The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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All eyes will be on quarterback Bryce Un- derwood to see whether he will take a leap forward in his sophomore season after starting every game as a true freshman. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Top Five Question Marks 1. Will Bryce Underwood take the second-year leap and emerge as a weapon at quarterback? After seeing the then-freshman's first game, a win over New Mexico in which he threw for 251 yards and made some incredible throws, we were prepared to see a generational talent in Ann Arbor. Before you say we were overreacting, keep in mind that Lobos coach Jason Eck said the same ("I can tell my grandkids I played against Bryce Underwood one day"), as did former OSU coach and current Fox analyst Urban Meyer ("He's going to be a problem" for the Big Ten). But Underwood didn't have a dedicated quarterbacks coach, and his protection wasn't good enough much of the season. As such, he seemed to regress a bit by year's end. He had an up-and-down spring by all accounts, and while he's still been anointed the team's No. 1 QB, he has a lot to prove this fall. 2. Will the defensive front seven be good enough — especially the linebackers? We felt better when coach Kyle Whittingham called the de- fensive line a strength this spring, and especially after we saw them get after it in the spring game. And that was without transfer edge John Henry Daley on the field — he's still recovering from a lower leg injury. It's the linebackers, though, that we'll be watch- ing closely. There's some good young talent here in Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Troy Bowles, and Chase Taylor, but none of these guys has played a lot of foot- ball. They'll need to get up to speed in a hurry — you can't let teams run on you in the Big Ten. 3. Can special teams, especially the kicking game, be a strength? Last year was disappointing in almost all facets, but the group immediately showed signs of improvement when Kerry Coombs replaced former special teams coach J.B. Brown for the bowl game in December. The punting game wasn't good enough, but there's hope that it will improve dramatically under UNLV transfer Cam Brown. The Aussie-style kicker has great accuracy to go with a big leg. Pitt transfer Trey But- kowski had a great freshman season and a good spring and should be fine at kicker, though he doesn't have proven range (zero makes over 50 yards last year). We expect field position improvement to be noticeable this year under Coombs' guidance — that can be the difference in the close games. 4. Will the injured Wolverines come back to make an impact? Because if they do, that elevates this team's ceiling tremendously. Daley was an All-American at Utah last year after notching 11.5 sacks in just 11 games, and he can be a game changer. Graduate safety Rod Moore is elite when healthy. And sophomore Andrew Babalola can be a difference maker on the offensive line if he returns 100 percent from knee surgery. 5. Is there enough depth at cornerback? Whittingham acknowledged this was a group that needed a few guys to step up following spring. Veterans Jyaire Hill and transfer Smith Snowden should be very good and another, Zeke Berry, can play there, too. But they need some of the young guys like Shamari Earls to up their games. 32 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW