#51. Aisea Moa - LB - North Ogden (UT) Weber: Moa is a 6'2", 238 lb. fifth year senior who is the older brother of Michigan freshman wide receiver Salesia Moa. Aisea spent three years at BYU before transferring to Michigan State in 2025, where he made 12 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 pass breakups. (He made 2 of his 12 tackles in the Michigan game.) He played for new Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill when he was at BYU, so he has some familiarity with the system as well as some playing experience (27 total games played during his four years). He does not appear to be in the running to start at linebacker, but he will probably play some special teams and should be able to help in the linebacker room as the inexperienced group learns Hill's system.
#52. Channing Goodwin - WR - Charlotte (NC) Providence Day: Goodwin is a 6'1", 197 lb. redshirt sophomore who started six games in 2025. It's odd for a half-season starter to drop so precipitously from where we might expect a returning starter to be, but Michigan has upgraded its wide receiver corps. Goodwin had 12 catches for 148 yards last season and did some nice things at times, and I admitted at one point last year that he seemed to be faster than he looked when he was coming out of high school. But the talent in the position group has been upgraded with transfers J.J. Buchanan (Utah) and Jaime Ffrench (Texas), along with freshmen Salesi Moa and Travis Johnson. Goodwin seems like a fairly reliable player who should be able to jump in the game adequately in case of an injury or two, or just to give someone a breather, but he doesn't seem to have game-changing ability.
#53. Travis Moten - DT - Louisville (KY) Fern Creek: Moten is a 6'6", 315 lb. monster of a human who's a bit of a question mark at this point. He has the requisite size to be a force, but he only played in one game last season, his first year of college. Michigan needs some players to step up at defensive tackle, especially if Utah transfer Jonah Lea'ea hasn't been able to add weight and/or won't be able to hold up inside for the Wolverines. Michigan also has other options like Benny Patterson and Deyvid Palepale who are unproven, and the team needs someone from that cluster of players to emerge as a rotational player in 2026.
#54. Eli Owens - TE - Alcoa (TN) Alcoa: Owens is a 6'1", 244 lb. redshirt freshman who has said all the right things - he wants to be a team player and wants to emulate former Michigan fullback/tight end Max Bredeson. The biggest question is whether Michigan will employ fullbacks and tight ends in the same way they did under Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore. Owens even took over the #44 jersey from Bredeson, but the transplanted Utah staff used a "Rhino" - a backup defensive lineman or offensive lineman - as an extra tight end last year, and they averaged having 5.5 offensive linemen per snap in 2025. Owens is likely to be a backup to Jalen Hoffman, so I don't have high expectations for Owens to be a major factor in 2026, but he should be in the mix to play on special teams.
#55. Jamar Browder - WR - Jacksonville (FL) Santaluces: Browder is a 6'5", 215 lb. sophomore who played in seven games as a freshman last season. Despite playing a fair amount, he did not make any receptions. Michigan brought in several new receiving targets (see Channing Goodwin's blurb above) and Browder was already behind a few guys, so he will probably not see a ton of playing time in 2026. His biggest asset - mini tight end size at 6'5", 215 - may be something the offensive coaching staff could use in some jumbo sets or down near the goal line, but I expect him to play fewer snaps this year than last year.
If reports are true that Johnson is already past Goodwin and Browder these guys afterthoughts. The most compelling name in this group is Moten. That's mostly just about DT depth uncertainty. Moa and Goodwin are relatively certain to see the field but on the periphery.
ReplyDelete"Michigan needs some players to step up at defensive tackle..."
ReplyDeleteI wonder what specific things a player has to do that "step up" in his context. Assuming they're following the strength and conditioning guidance, as well as technique coaching offered, is this mostly a mental thing ... an attitude of "I'm going to do whatever I can to be a dude" in this role?
I know we all appreciate Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham and other big-time defensive tackles who have played at Michigan over the years (Ryan Glasgow, Mo Hurst, etc.), but I think defensive tackle is a highly underrated position. Things happen so fast on the interior of the line that if you get a half step out of your gap or if you're a split second too late initiating contact, you can lose your gap responsibility, miss a tackle, get pancaked, etc.
DeleteSo there's a confluence of skills that need to come together, from size/strength to hold up, stance, quickness off the ball, conditioning, hand placement, play recognition, etc. that are required. So a guy might come in at 270 pounds, add 40 pounds of muscle/fat, and then be unable to move as quickly, get in the same stance, get his hands up as quickly, etc. It's different than a WR coming in and putting on 10 pounds of lean muscle, which only makes him stronger/quicker.
So with some of these guys, stepping up requires more film watching. Sometimes it requires more reps on the field just to see how guards/centers are moving and working on how quickly you react. Having coached DL at times in my career, that's one of the biggest things I have seen with defensive tackles who weren't just STRONGER than everyone - okay, you're playing 3-tech and the guard just tried to reach you...where do you step, where do you put your hands, what's he trying to do to you, and can you react while staying low and maintaining leverage?
A follow-on to my question about about "stepping up" ... to a degree, this *must* be a function of the natural abilities of the player; that is, some don't have it and never will (they fill backup roles, special teams, etc.), some have it but are complacent, and others have it and pursue it. Coaches must know who "has it" but isn't realizing their potential. What kind of things can coaches do to encourage "stepping up?" Are those things done in group settings or private one-on-one?
ReplyDeleteI think coaches can work on the mentality of the players, but a lot of that comes from the strength staff and the nutrition staff. Those DTs need to be in the right size and shape in the off-season to play well during the season. You can't add weight during the season; and maybe you can lose weight, but if you need to lose weight, you probably played pretty crappy early in the season.
DeleteI think DL stuff needs to be worked in group settings. You need other 300-pounders to work against, and you need to react to other people doing stuff in a short area. It's not a position where you can set up cones to run a post-corner or put a net over your head and catch balls from a JUGGS machine.
Thank you for your two answers here ... this is very helpful to understand things from a coach's (that is, your) perspective!
Deleteman, what happened to all of our “playmakers” from the Sherrone era?
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