Where Michigan Ranks Among 138 FBS Teams in Returning Production for 2026

Spring practice is underway in Ann Arbor and the Wolverines are looking to get back into the College Football Playoff for the first time since Michigan won the national title in 2023. The Maize and Blue have won eight and nine games, respectively, in the last two seasons, and expectations are high with Kyle Whittingham taking over the program.

While Michigan's schedule isn't all that favorable — games against Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon, Penn State, and Ohio State loom large — but the Wolverines have the talent to make a run in a grueling Big Ten Conference.

Plus, Michigan returns some big-time production from last season. ESPN's Bill Connelly released his returning production for the 2026 season and the Wolverines have the 20th-most production returning out of 138 Division 1 teams.

Michigan returns 72% of its offensive production from last season, which is the sixth-most in the country. Defensively, the Wolverines return 55% of their production, which ranks 55th in the nation.

While Michigan 'returns' 72% of its production, Connelly did note that he also includes transfers who played/started at their previous school. So while the Wolverines don't return John Henry Daley at edge rusher, the All-American played a lot of football for Utah last season, hence he is part of the returning production — in a smaller sample.

Having the 20th-ranked returning production sounds good, Michigan is actually No. 8 in the Big Ten.

Maryland, Nebraska, Minnesota, UCLA, Oregon, USC, and Washington all rank ahead of Michigan in terms of returning production for the 2026 season.

Returning production lower than ever

One interesting fact that Connelly noted is that returning production is lower than ever. Back in 2021, the average was 76.7% and by 2026, the average returning production for a team is at 53.7%.

Which further shows what Michigan has been able to do in terms of retaining talent. Even though the Wolverines went through a massive coaching change, where Sherrone Moore, both coordinators, and several position coaches weren't retained, players stayed for the new regime.

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) celebrates a touchdown against Central Michigan — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Young guys like Bryce Underwood, Andrew Marsh, Andrew Sprague, Jake Guarnera, and Jordan Marshall, among others, all chose to ride the wave with Whittingham. Between some young talent and veterans like Rod Moore, Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, and Cameron Brandt, among others, Michigan has a nice mixture on its roster this season.

While it's nice to have returning production, Michigan will have to prove it on the field this season. And fans can get a glimpse of the future on April 18 during the Wolverines' spring game.