2026 Season Countdown: #15 Savion Hiter

 

Savion Hiter (image via X)

Name: Savion Hiter
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 212 lbs.
High school: Mineral (VA) Louisa County
Position: Running back
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #5
Last year: Hiter was a senior in high school (LINK). He ran for 1,445 yards and 25 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: N/A

Having dipped my toe into recruiting for the last couple decades now, it's hard to say much is certain, but I feel like I can say this pretty confidently:

It's hard to think of a high school recruit who has engendered this much hype or, perhaps, innate confidence than Savion Hiter.

Everyone just talks about Hiter like it's a given that he will be a good player immediately in college. There was hype for Bryce Underwood, but quarterbacks always have growing pains as freshmen. People were excited about Will Johnson, but he was joining a pretty solid defensive backfield and had time to grow and develop into the second half of his first year. Nobody expects much from freshman linebackers or guys in the trenches.

But Hiter, according to some, would be starting at most places right now. He's discussed as a guy who might be Michigan's #1 running back by the end of the season and someone who looks like an NFL running back already. That's high praise for a guy who has yet to take a college snap.

Regardless of whether Hiter is ready now or not, he needs to play. Michigan does not have great depth at running back, at least not of the proven variety. While they tried to bring in a couple veterans in 2025 (C.J. Hester, John Volker) to help the 1-2 punch of Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, this year the staff is relying on homegrown talent, including former walk-on Bryson Kuzdzal. Marshall will presumably start off as the main guy, and then there's Hiter. After that there's Kuzdzal, who has good speed and patience but not much tackle breaking ability, and then a few guys who have never played college football before. At some point this season, Hiter will be needed for some key carries.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Hiter can do in college. I really liked his acceleration in high school, and he brings some physicality with him. I'm not so sure that he will become the #1 guy by the end of the year like some think will happen, but if the duo of Marshall and Hiter can stay relatively healthy throughout the year, this should be the best running back combo in the Big Ten conference.

Prediction: Backup running back

2026 Season Countdown: #16 Trey Butkowski

 

Trey Butkowski (image via On3)

Name: Trey Butkowski
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 179 lbs.
High school: Orlando (FL) Lake Nona
Position: Kicker
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #99
Last year: Butkowski played for Pitt. He made 19/22 field goals and 41/42 extra points.
TTB Rating: N/A

Butkowski was a 3-star and the #6 overall kicker in the 247 Composite for the class of 2025. Immediately upon arriving at Pitt, he won the starting kicker job for Pat Narduzzi's squad and proceeded to make 19/22 on field goal attempts, including six makes from 40+ yards. He also made 41/42 extra points and was named to the Lou Groza Award semifinalist list.

Michigan needed a new starting kicker after Dominic Zvada departed for the NFL, so the Wolverines mined Pitt for a new kicker (as well as new long snapper Nico Crawford). Butkowski should be stepping right into a new starting role, because the Wolverines haven't really recruited any other significant kickers in the past couple classes. It probably makes sense to try to poach proven kickers rather than guessing on a high schooler in the current college football climate, so Butkowski is the man for 2026.

The knock on Butkowski is that he doesn't necessarily have the strongest leg, so perhaps Michigan will be attempting fewer kicks from 50+ yards than they did with Zvada. But we should expect him to be accurate on the short to medium kicks, and with several tough opponents this season, some of his kicks in close games could make or break Michigan's College Football Playoff hopes.

Prediction: Starting kicker

2026 Season Countdown: #17 Evan Link

 

Evan Link (image via Lucas Chen/Michigan Daily)

Name: Evan Link
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 313 lbs.
High school: Washington (DC) Gonzaga
Position: Offensive tackle/offensive guard
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #71
Last year: I ranked Link #18 and said he would be the starting left tackle (LINK). He started seven games at left tackle.
TTB Rating: 72

Evan Link had a much better season in 2025 than he did in 2024, and that was reflected in my countdown post from last year. As a redshirt freshman in Kirk Campbell's lone season as offensive coordinator, Link was thrust into the starting right tackle role and he looked stiff and unsure of himself. A former high school left tackle, he looked awkward and got put on his butt several times. Some may not believe it, but it's a whole different world at right tackle, where the footwork, hand placement, etc. are completely opposite. Some might say it's the same thing but just in reverse, so it's no big deal, and to that I would say . . . okay, take a right-handed batter or a right-handed first baseman and then in one off-season when he's 20 years old, make him bat or field left-handed. The baseball example is more dramatic, but it's not irrelevant.

Link started the first seven games at left tackle, and he looked pretty solid. He wasn't blowing people off the ball, but he was fine. And "fine" was much better than "horrid" in 2024. And then just when Link was settling in, he suffered a leg injury that caused him to miss the rest of the year.

