Chris Bracy, Wolverine

 

Chris Bracy (image via X)

Memphis transfer safety Chris Bracy is transferring to Michigan.

Bracy is a 6'1", 195 lb. safety who started eleven games in 2025 and played in thirteen altogether, making 81 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 9 pass breakups. His position coach for the Tigers was former Michigan linebacker Desmond Morgan. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons combined at UAB, he made 33 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception (returned for 58 yards against Louisiana), and 2 pass breakups.

Coming out of Mobile (AL) St. Paul's Episcopal in 2023, Bracy was a 3-star, the #177 safety, and #2008 overall.

Bracy is not a physical wonder by any means, but you're unlikely to get freaks who were #2008 overall and just came from Memphis. What he has is three years of experience playing college football and playing pretty regularly, including ranking #3 on his team in tackles and #1 in pass breakups in 2025. Bracy should provide a veteran presence and a willingness to come up and tackle on the edge, whether it's in the run game or on short passes. His deep speed and ability to cover is going to be the big question mark, but experience and knowledge can help overcome that at the safety spot.

Bracy should come in and either start or be a regular rotation player in Michigan's secondary. With some young players rising and Rod Moore's questionable health as he returns for a sixth year, there are a lot of moving parts at the safety spot for the Wolverines.

Max Alford, Wolverine

 

Max Alford (image via X)

Michigan landed transfer linebacker Max Alford from BYU. Alford is the nephew of Michigan running backs coach Tony Alford.

Max is a 6'1", 230 lb. linebacker who played at Utah State from 2022-2024 before transferring to BYU for the 2025 season. He has played in 28 total games in his career, including five starts, and he played in ten games for BYU last season. While playing for the Cougars, he played 142 defensive snaps and 96 special teams snaps, totaling 21 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry.

Coming out of Park City (UT) Park City, he was a 3-star, the #145 running back, and #1979 overall in the class of 2022. Going back to film of his high school days, it was pretty clear that he was not going to stick at running back in college. He was kind of just an upright, straight-line runner, but he ran with a linebacker's mentality.

Michigan needed help out of the transfer portal in this class, and Alford is at least a body who can help with special teams play and in the linebacker room. He's coming from the same school as defensive coordinator Jay Hill, so he should have a leg up mentally and may be able to help the other linebackers transition to the new defensive scheme, too. Whether he plays a big role defensively or not depends on a lot of other unknowns, such as Michigan State transfer Aisea Moa and North Dakota State transfer Nate Staehling. The Wolverines lost their top four inside linebackers from a year ago, including Cole Sullivan (Oklahoma), Ernest Hausmann (graduation/retirement), Jimmy Rolder (NFL draft), and Jaishawn Barham (graduation/NFL draft).

John Henry Daley, Wolverine

 

John Henry Daley (image via Twitter)

Utah defensive end John Henry Daley is transferring to Michigan.

Coming out of Alpine (UT) Lone Peak, Daley was a 3-star, the #45 athlete, and #613 overall in the 247 Composite. He started his career at BYU in 2023, making 3 tackles in three games and redshirting. He then transferred to Utah, where he made 4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 sack in seven games in 2024. He followed that up this past season with a Walter Camp First Team All-America performance, making 48 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 pass breakup while playing in eleven games.

At 6'4" and 255 pounds, Daley tied for #5 nationally in tackles for loss (everyone tied with or above him played 12+ games) and #7 in sacks (same story). In other words, he was #3 in TFLs per game and #2 in sacks per game.

Daley has a lot of football in his bloodlines, including a brother who's a captain at Rice (after starting his career at BYU, too), a dad who played at BYU, and several uncles who played at BYU, including Taysom Hill.

Watching some of Utah this season and some highlights of Daley, I'm definitely curious to see if his playmaking ability translates to the Big Ten. Most of the wins I saw were where he just came off the ball like a rocket, attacked half a man, and was able to beat the tackle around the edge. There's not much nuance to his game. There's definitely a path to success with that approach, but he will have to face better tackles in the Big Ten. Furthermore, he is overcoming a lower body injury (rumored to be an Achilles issue), so his contribution may just depend on how quickly he can get back to full speed. Luckily, he has two seasons of eligibility remaining, so Michigan fans could potentially see him at full strength in 2027, too.

