The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545685
TOP THREE INDIVIDUALS 1. RBS JUSTICE HAYNES AND JORDAN MARSHALL (TIE) Haynes and Marshall were tied at the hip as U-M's tailback duo, and it is hard to do anything but loop them together as the most critical players from the 2025 season. They combined for 271 carries for 1,789 yards and 20 touchdowns, taking turns as the lead back throughout the year until Haynes went down with an injury seven games in. They were a non-negotiable strength on an offense that otherwise lacked a ton of playmaking juice and was led by a true freshman at quarterback. They were probably worth a combined three wins on their own throughout the campaign. 2. EDGE DERRICK MOORE Elected a team captain prior to the season, Moore had a strong year and started 12 games, making 30 tackles and racking up 10 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, along with 3 passes de- fended, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He led the team with 41 pressures on the quar- terback, using a bull rush to overwhelm offensive linemen. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished last year with a 36 percent win rate in true pass rush situations, ranking 10th among all edge players with at least 100 pass rush reps. 3. WR ANDREW MARSH Michigan's wide receiver room was lacking in proven production and talent heading into last year, opening the door for someone unexpected to emerge. That wound up being a true freshman in Marsh, who did not receive his first start until four games into the season, but led the group in catches (45), yards (651) and touchdowns (4) and was one of the best wideouts in the Big Ten, regardless of class, by the time the year ended. His emergence gave the Wolverines a semblance of a consistent passing game threat and a reliable weapon for Bryce Underwood to grow alongside. Senior linebacker Jimmy Rolder came up big in a number of games for the Wolverines, perhaps none bigger than in the win against Michigan State when he delivered 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Transfer running back Justice Haynes rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns in seven games before his season was ended by a leg injury. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 136 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Top 3 Performances 1. WR ANDREW MARSH AT NORTHWESTERN Marsh's freshman season was an announcement that he was already one of the top wide receivers in the Big Ten, and his best performance came in the mid-November showdown at Wrigley Field with 12 catches for 189 yards, including a 21-yard reception on third-and-10 on the winning drive after the Wolverines had squandered a 21-9 lead it had late in the game. Bryce Underwood found his classmate early and often throughout the contest, cementing a connection that has a chance to evolve over the next few seasons in Ann Arbor. 2. RB JORDAN MARSHALL VS. PURDUE U-M was a 21-point favorite over the hapless Boilermakers on Nov. 1, but found themselves in a dogfight in a game where it struggled to score 21 points on its own. One week after Justice Haynes was lost to injury at MSU, lead back duties were thrust upon Marshall. He delivered in a big way with 25 carries for a career-high 185 yards and all 3 touchdowns scored in the 21-16 victory, including a 54-yard touchdown blast late in the first quarter to give the Wolverines an early 7-0 lead. 3. LB JIMMY ROLDER AT MICHIGAN STATE One week after a standout performance against Washington (8 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, first- career interception), the senior linebacker was a man possessed in the 31-20 rivalry win over the Spartans, delivering 10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and a pass defended in the win. His production earned him Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 27. Rolder was banged up down the stretch, but followed it up later in the year with 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in a loss to Ohio State.