Ten bold predictions for the 2026 Michigan season

The 2026 Michigan football season is just over three weeks away, and it's been a little more of a difficult offseason to assess just what these Wolverines might be.

With a coaching change, new faces on and off the field, and several difficult-to-decipher variables, making predictions about what the maize and blue might be isn't quite the same as it's been in recent years. Kyle Whittingham has shown during his over two-decade stint as the head coach at Utah that he can do more with less, so what will it look like when he has more to work with?

Michigan may be one of the more talented teams in college football, albeit a more unheralded one. Very few players are on the top college football lists, but that's in the preseason. What about at year's end when it really counts?

Here are our top 10 preseason bold predictions for Michigan football in 2026.

Bryce Underwood finishes with 3,500-plus yards of total offense

Once upon a time, we used to predict that each new season would see a quarterback break Jon Navarre's 3,331-yard single-season passing record. And yet, it still hasn't happened. If any quarterback should do it in his Michigan football career, it's Underwood, but that feels more like a prediction for next year than this one.

What we will say is that Underwood will eclipse that number in total offense.

At Utah, Devon Dampier managed 3,325 yards total, with 2,490 yards through the air and 835 on the ground. We think we'll see a little loftier numbers through the air this year from Underwood (who had 2,428 last year) and certainly more rushing attempts (and thus yards) this season. Whether that looks like 2,700 yards passing and 800 yards rushing, 2,800 yards passing and 700 yards rushing (so on, and so forth) remains to be seen. But we do believe, given that Kyle Whittingham has said that the offense is centered on Underwood, that he'll find a way to eclipse 3,500 yards of offense this year.

Jordan Marshall has an All-Big Ten, All-America season

Perhaps it's because he was playing second-fiddle for much of the season last year to Justice Haynes, or maybe it was the injury issues he had, but running back Jordan Marshall is being severely overlooked.

Just about no one has him on any preseason lists of best running backs in the country or the conference, and yet, with Jason Beck's commitment to running the football, mixed with an improved offensive line and Marshall continuing to improve, he should be considered one of the top tailbacks in the Big Ten.

Despite only starting in four games (though he carried only seven times against Ohio State), and not playing in two games, Marshall had nearly a thousand yards. And he didn't even get more than 11 carries in any of the first five games, with 14 carries coming in the USC game when Haynes first left with injury. Assuming he stays healthy, mixed with the staff's desire and shown ability to run the football, we expect Marshall to have a monster year -- apparently one that no one outside of Ann Arbor sees coming.

JJ Buchanan ends up being WR1 over Andrew Marsh

Andrew Marsh has been the Michigan football hypebeast since mid-to-late season last year. And while that hasn't slowed down at all, we think he could be passed by another Wolverines wideout.

JJ Buchanan had an exemplary year at Utah last season, despite it being his first year of college football and him transitioning from tight end to wide receiver. Listed at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, the early fall camp intel suggests that he's coming down with just about every ball thrown his way. Earlier this week, Whittingham said this about his sophomore pass catcher:

"JJ Buchanan is a special receiver. He's, at times, unguardable in practice. He's the 50-50 ball, the contested catch up the field. He's as good as anybody I've ever been around."

Given that Marsh will likely be the focal point, opposing defenses will do as much as they can to take him away, which will open up other opportunities for the second-year player out of Utah. This isn't a diatribe against Marsh as much as it's believing not only that Buchanan will end up having more opportunities, but also that he'll make the most of them.

The OL is a Joe Moore Award finalist

Michigan is just three years removed from being a Joe Moore Award finalist (2023) and four years from being a Joe Moore Award winner (2021-22). And sometimes, a change of coaching can make a big difference. Given Jim Harding's track record of coaching offensive line, this should be the right moment for a unit that showed the most improvement over the course of the season last year.

We've seen decent lines upgrade quickly with coaching changes at the position. Take the 2018 O-line, which improved greatly under Ed Warinner's tutelage after three years under Tim Drevno. The same thing happened in 2021, when Sherrone Moore took over from Warinner. Given that these were younger players last season who have the talent and ability, but just needed more experience and perhaps a more accomplished mentor, we have very high expectations for the starting five (or six) that Harding is going to put out there. So much so that we believe they will be on that final Joe Moore Award list, but not quite win (though next year, it could be a different story, in a positive way).

The defensive front is as advertised

Kyle Whittingham turned heads in the spring when he said the strength of the Michigan football team was the defensive line. Well, after seeing it in action in the spring game, he wasn't kidding around.

Starting defensive tackles Trey Pierce and Enow Etta have waited their turns to be the main guys up front (Pierce had a fair amount of time on task last year, but was still rotated in and out a fair bit). With Jonah Lea'ea joining from Utah, and Deyvid Palepale seemingly ready for primetime, the interior feels like it could be as g...

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