Now Michigan has a new coaching staff, and while Link was gone, Blake Frazier got some experience at left tackle. Furthermore, Andrew Babalola - who suffered an ACL tear during camp in 2025 - is now healthy and competing at left tackle. Link has reportedly been getting reps at left tackle this fall, but it appears that Frazier will win that spot and Link will end up starting at left guard. Regardless, I think Link is one of Michigan's top five linemen, so I think new offensive line coach Jim Harding will slot him in somewhere as a starter. The nice thing is that the Wolverines have a couple players like Nate Efobi, Brady Norton, and Avery Gach who all sound like they're pushing for playing time, so whoever loses the right guard job should be a decent backup option.

Prediction: Starting left guard

2026 Season Countdown: #18 Chris Bracy

 

Chris Bracy

Name: Chris Bracy
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Mobile (AL) St. Paul's Episcopal
Position: Safety
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #7
Last year: Bracy played at Memphis. He started eleven games and made 81 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 10 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.
TTB Rating: N/A

Michigan has frankly done an excellent job of recruiting safeties in recent years.

There was a lamentable time when the Wolverines stunk pretty badly at finding and developing safeties, from the mid-2000s through the early 2010s. Names like Michael Williams, Brandon Harrison, Cam Gordon, etc. all floundered on the back end of Michigan's defense, and even elite recruits like Dymonte Thomas looked lost in the defensive backfield until Jim Harbaugh arrived.

That's not the case anymore. Or at least it hasn't been for a while.

Michigan has pretty consistently been getting good safety play for the past several years, recruiting good players and then developing them into NFL-quality contributors. So when the Wolverines looked to Memphis to bring in Chris Bracy, it raised my eyebrows a little bit, because why does Michigan need a Memphis transfer when they have Mason Curtis on the roster, as well as young, highly regarded recruits like Jordan Young and Kainoa Winston?

Well, it turns out this Chris Bracy guy is supposed to be pretty good. After being coached by former Michigan linebacker Desmond Morgan, the safeties coach for Memphis, Bracy went out and put up 81 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss in 2025. He graded out excellent at stopping the run, and he broke up 10 passes last season, too. He was named American Conference Defensive Player of the Week against an SEC team (Arkansas) when he made 5 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 pass breakup.

Now Bracy arrived at Michigan in the spring and he picked up where he left off at Memphis. He pretty much asserted himself immediately as a starting safety to the point where head coach Kyle Whittingham said over the summer that Bracy and Rod Moore had essentially locked down the starting safety positions. Young and Winston are just going to have to wait in the wings for another year - barring injury - and Bracy should be a run-stopping force from the strong safety position. So after Michigan lost head-hunter Brandyn Hillman (Virginia) and Tevis Metcalf (Tennessee) to the transfer portal, they might be better off with Bracy and the return of a healthy Moore in 2026.

I expect Bracy to be a bit like former Wolverine Jordan Kovacs, somebody who isn't going to wow with his range but who should make quite a few plays within three yards of the line of scrimmage.

Prediction: Starting strong safety; 55 tackles, 1 interception

2026 Season Countdown: #19 Cam Brandt

 

Cam Brandt (image via MGoBlue)

Name: Cam Brandt
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 270 lbs.
High school: Carson (CA) Sierra Canyon
Position: Defensive end
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #9
Last year: I ranked Brandt #29 and said he would be a backup defensive end (LINK). He started one game and made 22 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks.
TTB Rating: 82

In the days if the transfer portal, it certainly feels like Cam Brandt has been in Ann Arbor for a long time. We're getting used to non-contributors dipping out of town quickly, transplanted starters coming in to play immediately, and shorter tenures for the average player. But now it's year four for Brandt at Michigan, and he finally enters the season as a likely starter.

Michigan has had quality edges for a while now, and Brandt had to wait his turn behind the likes of T.J. Guy, Derrick Moore, Josaiah Stewart, and others. At one time it looked like Brandt might end up as a defensive tackle, but he enters 2026 at a solid size of 270 lbs. for a strongside end. Michigan probably won't get a ton of pass rush juice from Brandt, but he is experienced and has the size that many of his 245-255 lb. position mates lack. With Utah transfer John Henry Daley a shoo-in to start on one side (as long as he's healthy), it should be between Brandt and Dominic Nichols to start at the other end position.

Prediction: Starting defensive end; 30 tackles, 4 sacks

2026 Season Countdown: #20 Nathaniel Staehling

 

Nathaniel Staehling (image via X/Brice Marich)

Name: Nathaniel Staehling
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 241 lbs.
High school: Baxter (MN) Brainerd
Position: Linebacker
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #44
Last year: Staehling played for North Dakota State. He made 75 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery.
TTB Rating: N/A

Surprise! Michigan took an FCS transfer who didn't participate in spring practice, and now here he is at #20 in the countdown. How did that happen?

