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.

Taylor Tatum, Wolverine

 

Taylor Tatum (#8, image via On3)

Oklahoma running back Taylor Tatum has signed with Michigan out of the transfer portal. Originally a 2024 recruit, he signed with the Sooners after being very high on Michigan.

Tatum is listed at 5'10", 212 lbs. He played in eleven games as a freshman in 2024, running 56 times for 278 yards and 3 touchdowns. But he only played on game in 2025, notching 1 carry for -1 yard against South Carolina. He will be a redshirt sophomore this fall with three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Hailing from Longview (TX) Longview, Tatum was a 4-star, the #1 running back, and #48 overall in the 247 Composite in the 2024 class. He's currently a 3-star, the #11 running back, and #151 in the transfer portal rankings, though those are constantly fluctuating and I don't really understand how those rankings are made.

Tatum is a solid running back, but I'm not sure there's anything that truly stands out about him. Even on his high school film, he was one of those players who had good speed but didn't show a ton of elusiveness or power. In a way similar to someone like Karan Higdon, he will probably play well when the line is creating holes and he will probably struggle to create things on his own when the line is overmatched.

Michigan is bringing back Jordan Marshall, who was the backup to start the 2025 season and ended up starting several games, finishing with 150 carries for 932 yards and 10 touchdowns. They also signed 5-star and #1 running back Savion Hiter in the 2026 class. However, it appears that starter Justice Haynes will hit the transfer portal and play elsewhere in 2026, and both Bryson Kuzdzal (326 yards, 4 TD) and Jasper Parker (93 yards, 2 TD, now committed to Arkansas) jumped in the portal.

So here's a look at how the depth chart has changed:

1. Justice Haynes Jordan Marshall
2. Jordan Marshall Taylor Tatum
3. Bryson Kuzdzal Savion Hiter
4. Jasper Parker Micah Ka'apana

Tatum's highlights from his senior year of high school:

Ex-Wolverine Coach Updates: 2025 Post-season

 

Kevin Koger (image via Atlanta Falcons)

Joe Bolden, Defensive Coordinator (Southern Mississippi): Bolden finished his first season at Southern Miss as the special teams coordinator and then was promoted to defensive coordinator in December.

Adam Braithwaite, Safeties Coach (Cincinnati): Braithwaite finished his first season as the safeties coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Anthony Campanile, Defensive Coordinator (Jacksonville Jaguars): Campanile is in his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator. The Jaguars are 13-4 and in the playoffs, and they finished the regular season #11 in yards allowed per game (303.6).

Hit the jump for more.

Freddie Whittingham, Wolverine

 

Freddie Whittingham (image via X)

Kyle Whittingham has hired his brother Freddie to coach the tight ends. There will be a lot of family dinners with Kyle, Freddie, and Kyle's son Alex all on the staff.

Freddie was a starting running back for BYU back in the 1980s and started in the same backfield as Ty Detmer, the uncle of new quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer, Jr. Whittingham ran 351 times for 1,580 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career, adding 97 catches for 1,015 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air.

Freddie was the director of player personnel at Utah from 2012-2015 before becoming the tight ends coach in 2016, a position he held through this past season. He was also Utah's recruiting coordinator. Among his charges at tight end was 1st round pick Dalton Kincaid, now a Buffalo Bill who has 1,692 yards and 9 touchdowns in his three-year NFL career.

Utah tight end Dallen Bentley was Utah's #2 receiver this past season (48 catches, 620 yards, 6 TD), and in five of the past six seasons, Utah has had a tight end finish as the #1 or #2 receiver on the team.

While Freddie's role might change coming to Michigan and his recruiting responsibilities might be a little more limited, he should be a solid recruiter and position coach for the Wolverines. I maintain that tight end is the easiest position to coach on the team and that's where staffs often stash good recruiters who don't have a ton of X's and O's responsibilities, so it's good to know that he can bring some added value as a recruiter and program guy.