The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 141 1. J.J. McCarthy McCarthy set the standard for excellence at quarterback in the modern era at U-M. Ap- pearing in 40 games with 28 starts, McCarthy is the career program leader in interception rate (1.54 per 100 passes), completion per- centage (67.6), pass efficiency (160.5) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.5:1), also finishing his career tied for fourth in career touchdown passes and sixth in touchdown percentage (6.87). He was a top-10 finisher for the Heisman Trophy in 2023 and took home the Big Ten Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year award in addition to All-Big Ten nods in 2022 (second team, media; third team, coaches) and 2023 (consensus first team). Mc- Carthy was also the 2023 Rose Bowl Offensive MVP after going 17-for-27 for 221 yards pass- ing with 3 touchdowns and 3 carries for 25 yards. McCarthy entered the 2024 NFL Draft, foregoing his final season of eligibility, and was chosen by the Minnesota Viking at No. 10 in the first round. 2. Junior Colson Colson left Ann Arbor after three years with two All-Big Ten team selections (second team, coaches, 2022-23; second team, media, 2023; third team, media, 2022). He appeared in 43 games with 36 starts at linebacker, ending his career with 257 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 5 passes defended and a fum- ble recovered. He was a recipient of the team's Roger Zatkoff Award in 2022 and Toughest Player Award in 2023, also sharing Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2023. Making an impact from the start, Colson also shared the team's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. During the 2023 national championship sea- son, Colson started all 15 games, leading the team with 95 tackles and earning a finalist spot for the Lott IMPACT Trophy. The Los Angeles Chargers selected Colson with the No. 69 over- all pick (third round) in the 2024 NFL Draft. 3. Rod Moore Moore is looking to regain his early form heading into his sixth season in Ann Arbor after missing the majority of the last two sea- sons with a knee injury. He has appeared in 40 career games with 29 starts, twice being voted a team captain. He has a chance to be the program's first three-time captain since Hor- ace Prettyman in 1884-86 and could leave as one of the most decorated Wolverines ever in terms of wins. Moore is a two-time All-Big Ten selection (third team, coaches, 2023; honor- able mention, media, 2022-23), and he shared team Defensive Rookie of the Year honors with Colson in 2021, along with grabbing a Special Teams Rookie of the Year nod. Moore has 147 career tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 7 intercep- tions and 8 passes defended. 4. Donovan Edwards The West Bloomfield, Mich., native spent much of his career playing behind Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum but made some of the most impactful plays in program history during his four seasons with the Maize and Blue. He played in 50 games with 13 starts in the backfield and an additional start as a wide receiver. Edwards, a team captain in 2024, ran for 2,251 yards with 19 touchdowns along with 86 catches for 797 yards and 4 scores, also completing all 4 of his collegiate pass attempts for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. He is the first player with multiple 40-plus-yard rushing touchdowns in the College Football Playoff na- tional championship game (2024) and was part of the first backfield duo in CFP title game his- tory to rush for 100-plus yards, along with Co- rum. The EA Sports College Football 25 cover athlete was an All-Big Ten honorable men- tion honoree from the coaches in 2024 and also won Big Ten Griffin-Grange Championship Game MVP honors in 2022 after a 25-carry, 185-yard and 1-touchdown performance in a 43-22 win over Purdue. 5. Rayshaun Benny Benny, who hails from Detroit, appeared in 54 contests along the defensive line in Ann Arbor with 15 starts in his career. All but two of those starts came during the 2025 season, when he opened 13 games with 35 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and 2 passes defended, earning third-team All- Big Ten recognition from the coaches and me- dia. His play in 2025 earned him the program's Woodley-Graham Award, given to the team's best defensive lineman. Benny was selected in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round after spending five seasons in Ann Arbor. TOP FIVE PLAYERS Defensive back Rod Moore, who returns for a sixth season in 2026, has appeared in 40 career games with 29 starts and been voted a team captain twice thus far. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Big Ten Teams' Overall Winning Percentages from 2021-25 Rk. School Rec. Pct. 1. Ohio State 59-10 .855 2. Oregon* 58-12 .829 3. Michigan 57-12 .826 4. Penn State 48-20 .706 5. Iowa 45-22 .672 6. Washington* 44-22 .667 7. Minnesota 40-25 .615 8. USC* 39-26 .600 9. Illinois 37-26 .587 10. Indiana 36-29 .554 11. UCLA* 33-29 .532 12. Wisconsin 32-31 .508 13. Maryland 31-32 .492 14. Michigan State 29-32 .475 15. Rutgers 28-35 .444 16. Nebraska 26-36 .419 17. Purdue 24-39 .381 18, Northwestern 23-39 .371 * Completed first year in the Big Ten in 2024