Nathaniel Staehling was an all-around athlete at Brainerd in the class of 2022, playing football, basketball, baseball, and track. He played quarterback, running back, safety, kicker, and punter in high school, but he was a 0-star recruit. When he got to college, he redshirted in 2022 and played sparingly in 2023 and 2024, making 16 tackles over those two seasons. He finally became a starter in his fourth year and put up solid numbers, entering the transfer portal after the year to potentially make a one-year splash at a big program.

The gamble may have paid off. Michigan really needed some linebackers after losing the top three guys (Ernest Hausmann to graduation, Jimmy Rolder to the NFL, and Cole Sullivan to Oklahoma) following last year. The Wolverines have an array of talented but totally unproven players at the college level. Staehling looks like he's battling Troy Bowles, Chase Taylor, and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng for playing time this year, and word trickling out seems to indicate Staehling should be a starter this fall. He's a veteran with starting experience under his belt, and he has the size we expect from a Big Ten inside linebacker at 6'3", 241 lbs. He may not play like an all-star, but Michigan's options if they want solid-sized, experienced linebackers really diminish if Staehling has to miss any time.

Prediction: Starting linebacker; 50 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception

2026 Season Countdown: #21-25

 

Zack Marshall (image via PFF/X)

#21. Nathan Efobi - OG - Atlanta (GA) South Forsyth: Efobi is a 6'4", 303 lb. fourth-year player with nineteen games of experience under his belt, including five starts last season. He started early in the year before losing his job to Jake Guarnera, and then Efobi started again in the Cheez-It Bowl against Texas. The offensive line has been pretty difficult to peg in the off-season because of a new staff and a lot of talent. The Wolverines have several players with starting experience returning (Efobi, Guarnera, Blake Frazier, Evan Link, Andrew Sprague, Brady Norton) and a couple young guys (mainly Andrew Babalola, but also including Avery Gach and Marky Walbridge) who have been earning solid reviews from practice. Efobi looks like the probably starter at right guard, but things could change with about three weeks left until the season opener.

#22. Zack Marshall - TE - Carlsbad (CA) Carlsbad: Marshall is a 6'5", 245 lb. fourth-year guy who seems to have become a senior very quickly. He caught 16 passes for 199 yards and 1 touchdown in 2025 and was named the team's Most Improved Offensive Player. I'll admit I didn't give Marshall high marks coming out of high school, but the way he represents himself, talks about Michigan, and is respected by his teammates suggests he does things right off the field and has worked his way into being the projected starting tight end going into 2026. He started three games last year and came out of nowhere to catch 5 passes for 72 yards and 1 touchdown against Washington. Prior to that game, he had made 3 catches for 29 yards up through six weeks of the season. Michigan has other capable tight ends, plus the Rhino position to add to the mix, so Marshall may not be an every-down staple in the Wolverines offense. But we should see him on the field quite a bit this fall.

#23. Chase Taylor - LB - Ellenwood (GA) Stockbridge: Taylor is a 6'2", 222 lb. inside linebacker who made 10 tackles as a true freshman last season. He came in light during the 2025 cycle, right around 200 pounds, and has since added a decent chunk of weight. Michigan recently released its fall roster and most of the linebackers seem light, which makes me a little bit concerned for their Big Ten viability going into the 2026 season. I would like to see a guy who's 6'2" to be at least 230 lbs. if he's going to be playable, and Taylor obviously isn't there right now. It seems like Taylor could be a starter at inside linebacker, but there are a few options for the position, including Troy Bowles and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng.

#24. Dominic Nichols - DE - Frederick (MD) Oakdale: Nichols is a 6'5", 245 lb. defensive end who played in twelve games last season, making 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. Entering his third season on campus, he has been mentioned as possibly the best pass rusher on the team, which is saying something considering the presence of Utah transfer John Henry Daley. I'm open to that possibility, but we haven't really seen it show up on the game field yet, so I'm cautiously optimistic. Michigan seems to have a few good options at the edge positions, including Nate Marshall, Cam Brandt, and Lugard Edokpayi. (NOTE: Another player who has recently started getting a lot of buzz is freshman Tariq Boney.) Nichols could emerge as a starter who's a terror off the edge, or maybe he's still just rotating behind one or two other guys. My guess is that we see him play a pretty big role as a quality backup.

#25. Nico Crawford - LS - Dublin (OH) Scioto: Crawford is a 6'0", 230 lb. fifth year senior who has played in 37 career games through his career, one that has spanned Charlotte, Illinois, and two seasons at Pitt. Now on his fourth school year in five years, he would seem to be the best bet to start at long snapper for the Wolverines in 2026. Michigan does have some other options, including sophomore transfer Gavin Magorien, but Crawford has the most experience. Hopefully this is approximately the last time we talk about long snappers for the next several months.