Top 25 Most Important Michigan Players in 2026: No. 19 WR Jaime Ffrench Adds Blazing Speed

We continue our series of ranking the top 25 most important players for Michigan's success on the football field this season. This list was voted on by the staff of Michigan Wolverines on SI.

We land on the No. 19 player, and that's wide receiver Jaime Ffrench, and landed three spots ahead of fellow incoming wide receiver Salesi Moa.

2025 Recap

Jaime Ffrench looks to the sideline for a play call — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Jaime Ffrench took a redshirt season at Texas a year ago as a true freshman. He did see four games, but he was able to preserve his redshirt, although with the new 5-for-5 rule that was voted in, that's a moot point.

Ffrench caught one pass for six yards for the Longhorns and found himself behind Ryan Wingo, Parker Livingstone, DeAndre Moore Jr., and Emmett Mosley V, among others. However, it wasn't for the lack of talent.

Heading to Texas, Ffrench was the No. 44 player in the 2025 recruiting class, per the Composite. Following the season, Ffrench opted to enter the portal, and he ended up in Ann Arbor.

Why Ffrench is important for Michigan's 2026 success

Which leads us to the 2026 season. After dropping 28 passes last season, Michigan had to re-tool its pass-catching room. Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan are the cemented starters in the room to start the year, but Michigan is likely going to give both Ffrench and Salesi Moa a ton of looks.

For French, he adds some speed to the room and someone who can take the top off the defense.

Michigan wide receivers coach Micah Simon watches — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Yeah, definitely brings a lot of speed and a lot of competitiveness and just heart," WR coach Micah Simon said about Ffrench. "He goes one thousand miles per hour every single day. And he is all about learning. He is all about being coached hard and just wanted an opportunity to showcase his ability."

Jason Beck usually runs a lot of 11 personnel, which means there will be more wide receivers on the field than Michigan fans are used to. The Wolverines will likely still rotate players around, but expect Ffrench to see the field, with targets.

One prediction for Ffench in 2026

Looking ahead, both Marsh and Buchanan should lead the team in both targets and receptions. But I view Ffrench as being the deep target and someone who can be explosive in yards after the catch.

I think Ffrench will have some long catches this season with Bryce Underwood showing off his cannon. The Wolverines had one catch of 50-plus yards last season, and my bold prediction for Ffrench this season is that he has two by himself.

See our full top 25 players:

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