The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 59 chanan said. "Coach Beck knows how to use his personnel to the best of their abili- ties. I'm just excited to see what we did last year, bringing Utah to where they are now. I think it will be the same, bringing Michigan along. Michigan didn't have the best offensive production, and he'll bring that up however many notches. I believe in that 1,000 percent. He did it at New Mexico, he did it at Utah, and he'll do it again at Michigan." If Buchanan needed any more incen- tive to make the move, an early and grow- ing relationship with the starting quar- terback never hurts. Rising sophomore QB Bryce Underwood helped recruit the 6-3, 225-pound playmaker, an effort that should significantly boost the quarter- back's potential targets. "He was the first person to text me, when I was in the portal," Buchanan said. "He texted me and he wanted me to come here. When I first got here, my first night, we were out there throwing, two or t h re e t i m e s. He wants to get the work in as much as I do. We're on the same page. We have one goal — we want to get to the cham- p i o n s h i p . We ' l l build that connection and be on the same page when the season comes." An upgraded pass threat means a less leveraged run defense. So, there's potential for all-around improvement in the offense before Beck makes his first play call, in Bu- chanan's mind. "Yes, 100 percent," he said. "I think the pass game will complement the run game, and the run game will complement the pass game. I think it will be a very dynamic of- fense, and with Bryce's ability to run, it's just going to be a three-headed monster in that way." A Rivalry Twist That three-headed monster will be knocking heads with Michigan State at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 7. Turns out, Jeff Buchanan — retired from the fire service, and pursuing a second career in telecom- munications with AT&T — graduated from MSU. He quickly shuts down any potential conversation about divided loyalties, since blood is thicker than diploma parchment. "It's funny, man," Jeff Buchanan mused. "As you can imagine, my buddies were busting my chops in a chat the last few weeks. Wanting to know what I'm going to do when it comes to the Michigan-Michi- gan State game, if I'm going to wear maize and blue or green and white. I'm going to eliminate the mystery right away. It's maize and blue. For me, it's family first, right? I went to Michigan State, and it was good to me. "But there's no comparison to what Michigan has already done for my son, and what Michigan can do for my son in the future. It's too easy for me to make a decision to rally behind that." "He's always been a Michigan fan," his son added. "He respects them. He knows to what degree this football program is. He was just super excited for the opportunity. The stars aligned, and this was the place for me to be. He was super happy about it." He's also thrilled to see his son's consid- erable talents in a Michigan uniform. Jeff Buchanan amiably calls his assessment "bi- ased dad talk, balanced with objective data," and that's both fun and fair. "JJ is a special type of athlete," Jeff Bu- chanan said. "He's nearly 6-4, he's very strong. If you're putting him in the Com- bine, before he even got to Utah, he benched 225 21 times. That's a pretty big number, coming out of high school. He was tested at Utah at just over a 40-inch vertical. He was a basketball player in high school and started dunking when he was 13. He brings a lot of athleticism. "He's got long arms, he's got great hands. Add in familiarity with play calling, he can really just concentrate on squeezing the ball and getting yards after catch, hopefully get- ting into the end zone." The dad isn't alone in that assessment. Michigan's record-setting freshman re- ceiver last season, Andrew Marsh, insists Buchanan will prove a big boost for the wide receivers, with Whittingham able to deploy a top-notch 1-2 punch at the position. "He's a great addition to the room," Marsh said. "He's somebody that can def- initely help us stretch the field and some- body who can go up and get it and even make those tough blocks. He can really get in there and use his size." Big Stage, Big Hopes Both son and father are pumped up about the younger Buchanan using his skills on the stage they're about to experience. "It's awesome," JJ Buchanan said of Michigan Stadium. "The first time I saw it was on my visit, and now we've had prac- tice in there. Super cool to be in The Big House. It's something you only dream of. It's super cool to be in there, and I can't wait for it to be 110,000 there on game day." Jeff Buchanan — born in Detroit and a graduate of St. Francis Cabrini in Allen Park — noted: "I've been in Crisler Arena, I've been in Michigan Stadium on game day. I had some friends that went to Mich- igan. I've been able to tell JJ and the rest of the family, nobody has seen anything like this. The tailgat- ing, the hundreds of thousands that come into Ann Arbor. There are 110,000 that fit into the stadium, but there's another 100,000 or more running around the stadium and filling up the bars and restaurants. It's going to be an experi- ence he hasn't had yet, and I'm excited to see it." There are no limits to Michigan's op- portunity, the imported wideout mused. He knows for certain what he's excited about. "Man, first the Ohio State game," he marveled. "I can't wait to play them. It's the biggest rivalry in college football. So, to be a part of that game is something every kid dreams of. You only see it on TV. I've watched that game … I can't even put on my fingers how many times I've watched that game. That game will be a dream come true." Beyond that, he expanded: "I'm su- per excited. The sky's the limit for this team. We all have a common goal — Big Ten championship first, and I really, truly believe we'll be in my home town of [Las] Vegas for that national championship game." ❑ "JJ's a great addition to the room. He's somebody that can de nitely help us stretch the eld and somebody who can go up and get it and even make those tough blocks. He can really get in there and use his size." U-M SOPHOMORE WR ANDREW MARSH