari Earls

Shamari Earls is being slept on a little bit in my opinion. I think he'll be Michigan's second best cornerback by the end of 2026 despite having Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry both returning at the position for 2026. Shamari Earls was a top 100 recruit who flipped from Georgia to the Wolverines late in the 2024 recruiting cycle. As a true Freshman he played in only 6 games for the Wolverines but athletically he might be the most gifted cornerback on Michigan's roster. It's understandable that it might take him a year to asjust to the college game and now that he's had a full year and off season, he should be ready to hit the ground running this year. At 6'-2" and 205 lbs. he's a big physical corner who also has great speed as he won several events in track as a high schooler in Virginia. I'm expecting him to break out this year and be Michigan's second best corner by the end of 2026, behind only Jyaire Hill who's expected to be a 1st-3rd round NFL Draft Pick next spring.

Safety: Rod Moore

Rod Moore's career at Michigan has not gone according to his or really anybody's plan since the end of 2023. He tore his ACL in spring practice in 2024 and re-injured the same knee, albeit with a different injury, in 2025 which caused him to miss all but three games last year. Now entering 2026 and two years removed from his full ACL tear, he should finally be healthy next fall. When he last saw the field for the Wolverines, he was perhaps the team's best open-field tackler and one of the best safeties in the Big Ten. If he can just get back to being himself physically, he can be Michigan's best defensive player in 2026 and get his career back on track. Obviously health will be very important for him this year, but when healthy he was being mocked as a 2nd-3rd round safety in NFL mock drafts. He's a very talented player and I think most Wolverine fans and really the whole college football world are sleeping on how good Rod Moore can be for this Michigan team in 2026.