The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2026 M ichigan football is halfway done with fall camp practices ahead of the 2026 season. Here are 10 players who have stood out and are set to break out this season. Sophomore WR JJ Buchanan: The Utah transfer has been described as Michigan's best 50/50 receiver and has been lauded for his leadership. Despite being an underclassman and new to the team, Buchanan is the lone Wolverine on offense with experience in coordinator Jason Beck's system. As a result, he should hit the ground running after hauling in 26 receptions for 427 yards and 5 touch- downs last season with the Utes. Sophomore CB Shamari Earls: The former four-star, top-100 recruit is "moving like a one," according to senior cornerback Jyaire Hill, alluding to a sen- timent others have shared, that Earls is trusted enough to earn meaningful play- ing time this season. Earls dealt with an injury early last season, had trouble stick- ing in the rotation once he was healthy and ended up redshirting. But with class- mate Jayden Sanders transferring to Notre Dame and his own improvement, Earls is expected to play a much bigger role this time around. Senior DT Enow Etta: Last season, Etta ranked fifth among Michigan's de- fensive tackles with 295 defensive snaps. Now, he's a projected starter alongside senior Trey Pierce and there's a lot rid- ing on what he brings to the defense. The Wolverines lost all but one starter from the defensive line and have a top three in the rotation of Pierce, Etta and senior Utah transfer Jonah Lea'ea. Etta said he feels comfortable in the new system under coordinator Jay Hill and has settled in at defensive tackle after beginning his career as an edge rusher. Junior OL Blake Frazier: The son of former Michigan center Steve Frazier took over as the Wolverines' starting left tackle in the final five games of last season af- ter senior Evan Link went down with an injury. Frazier proved to be the best op- tion in 2025, but has been met with a lot of competition this offseason now that sophomore Andrew Babalola — a former five-star prospect — is healthy. So far, Frazier has held on as the leader to win the job in 2026 and is much more ready to impact. Frazier gained seven pounds, up to 302, and looks much stronger this season after earning All-Big Ten honor- able mention recognition in 2025. Freshman RB Savion Hiter: The Big Ten Network crew attended a prac- tice and raved about Hiter, the 5-foot-11, 212-pound Louisa, Va., native who was rated a five-star recruit. "Savion Hiter is special," BTN's Dave Revsine said. Expected to play both in the slot and share carries out of the backfield, Hiter and junior Jordan Marshall make up what might be the best running back tandem in America. Freshman WR Travis Johnson: The Chesapeake, Va., native is near the top of the competition to be Michigan's third wide receiver behind Buchanan and sophomore Andrew Marsh. Sophomore Jaime Ffrench, who's also battling for that title, said Johnson is the fastest wideout on the team, and position coach Micah Simon raved that he's "super athletic" and one of the best jump-ball receivers in the WR corps. The defensive backs, meanwhile, have had some trouble stay- ing with him. "The new guy, 13, is good," Jyaire Hill said with a smile. "Very good." Freshman DE Carter Meadows: The five-star recruit has missed practice time because of his classes for the University of Michigan's "bridge program," but head coach Kyle Whittingham said he was im- pressed with what he did see of Meadows. The 6-foot-7 edge rusher gained signifi- cant weight, up from 235 pounds when he signed to 252 entering fall camp, showing he's getting close to game ready. He may not be a starter opposite senior John Henry Daley, but he could have a role as a pass rusher with the ability to disrupt opposing quarterbacks. Freshman WR Salesi Moa: He's up there with Johnson in line to compete for significant snaps, with Simon noting that he believes both freshmen are ready to contribute right away. The 6-foot-2, 186-pound Moa is a tremendous, versa- tile athlete who could impact as a rusher on jet sweeps and pass catcher on offense and returner on special teams. Junior DE Dominic Nichols: Al- though junior right tackle Andrew Sprague hadn't yet squared off against Daley much in practice, Sprague said that from what he's seen Nichols is the best pass rusher on the team. That's high praise, considering Daley racked up 11.5 sacks in 11 games as a All-America first- teamer at Utah in 2025. Nichols was a ro- tational piece last season but will play an even bigger role — perhaps as a starter — in 2026. Sophomore LB Chase Taylor: The most improved player on the defense this offseason according to Jay Hill, Taylor is consistently the first linebacker men- tioned by coaches. Taylor played only 80 snaps in five games as a freshman, so he's a relative unknown, but those behind the scenes have praised what he's shown this offseason. "We've got some guys that a lot of people don't know about. Chase Taylor is a really promising young player," Whit- tingham said. ❑ SAYFIE BLITZ ❱ CLAYTON SAYFIE These Wolverines Are Trending Up Sophomore receiver JJ Buchanan, who caught 26 passes for 427 yards and 5 touchdowns last season at Utah, will be a factor for the Wolverines this season. PHOTO BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Staff writer Clayton Sayfie has covered Michigan athletics for The Wolverine since 2019. Contact him at Clayton.Sayfie @on3.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @CSayf23.