If Daley gets back to form in 2026, he is pretty clearly Michigan's best edge defender. Mix in some Dominic Nichols, Nate Marshall, Cam Brandt, etc., and it's a decent group of players.

Way Too Early 2026 Depth Chart: January 21, 2026

 

Jyaire Hill (image via X)

The following depth chart is intended to show what players exist at what positions, which also shows the needs from the transfer portal and perhaps the February signing day for the 2026 class.

• QB Jadyn Davis (transfer to East Tennessee State)
• QB Jake Garcia (transfer portal)
• QB Mikey Keene (transfer to Arizona State)
• QB Davis Warren (transfer to Stanford)
• RB Justice Haynes (transfer to Georgia Tech)
• RB C.J. Hester (transfer portal)
• RB Jasper Parker (transfer to Arkansas)
• RB John Volker (graduation)
• WR C.J. Charleston (graduation)
• WR Donaven McCulley (graduation)
• WR Fredrick Moore (transfer to Michigan State)
• WR Semaj Morgan (transfer to UCLA)
• WR Peyton O'Leary (transfer portal)
• WR Anthony Simpson (transfer portal)
• TE Max Bredeson (graduation)
• TE Marlin Klein (NFL draft)
• TE Brady Prieskorn (transfer to Ole Miss)
• OL Greg Crippen (graduation)
• OL Giovanni El-Hadi (graduation)
• OL Ty Haywood (transfer to Alabama)
• OL Connor Jones (transfer to Georgia State)
• OL Ben Roebuck (transfer to Western Michigan)
• OL Kaden Strayhorn (transfer to Alabama)
• EDGE Devon Baxter (transfer to Virginia)
• EDGE T.J. Guy (graduation)
• EDGE Tyler McLaurin (graduation)
• EDGE Derrick Moore (graduation)
• DT Rayshaun Benny (graduation)
• DT Ike Iwunnah (graduation)
• DT Damon Payne (graduation)
• DT Tre Williams (graduation)
• LB Jaishawn Barham (graduation)
• LB Ernest Hausmann (graduation/medical retirement))
• LB Jaydon Hood (transfer to Georgia State)
• LB Jimmy Rolder (NFL draft)
• LB Cole Sullivan (transfer to Oklahoma)
• DB Caleb Anderson (graduation)
• DB Elijah Dotson (transfer to Missouri)
• DB Brandyn Hillman (transfer to Virginia)
• DB Jaden Mangham (transfer to Purdue)
• DB Tevis Metcalf (transfer to Tennessee)
• DB T.J. Metcalf (transfer to Tennessee)
• DB Jayden Sanders (transfer to Notre Dame)
• K Beckham Sunderland (transfer to Minnesota)
• K Dominic Zvada (graduation)
• LS Evan Boutorwick (transfer to Northwestern)

It assumes that every currently rostered player and every currently committed prospect will be here in the fall of 2026, which is obviously not true.

Hit the jump for the depth chart.

J.J. Buchanan, Wolverine

 

J.J. Buchanan (image via X)

Utah tight-end-ish wide receiver J.J. Buchanan has committed to Michigan.

Buchanan was a true freshman in 2025 and still started seven games, making 26 catches for 427 yards and 5 touchdowns. Coming out of Henderson (NV) Coronado in 2025, he was a 247 Composite 3-star, the #27 athlete, and #570 overall. He is in the transfer portal as a 4-star, the #1 tight end, and #19 overall, according to 247 Sports.

The story on Buchanan coming out of high school was that he was an athlete who could play a variety of positions, from receiver to safety to tight end to linebacker. He didn't show elite speed for a receiver, but he did show nice ball skills. He also doesn't have the range of a safety, but his combo of size and athleticism potentially made him intriguing as a linebacker project. Instead, he ended up being a "tight end" at Utah, but he lined up out wide or in the slot for all but five of his snaps in 2025.

