The transfer portal window has officially closed, and while new players can still be added to the roster (or returning players can elect to withdraw), Michigan’s football roster is taking shape for the 2026
season under new head coach Kyle Whittingham.
With all of the transfer portal news taking place over the last three weeks, it is easy to forget about the stars Michigan already had on its roster. It is also easy to forget that just a few weeks ago, the Wolverines overhauled its entire coaching staff, hoping to maximize the potential of everyone on the roster.
With a ton of experience, proven development, and consistent winning seasons under their belt, this new coaching staff should hit the ground running with an embarrassment of riches in talent.
Whether they are a high-ceiling freshman, a former depth piece expected to get an increased load or an established starter, here are four current Michigan players most likely to benefit from the new coaching staff.
Quarterback Bryce Underwood
It may not need to be stated, but Bryce Underwood may have the most to gain from a brand-new coaching staff going into his sophomore season.
The former No. 1 overall recruit played well for the Wolverines in his freshman year, but there were obvious growing pains and it did not appear the young QB was able to grow a ton in the offense.
As we learned after the season, Underwood did not have a dedicated quarterbacks coach throughout the year, implying that he did not receive as much individual attention as most college quarterbacks do. This greatly limited his development, and gives a strong reason for the consistent missed reads, poor footwork and raw mechanics.
One of the first hires Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck made was bringing in their quarterbacks coach, Koy Detmer, from Utah to help with Underwood’s development.
Detmer was with Beck at Syracuse as a graduate assistant, then went to New Mexico with Beck as an offensive analyst, and subsequently followed Beck to Utah to serve as the quarterbacks coach.
Most recently, Detmer had been working with former New Mexico and current Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, who threw for 2,490 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, five interceptions, along with 835 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025, ranking No. 7 in the nation in Total QBR (84.4).
Michigan has already seen strong production from adding a quarterbacks coach in recent years, with Kirk Campbell in 2023, helping J.J. McCarthy set single-season program records in completion percentage (72.3) and interception percentage (1.20) with 22 touchdowns and winning a national championship.
With someone in Underwood’s ear every day giving him pointers and keeping him accountable on all quarterback duties, the hometown kid has a chance to grow his game exponentially.
Offensive Tackle Andrew Babalola
6-foot-6, 300 pounds. That is the measurement of projected first round Utah tackles Spencer Fanu and Caleb Lomu.
That is also the exact measurement of Michigan redshirt freshman Andrew Babalola.
Babalola came to Michigan as a blue-chip five star prospect, and received a high volume of starter reps during the Michigan Spring Game. However, a month later, the Overland Park, Kansas native was reported to miss the entire 2025 season due to a knee injury.
Because of the season-ending injury, Babalola never received legitimate coaching or development in his first season, but you can bet that new offensive line coach Jim Harding will change that in year two.
The former No. 10 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class was said to have “virtually limitless long-term potential,” according to 247Sports Scout Gabe Brooks.
“So physically and athletically gifted that he regularly showed recovery ability to win reps that initially looked like losses vs. elite defenders in the Navy All-American Bowl setting. Technical and physical development mean he may need more time and be a slower burn than more ready-made tackle prospects, but owns a case for the highest-ceiling OT prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Possesses the physical and athletic characteristics to become a stalwart book-end tackle with NFL Draft high-round upside.”
Babalola has all of the components to becoming a bonafide first round pick, and being paired with a proven coach who develops All-American tackles could be the key to unlocking that success.
Edge Nate Marshall
Part of what Whittingham has attempted to do with his new coaching staff is divide up the workload to ensure each position group is taken care of and has enough time to develop with the position coach.
While Whittingham brought back Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito from Sherrone Moore’s regime, he paired the former Western Michigan coach with Lewis Powell from Utah, giving the former defensive tackles and the latter edge rushers.
What is exciting about this move is that the Wolverines will have two defensive line aficionados, so the players can truly work on their craft within their own position.
One player that could greatly benefit from the divide is edge Nate Marshall. The former four star from Oak Park, Illinois, played in 11 games for the Wolverines in 2025, making six tackles at the edge spot. Standing at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Marshall possesses the size to be a dominant edge in college football, and his production in high school (16 tackles for a loss, six sacks, 13 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, and four blocked kicks in 2024) proves he has the talent to go far places.
Powell is already bringing his “Louis Vuitton” with him (as Deion Sanders would say) in elite pass-rusher John Henry-Daley, and the development of Marshall would give Michigan a two-man combo that would be a nightmare for any opposing offensive line.
WR/KR Andrew Marsh
Everyone knows of Andrew Marsh as the receiver. The Katy, Texas native put on a show in 2025, making 45 catches for 651 yards and four touchdowns, which led him to being named a Freshman All-American and an All-Big Ten honorable mention.
But what we got a glimpse of at the end of the season was Marsh’s ability to return kicks, something the Wolverines greatly lacked for the past two seasons.
Marsh started the first three games of the season sharing kick return duties with Semaj Morgan, where he had longs of 29, 20, and 16 yards in non-conference play. Nonetheless, once Michigan faced off against Big Ten opponents, Marsh became primarily a wide receiver, and did not see the field on special teams.
Toward the end of the season, however, Marsh continued to make plays in all phases of the game, returning a kick for 39 yards and a punt for 14 yards against Maryland, and he became Michigan’s go-to returner.
That isn’t all. With special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs taking over duties for the Bowl Game against Texas, Marsh exploded, taking four kicks for 143 total yards, with a long of 51 yards.
Despite being the No. 1 receiver going into year two, Marsh could see a major increase in usage on special teams, and it appears Coombs has already made an imprint on that area for Michigan.
