Saturday, July 25, 2026

2026 Season Countdown: #81-85

 

Donovan Johnson (image via Instagram)

#81. Chibi Anwunah - DT - Plymouth (MI) Christian: Anwunah is now a 6'5", 300 lb. defensive tackle after playing some tight end and defensive end earlier in his career. He has steadily bulked up over the past few years. Last year he was a defensive end who played in twelve games on special teams and one on the defensive line, so he does offer some value. It's unclear where he fits in the pecking order at defensive tackle after adding some weight from last year, and his special teams value may be diminishing as he adds weight and probably loses some quickness.

#82. Donovan Johnson - RB - Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy: Johnson is a 6'0", 215 lb. second-year player who did not see any time in 2025 due to an injury. He has had some injury problems over the past few years, and I have some concern that he won't get back to full strength. Hopefully I'm wrong. Even if healthy, he would probably be no higher than #4 on the depth chart behind Jordan Marshall, Savion Hiter, and Bryson Kuzdzal, so we probably won't see much of him this fall as he battles Jonathan Brown for snaps.

#83. Ted Hammond - DT - Cincinnati (OH) St. Xavier: Hammond is a 6'5", 294 lb. redshirt sophomore who played in one game last year. Michigan has some questions on the interior defensive line this year, because they have lost a lot of talent over the past couple seasons with few surefire answers behind those players. The best interior defensive lineman this year might be Trey Pierce, who has been a solid player but hasn't done much spectacular over the past few years. Hammond has a chance to work his way into the rotation in 2026, but I think we're unlikely to see him step up, and there hasn't been any buzz about him coming out of practices.

#84. Ernest Nunley - S - Harbor City (CA) Narbonne: Nunley is a 6'0", 180 lb. true freshman who signed with Cal in December 2025 and then entered the transfer portal in the winter, eventually ending up at Michigan. He made 5 interceptions among 20 total pass breakups as a senior last fall. Nunley is pretty slight coming out of high school and probably needs to add about 10-15 pounds of muscle from his prep frame, so I'm not sure if that will have happened by this fall. But he does have some good instincts and could be someone who sneaks onto the field in some low pressure situations to get his feet wet for the future.

#85. Max Reyes - S - Southlake (TX) Carroll: Reyes is a 5'11", 203 lb. fifth year senior. He played in one game in 2024 and did not see any action in 2025, but he has shown up in the spring games and seems like someone who could make some appearances on special teams. It seems like Michigan used to have one former walk-on safety every year who would make his way onto the field on defense or maybe on special teams, but maybe those opportunities are diminishing with the new NIL and transfer rules in place.

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