#31. Jaime Ffrench - WR - Jacksonville (FL) Mandarin: Ffrench is a 6'2", 185 lb. second-year player who's in his first year at Michigan after transferring from Texas. The former elite recruit played in four games last season for the Longhorns (1 catch for 6 yards). Michigan needed significant help at the position this off-season, and it should be an improved group. Ffrench seems likely to be no higher than the #3 receiver behind Andrew Marsh and J.J. Buchanan, and the #3 wide receiver for Utah last year caught 15 passes for 280 yards and 6 touchdowns. I think Ffrench will catch more than 15 passes for the Wolverines in 2026, partly because he supposedly has a good rapport with classmate Bryce Underwood.
#32. Nate Marshall - DE - Oak Park (IL) Fenwick: Marshall is listed at 6'3", 248 lbs. in his second year in Ann Arbor. He made 6 tackles and showed some flashes of athleticism in 2025, but he seemed a little light. He's still not very big for a Big Ten defensive end, but an extra year in the weight room hopefully helped. Michigan needs some help at edge rusher and Marshall was a highly valued recruit coming out of high school. Practice buzz has been somewhat limited, and he seems like a guy who will play significant minutes, but it might be 2027 before he really breaks out or commands a starting role.
#33. Troy Bowles - LB - Tampa (FL) Jesuit: Bowles is a 6'0", 224 lb. third-year player who spent one year at Georgia in 2024 before arriving at Michigan last season. He was supposed to be a deep backup, but multiple injuries to linebackers like Cold Sullivan and Jimmy Rolder led to him seeing more playing time than expected. He made 27 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 blocked kick. The linebacker position is one of the more intriguing position battles in camp, because there are a lot of bodies, but nobody has really accomplished much. Nathaniel Staehling, Aisea Moa, and Max Alford are all veteran transfers, Bowles played significant minutes last year, and then there are people like Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and Chase Taylor, who are totally unproven. I have a feeling that Bowles will end up as a backup this season (barring injury to someone), but it's a bit of a crapshoot.
#34. Salesi Moa - WR - Ogden (UT) Fremont: The 6'2", 186 lb. freshman signed with Utah and then immediately transferred to Michigan over the winter, following head coach Kyle Whittingham across the country. Michigan also landed his older brother Aisea Moa in the transfer portal. The Wolverines seem pretty set with their #1 and #2 receivers (see Jaime Ffrench's blurb above), so Moa seems to be fighting for the #3 spot with Ffrench and a couple other players. I don't know how that will shake out, but I'm giving the edge to the older player in Ffrench. Moa ended up ranked as a 4-star, the #2 athlete, and #49 overall in the 2026 recruiting class, so he was a highly regarded recruit. We might see flashes from him this fall, and I personally would like to see how he might look as a kickoff returner. But he's a freshman, so I'm keeping my expectations low for now.
#35. Brady Norton - OT - Mission Viejo (CA) Mission Viejo: Norton is a 6'4", 310 lb. senior who had three starts and played in seven total games in 2025. Norton seems to be in the running to start at offensive guard in 2026, battling with the likes of Nate Efobi, Evan Link, and others. Ranked at #35 here, obviously it looks like I expect him to lose the position battle, but he should be a capable backup who can play a few positions on the offensive line. He spent some time at offensive tackle while he was in junior college in California. He could be a starter or he could be the #7 or #8 lineman on the team.
Really excited to see what we get from 3 of these guys.
ReplyDelete1. Moa -- seems like the talent level is legit, given the hype, and glimpses seen in spring. Would love to see him as a returner too. Just feels like he's a special athlete from the hype coming through camp.
2. Marshall - well JHD is a lock to start and there are many options at edge but size and talent are optimal here for him to make an impact. Looked OK against Texas as a freshman. Best guess is he's a top backup and plays a big role in managing workload for JHD. I hope for, and borderline expect, a breakout season (as a rotational backup). Something like Stewart or Moore in '23 or Winovich and Gary in '16.
3. Bowles - I lean to him as most likely starter next to Staehling. NOB and Taylor may have something to say but I think Bowles has the experience edge and perhaps talent edge. I think it's these 4 and the other vets (Moa and Alford) are just family-flavored floor-raisers.
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Ffrench -- I mean he was a freshman so not writing him off but he caught just 1 pass on the season. How good can he be this year realistically? Relative to what Moa and Johnson MIGHT be, I think it's safe to say the ceiling isn't quite as high right now. Meanwhile on-field experience was pretty negligible, so I don't see experience as a differentiator, especially against early enrollees. I have the 2 top freshman WR ahead of Ffrench, regardless of his relationship with QB1. Glad to have him though. Hoping the talent translates at some point.
Norton -- I dunno he looks like a valuable backup to me. Efobi played more than him last year. You can argue Norton over Efobi as both are seniors and Norton had a bigger learning curve as a transfer and position swapper...but I just don't see it. Another risk to his position is potential for OTs to transfer inside and shift him down the depth chart. Best guess - he's the top backup OG and will slot in if/when starters get dinged. Very valuable depth but not a game changer.
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Don't get the size worry on Marshall.
Michigan has 2 bigger edges (Brandt 270 and Edokpayi 263) and one of them is still too lanky at 6'7. Brandt is 6'3 -- thick. Literally every other edge is between 234 and 257.
JHD is 6-5 / 252. Marshall is 6-3 / 248. Nichols is 6'5 / 245. Meadows is 6'7 / 252. This looks like the target range to me -- 245 to 255. Michigan is almost certainly going to have a guy around this size out there almost all the time and I think that's exactly what they want. I don't think this staff wants an anchor like Wormley or a "big edge" like Morris. Does not seem like it at least.
If anything, Marshall is next after Brandt in bringing a little more density to the equation so leverage-wise he should be advantaged.
Best guess:
Daley/Marshall/Nichols/Brandt are the top 4 rotation.