Now listed as a wide receiver for Michigan, it will be interesting to see how the Wolverines coaching staff deploys him in the bigger, faster Big Ten. Michigan loses starting tight end Marlin Klein, and the backups (Hogan Hansen, Zack Marshall, etc.) haven't shown much in the way of playing as in-line tight ends. With receiver Andrew Marsh returning and receiver Jaime Ffrench incoming, those two could start on the outside with Buchanan working in the slot. How will Michigan use the remaining offensive skill position spots? Will they treat Buchanan as a receiver or tight end? Will they bulk him up with the eventual goal of making him a 245 lb. tight end, or will they want him playing around 225 lbs. as a big receiver?

Overall, Buchanan is a good addition to a team that is used to using tight end-type bodies. Even if he ends up as more of a receiver, he offers a big body and some versatility through which to run RPOs and the like. He should probably see starter-level snaps in 2026 and be a frequent target for quarterback Bryce Underwood.

Buchanan is one of four Utah players to following Kyle Whittingham from Utah, along with defensive tackle Jonah Lea'ea, cornerback Smith Snowden, and defensive end John Henry Daley.

Smith Snowden, Wolverine

 

Smith Snowden (image via Instagram)

Michigan snagged a commitment from Utah cornerback transfer Smith Snowden a few days ago, shoring up a position that has seen departures from the likes of Jayden Sanders (Notre Dame), Elijah Dotson (Missouri), and Tevis Metcalf in recent times.

Snowden is a 5'10", 185 lb. corner who was a 4-star, the #34 cornerback, and #331 overall in the class of 2023. In the transfer portal, he is ranked as a 4-star, the #3 cornerback, and #50 overall. Coming out of Lehi (UT) Skyridge, he played immediately in 2023, making 7 tackles while playing in eleven games. He started at the nickel position in 2024, making 48 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 8 pass breakups. He was 2nd Team All-Big 12 in 2025 while starting at corner, making 37 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 9 pass breakups. Snowden even played a little on offense in 2025, starting two games (one at RB, one at WR) and making 8 carries for 40 yards and 1 touchdown, along with 13 catches for 57 yards.

Michigan will only get one year out of Snowden, and he is likely to start at the nickel position used by Utah and new defensive coordinator Jay Hill from BYU. With the Wolverines bringing back cornerback starters Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry (though Berry may play some safety), Snowden gives the team at least a third starter-quality corner. Throw in a couple touted backups like Shamari Earls and Joziah Edmonds, and the team should be in decent shape at corner going into 2026.

Jaime Ffrench, Jr., Wolverine

 

Jaime Ffrench (image via Ffrench's X account)

Texas transfer wide receiver Jaime Ffrench, Jr. has committed to Michigan.

Ffrench is a 6'1", 185 lb. receiver who played in four games this past season, making 1 catch for 6 yards against Sam Houston State in a 55-0 blowout. He retains his redshirt and has four years of eligibility left.

Ffrench was a 4-star, the #9 wide receiver, and #44 overall in the class of 2025 when he was coming out of Jacksonville (FL) Mandarin. His transfer portal ranking is a 3-star and the #66 wide receiver, but how do you rank transfer players who basically haven't played at all in college?

Texas had some quality receivers this past season in Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore, and Parker Livingstone, so it makes sense why Ffrench wouldn't have played much. It is at least slightly concerning that he didn't have more of an impact, but outside of the Sam Houston State game, Texas didn't really have a lot of blowout, garbage-time opportunities in 2025.

Going back to Ffrench's senior film from the 2024 season, he shows some excellent change-of-direction skills. He has decent size at 6'1" and has adequate but not great long speed. If we're going by talent, Ffrench should be the #2 receiver at Michigan in 2026 behind Andrew Marsh. He probably won't create a ton of big plays with his speed, but I like his catch-and-run ability to be able to tack on an extra 10-15 yards after the catch using his shiftiness in open space.