2026 Season Countdown: #101-105

 

Bryce Wilcox (image via X)

#101. Christian Pierce - LB - Chicago (IL) Brother Rice: Pierce is a 6'0", 235 lb. linebacker and the younger brother of fourth-year defensive tackle Trey Pierce. Christian spent last season at Western Illinois and made 100 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 4 pass breakups, and 7 quarterback hurries, so he has a fair amount of playing time for a sophomore linebacker. I have not heard about him being talked up much from spring practices, and the jump from being a Western Illinois Leatherneck to playing in Michigan Stadium is fairly significant. Maybe some more experience at the FBS level will push him up the depth chart in the coming years, but for now, I'm thinking he will be a backup.

#102. Joshua Nichols - CB - Detroit (MI) Renaissance: Nichols is a 5'10", 205 lb. fifth year senior who has played in just one game during his first four years on campus. After being listed as a safety earlier in his career, he is now listed as a cornerback. We have seen him play a little bit in spring games, and his foot speed is not where it needs to be to play cornerback, so we're not looking at a walk-on like Keshaun Harris who could be in line for some legitimate playing time. Nichols will possibly be a special teams player or a deep bench player.

#103. James Kavouklis - C/LS - Tampa (FL) Berkeley Prep: Kavouklis is now listed at 6'1", 295 lbs. and played in one game against Central Michigan in 2025. Long snappers don't typically play offensive line because they have to get downfield on punt coverage, but Kavouklis is an exception. Michigan has some depth at center and Kavouklis will probably be the #3 long snapper, so he's unlikely to play much in 2026.

#104. Zach Ludwig - LB - South Park (PA) South Park: Ludwig is a 6'2", 225 lb. redshirt sophomore who played in one game last season, which was in the blowout of Central Michigan. The nephew of former Michigan strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert, it's been a little surprising that Ludwig - who didn't have much of a recruiting profile - has stuck around the past couple seasons. But he has added about 20 pounds in the past couple years and is approaching a playable linebacker weight. He will most likely be buried down the depth chart, but he enters year three actually looking like a linebacker.

#105. Bryce Wilcox - WR - Sharpsburg (GA) Trinity Christian: Gosh darn it, I have been in Wilcox's fan club since he came out of high school, and now it's year five for him and he hasn't played much at all. He's now listed at 5'11" and 191 lbs. and was named the Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year in 2025. Maybe playing receiver isn't in the cards, but I'm hoping for Wilcox to have one of those walk-on moments in 2026 where he recovers a blocked punt for a touchdown or something like that.

2026 Season Countdown: #106-110

 

Ndi Etta (image via X)

#105. John Weidenbach - LB - Naperville (IL) Benet Academy: Weidenbach is a 6'0", 215 lb. redshirt junior who has been on the team for the past three seasons. He saw his first game action in 2025, playing some linebacker against Central Michigan in the 63-3 blowout. Weidenbach won't play a meaningful role in 2026, but he could be in line for some garbage time opportunities.

#106. Kaleb Schlecht - WR - Ann Arbor (MI) Skyline: Schlecht is a 6'4", 205 lb. wideout who saw his first playing time against Central Michigan in 2025. He has good size, but even going back to high school, his speed and athleticism didn't indicate an FBS contributor. He may be able to play some as a blocking wideout, but Michigan seems to have enough bodies at wide receiver to keep Schlecht on the sideline.

#107. Ndi Etta - LB - Keller (TX) Liberty Christian: Etta is the 6'2", 215 lb. younger brother of Michigan defensive tackle Enow Etta. Michigan jumped into his recruitment late and landed him over a few MAC schools and Sacramento State. Ndi lacks the quick twitch ability of a true linebacker, and he doesn't have the size to contribute at defensive end right now, so this is almost certainly going to be a developmental year. Perhaps he can contribute down the road, but we will see how his body develops. Enow grew from a good-sized edge prospect into a good looking defensive tackle, so there is a family history of packing on good weight.

#108. Tommy Fraumann - OT - Wilmette (IL) Loyola: Fraumann is a true freshman whom Michigan flipped from Miami-OH. While he was listed at 6'8" and 255-265 lbs. as a recruit, he is reportedly around 280 lbs. now. That still makes him unplayable at offensive tackle, but he's inching toward a respectable size. Michigan has not had great luck with super tall offensive tackles over the years, but occasionally you get a Taylor Lewan, which can be fun.

#109. Sam Baron - CB - Cadillac (MI) Lake Area: Baron is a 6'1", 188 lb. redshirt junior who just joined the football team as a walk-on in the spring. His father Phil played football at Michigan State back in the day, but his mom - who must be an awesome person - attended Michigan. It's very unlikely that someone who hasn't played football in three years will make any contributions, but as a more mature team member, maybe some opportunities can arise.

Ryan Jung, Wolverine

 

Kerry Coombs and Milton (GA) Milton K Ryan Jung (image via X)

Milton (GA) Milton kicker Ryan Jung committed to Michigan, becoming the first member of Michigan’s 2028 recruiting class.

The 6'2", 195 lb. Jung went 4/5 on field goal attempts as a sophomore in 2025, with a long of 46. He made 50/62 extra points and 36/66 kickoffs were touchbacks.

