The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545685
LINEBACKERS 98 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CHRIS BALAS I t's rare when a Michigan position group requiring three or more players on the field at the same time has to be fully restored in the offseason. Usually, a player or two with at least some meaningful experience is waiting in the wings to try to follow in the footsteps of some outstanding players who came before them. New linebackers coach Alex Whitting- ham, though, won't have that luxury this fall when the Wolverines take the field for the first time. All three starters have departed, including Cole Sullivan (transfer to Oklahoma) and Jimmy Rolder (NFL, Detroit Lions). Of those returning, senior and Georgia transfer Troy Bowles — the returnee with the most experience — made his mark mostly on special teams. But there will be no excuses from Whittingham, his dad (Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham) or defensive coordinator Jay Hill, for this group or any other. There's enough talent in the room to jell into an extremely solid group, and a few in the linebacker corps who were recruited by most schools in the country. Three of them — senior Troy Bowles and sophomores Chase Taylor and Nathan Owusu-Boateng — separated from the pack as the top three coming out of spring, and all had very impressive moments. "I think the young linebackers are really taking steps forward," Kyle Whittingham said during spring ball. "We had very little experience re- turning at that spot and a bunch of new guys, and those guys have really stepped up and are really progressing." Hill set the expectations the first time he met with the group this spring, Owusu-Boateng shared, showing them the group's stats from the 2023 national championship season compared to what they did last year. The emphasis was on play- ing without thinking too much and always being in the right place. The defensive scheme they're playing this year is "fast and physical," the sophomore linebacker said, "guys just shooting their gun. "A big thing we saw from last year was we didn't get to where we wanted to be," he said. "But with this new coaching staff and with new players who can help us get to where we want to be, I feel like everybody should really be excited. I know I am." Projected Starters Made Huge Strides Hill sang Alex Whittingham's praises for his work with the entire unit and was thrilled with the improvement. Though the corps is inexperienced, each of the line- backers interviewed this spring said the same thing as Owusu-Boateng — the expecta- Sophomore Chase Taylor played 10 games at linebacker and also contributed on special teams, notching 10 tackles a year ago. He was perhaps the most im- proved player on defense during spring practice. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL YOUNG BUT TALENTED Overhauled Linebacking Corps Will Need To Grow Up Quickly