There are plenty of obvious names driving the conversation around Michigan football right now. Guys like five-star freshman Savion Hiter and transfer edge rusher John Henry Daley don’t exactly make it hard to imagine big things. But every good team has a few players whose potential impact is being undersold this time of year.
Here are five players you might be underrating right now as we get inch closer towards the 2026 season.
Trey Pierce
Michigan lost plenty up front, so it’s understandable if you’re taking
a wait-and-see approach with the defensive line. But senior defensive tackle Trey Pierce feels like the kind of player who could make the skeptics look silly.
Long gone are the days of Pierce being some unknown depth piece. He started 13 games last year, recorded 30 tackles, earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition and will enter fall camp as one of the most experienced players on the interior. He’s also been pretty open about taking criticism of the defensive line personally, which is exactly what you want to hear from a player expected to help set the tone.
Michigan may not have a superstar in the middle like Mason Graham anymore, but if Pierce continues his upward trajectory, there’s a pretty realistic path where this group ends up being the strength of the defense.
Troy Bowles
The linebacker room is one of the biggest unknowns on the roster, but Troy Bowles might be getting overlooked a bit in that conversation. Bowles quietly became one of Michigan’s more reliable reserve linebackers last season, especially down the stretch, and he now enters the year as one of the clear veteran leaders in the room.
The new defensive staff is pretty high on him too. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill has already referred to Bowles as one of the playmakers in the linebacker room, and Bowles himself has spoken pretty confidently about how well this new “run and hit” defensive system fits the group.
If Michigan’s linebacker play ends up being better than expected, Bowles will probably be a big reason why.
Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng
Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng might be the most obvious “under-the-radar” breakout pick on the roster, if that makes sense. He barely saw the field last season, but CBS Sports still recently included him on its list of sophomore standouts who could help shape the 2026 playoff race.
At 6-foot-1 and around 217 pounds, Owusu-Boateng brings a different kind of athleticism to the linebacker room. He plays fast, changes direction easily and has the type of range that defensive coordinators covet in today’s game. CBS Sports even compared some of his movement traits to his older brother, NFL linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
Owusu-Boateng is still inexperienced, and there will probably be growing pains at times. But if Michigan’s linebacker room ends up outperforming expectations this season, there’s a very good chance he will be at the center of it.
Zack Marshall
The tight end room feels like one of the bigger unknowns on Michigan’s roster right now, which is exactly why Zack Marshall might be getting overlooked a bit. With Marlin Klein off to the NFL and Hogan Hansen working back after another injury-riddled season, there’s a real opportunity sitting there for somebody to take control of the room, and Marshall might be the safest bet to do it.
Marshall is already the most proven receiving option among Michigan’s returning tight ends after posting 16 catches for 199 yards and a touchdown last season. The production came in flashes — especially against Washington and Purdue — but there were enough moments to suggest there’s more there if the role expands.
The fit with Jason Beck’s offense could help Marshall as well. Michigan isn’t expected to operate quite the same offensively as it did during the Jim Harbaugh era, where the Wolverines constantly lived in heavy personnel and asked tight ends to function like an extra offensive lineman. Beck’s system should spread the field more, create easier matchups and put a greater emphasis on versatility in the passing game.
All that could suit Marshall well. As long as he stays healthy, there’s a great chance he’s presented with even more opportunities in 2026.
Bryce Underwood
Maybe it’s time we open ourselves up to the idea that Bryce Underwood will be just fine and that it’s difficult to imagine any freshman quarterback finding success in the kind of situation he was in last season.
Most of the conversation around him right now is about what he still has to fix, which is fair. His freshman campaign was streaky, to say the least, and his spring game performance didn’t quiet any of those concerns. The accuracy, pocket comfort and consistency all still need to improve.
But the part that feels underrated is how different this offense could look if Beck fully uses his legs. Underwood still threw for 2,428 yards last year and added six rushing touchdowns, so there’s a real dual-threat element that hasn’t been fully unlocked yet. Beck has already shown he’s comfortable using quarterback run concepts, and if that becomes a real part of Michigan’s offense, Underwood instantly becomes much harder to defend.
The sophomore leap doesn’t have to be perfect — it just has to be explosive and more tailored to what Underwood actually does well. If executed well, the entire outlook of this team changes drastically.