RANKINGS
Kohl's Kicking: 5-star, #1 kicker

Hit the jump for more.

Visitors: June 12-14, 2026

 

Joshua Dobson (image via X)

Khylan Davis - QB - Houston (TX) C.E. King: Davis (unranked) is a 6'0", 193 lb. prospect who has been committed to UTSA since April. He threw for 2,428 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions as a junior in 2025, and he also ran for 1,218 yards and 23 touchdowns. This is an official visit.

Joshua Dobson - CB - Cornelius (NC) Hough: Dobson (5-star, #2 CB, #17 overall) is a 6'1", 185-pounder with officials to Auburn, South Carolina, and Tennessee, along with this one to Michigan. He is scheduled to commit on July 1.

Ifeanyi Emedobi - DE - Fort Wayne (IN) Northrop: Emedobi (4-star, #36 edge, #406 overall) is a 6'1", 210 lb. prospect with Michigan, Minnesota, and Penn State as his official visits. He made 50 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks as a junior in 2025.

Frederrick Ford - LB - Greenwood (MS) Greenwood: Ford (4-star, #17 LB, #225 overall) is a 6'5", 190-pounder with Florida State, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Tennessee as officials, and he took a mid-week official visit to Michigan this week. He basically plays a strong safety role for his high school team, but he's a little bit stiff and will almost certainly end up at linebacker or perhaps edge rusher in college.

Tye Kennedy - OT - Mesa (AZ) Mountain View: Kennedy (3-star, #57 OT, #627 overall) is a 6'6", 275 lb. tackle who is the son of former NFL star offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy (and the brother of former Michigan target Zach Banner, who played for the USC Trojans). Tye has officials to Stanford, Utah, and Washington, along with this one to Ann Arbor.

D.J. Mitchell - CB - Indianapolis (IN) Franklin Central: Mitchell (3-star, #134 CB, #1492 overall) has been committed to Miami-OH since mid-March. He took an official at Miami-OH and has one next week to Purdue. This is his official visit to Michigan.

2026 Season Countdown: #111-115

 

Gary Stacy (#22, image via Hometown Life)

#111. Hunter Robertson - P - Huntington Woods (MI) Berkley: Robertson is a 6'4", 205 lb. punter who transferred to Michigan from Clarion prior to last season. He got in one game as a backup holder, but he seems to have at least two punters ahead of him in the forms of Cam Brown and Hudson Hollenbeck. He has some experience at the D-II level with punting, placekicking, and kicking off, so perhaps he can help as a holder, kickoff specialist, or backup in some way.

#112. Gary Stacy - RB - Grosse Pointe Woods (MI) Liggett: Stacy is a 6'1", 202 lb. walk-on who will be a redshirt freshman this fall. He scored 37 touchdowns over his final two seasons of high school football. His highlights are kind of a fun watch, and I see some potential there to possibly be a special teams player, fullback, or linebacker. He's too thin at this point to do much of anything this fall, but if he can stick around for a couple years and add 20 pounds of muscle, he might be able to bring something to the team on Saturdays.

#113. Adam Bazzi - LB - Rochester Hills (MI) Stoney Creek: The 5'11", 205 lb. redshirt sophomore was a walk-on for Michigan's team in 2025 but did not see any game action. Bazzi made 84 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks as a senior in high school a few years ago, but his film doesn't indicate that he will much of a factor for the Wolverines.

#114. Eli Musmand - DE - Brooklyn (NY) Poly Prep Country Day: Musmand is a second-year student who is listed as a 6'3", 223 lb. defensive end. He joined the program this spring. While his high school film from a couple seasons ago shows a high-effort player, he is limited athletically and obviously has a lot of weight to add before he could be trusted to hold up for a Big Ten team.

#115. Peter Donini - OT - Summit (NJ) Delbarton: Donini is another walk-on this spring and is a 6'7", 270 lb. true freshman. He's a thrower for Michigan's track and field team, so there is some quality athleticism there, but a 270-pounder isn't anywhere close to playing offensive line for the University of Michigan at this point. 

Visitor: May 29-31, 2026

 

Niko Kampas (image via SI)

Niko Kampas - OT - London (England) NFL Academy: Kampas (4-star, #31 OT, #317 overall) is a 6'7", 279 lb. international prospect who has an official visit to Auburn and then one to Ann Arbor this weekend. Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and others have also offered, but the aforementioned two spots are his only scheduled officials. Kampas is originally from Germany, and Michigan has successfully recruited the likes of former defensive end Julius Welschof and current offensive lineman Manuel Beigel.

A couple other players like Bolingbrook (IL) Bolingbrook running back T.J. Lewis and Westlake Village (CA) Westlake tight end Charles Davis were slated to take officials at one point, but Davis has committed to Cal in the meantime and it appears Lewis may not be much of a factor now that Michigan has two running back commitments.

Way Too Early 2027 Depth Chart: May 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 the remainder of the 2027 recruiting class. I have removed the following players due to expiring eligibility:

• QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi
• DE Cam Brandt
• DT Trey Pierce
• LB Nate Staehling
• CB Zeke Berry
• CB Snowden Smith
• S Rod Moore
• LS Nico Crawford

It assumes that every currently rostered player and every currently committed prospect will be here in the fall of 2027, which is obviously not true.

Hit the jump for the depth chart.