The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545685
LINEBACKERS 102 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW POSITION COACH Alex Whittingham leads the linebackers into the 2026 season in his first sea- son at U-M. Whittingham spent the last eight seasons working in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs organization, where he held several roles as part of the defensive coaching staff. Whittingham, the son of U-M head coach Kyle Whittingham, was part of Chiefs teams that went to five Super Bowls and won three titles (2020, '22 and '23). During his time with the franchise, he gained experience with every position group. Over his first two years in Kansas City, he worked as an assistant with the outside linebackers and defensive line before moving into a quality control role with the linebackers from 2020-23. Whittingham moved to a secondary defensive assistant role in 2024 before taking on assistant defensive line coach duties in 2025. Whittingham, a key lieutenant for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, helped the Chiefs achieve a top-10 scoring defense in six of his eight years on staff, including a top-6 mark in his final three seasons with the organization. In each of his last four seasons, the Chiefs were top-12 in yards allowed per game. Whittingham played for his father at Utah from 2013-17 and appeared in 45 contests. RETURNING PLAYERS TROY BOWLES • LB Sr. • Tampa, Fla. Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 230 • Appeared in all 13 games in 2025, recording 27 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a sack, along with a blocked kick and forced fumble • Transferred in from Georgia in 2025 after two years with the Bulldogs. • Redshirted as a sophomore in 2024, appear- ing in two games at linebacker. • Played in five outings as a freshman in 2023, registering 5 tackles. • Father is Todd Bowles, the head coach of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. • Regarded as a four-star recruit, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking for the 2023 class. He checked in as the No. 88 overall prospect and seventh-best linebacker in America, and the No. 21 player in Florida. NATHANIEL OWUSU-BOATENG • LB So. • Hyattsville, Md. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 217 • Played in seven games, mostly on special teams, and totaled 4 tackles in 2025. • Enrolled early in January 2025. • Attended Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy his final two years of high school, after transfer- ring from Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic. • Missed his senior season with injury follow- ing a 45-tackle junior campaign in 2023. • The Rivals Industry Ranking placed him as a four-star recruit, the No. 235 overall player and No. 25 linebacker in the 2025 class, plus the 33rd-best prospect in Florida. CHASE TAYLOR • LB So. • Stockbridge, Ga. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 237 • Appeared in 10 games dur- ing 2025 season, making 10 tackles and recovering a kickoff. • Joined the program as an early enrollee in January 2025. • Contributed 62 tackles with 10 for loss as a prep senior at Stockbridge (Ga.) High. • The three-star recruit was slotted as the No. 72 linebacker in the country and the No. 87 player in Georgia. ZACH LUDWIG • LB Jr. • South Park, Pa. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 225 • Appeared in first career game against Central Michi- gan in 2025. • Did not see game action as a freshman in 2024. • Attended South Park High School, recording 53 tackles with 3 tackles for loss and a sack in 2023. • A two-way contributor who also played quarterback. • 2023 PrepStar All-Eastern Region selection. • Nephew of former U-M strength coach Ben Herbert. • Three-star prospect, No. 166 linebacker in the nation and No. 46 player in Pennsylvania, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. NEWCOMERS MAX ALFORD • LB Gr. • Park City, Utah Ht: 6-1 • Wt.: 230 • Transferred from BYU. • Appeared in 10 games in 2025, totaling 21 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a sack. • Spent first three seasons at Utah State. • Played in four games in 2024 and credited with 2 tackles. • Started in his only game appearance in 2023. • Appeared in all 13 games with four starts during freshman season in 2022, recording 40 tackles and 4 tackles for loss. • Attended Park City High, also lettering in track and field, basketball and lacrosse. • High Honor Roll student, four-year Aca- demic All-Region selection. • Late father, Aaron, played at Colorado State and coached under Kyle Whittingham at Utah. • Nephew of U-M running backs coach Tony Alford. • No. 1,768 recruit, No. 121 running back and No. 37 player in Utah in 2022 class, per Rivals Industry Rating. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks 2022* 13/4 40 4.0 0 2023* 1/1 0 0 0 2024* 4/0 2 0 0 2025^ 10/0 21 2.0 0 Totals 28/5 63 6.0 0 * at Utah State ^ at BYU KADEN CATCHINGS • LB Fr. • Jackson, Miss. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 220 • Enrolled early in January 2026. • Attended Hartfield Acad- emy in his hometown. • Helped program to three consecutive state championship games from 2023-25, win- ning back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024. • Played running back and linebacker in high school. • Totaled 336 yards rushing and 6 touch- downs in eight games in 2025, along with 29 tackles and 2 sacks on defense. • Rushed 127 times for 1,065 yards with 16 touchdowns and gathered 47 tackles with 6 passes defended as a junior in 2024. • Three-star prospect, No. 1,045 overall player and No. 99 linebacker nationally and No. 32 player in Mississippi, per Rivals In- dustry Ranking. MARKEL DABNEY • LB Fr. • Chesterfield, Va. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 225 • Winter 2026 enrollee. • Attended Huguenot High. • Totaled 151 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 14 turn- overs forced, along with more than 2,300 all-purpose yards with 33 touchdowns in his prep career. • Made 68 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and an interception in 2025, also carried the ball 40 times for 448 yards and 8 touchdowns with 12 catches for 176 yards and 4 scores. • Helped lead team to 11-1 record in back- to-back seasons, reaching state semifinal in 2025. • Credited with 74 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions for touchdowns in 2024.