Not long after CBS Sports projected Michigan to make it into the College Football Playoff this upcoming season, ESPN appears to be a believer in Kyle Whittingham and the Wolverines as well.
In a story published on Tuesday discussing 12 college football teams that improved their odds of making the CFP due to their roster moves this offseason — which includes the transfer portal and high school recruiting — the Worldwide Leader in Sports included Michigan in the “primed to make a CFP breakthrough” category.
Here is what ESPN wrote about Michigan:
2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 11
2026 transfer class ranking: No. 9
Given the timing of Sherrone Moore’s firing, Michigan’s pivot to Kyle Whittingham looks like a best-case outcome. He tapped into his Utah pipeline to bring over several former Utes in the transfer portal, including defensive end John Henry Daley, who is a physical run defender and culture setter.
Whittingham was able to pluck SC Next 300 athlete Salesi Moa (No. 39), whose blend of speed, toughness and ball skills could have him contributing early at receiver or in the secondary. Whittingham also mostly held together an incoming high school class that is headlined by a pair of five-stars in defensive end Carter Meadows, a lengthy and edge rusher, and running back Savion Hiter, who has a great opportunity to see the field right away with Justice Haynes moving on. The class is strongest at edge, receiver and corner — premium positions that should help accelerate Michigan’s transition.
ESPN is really banking on the transfers from Utah making a significant impact at the Big Ten level right away, with All-American edge John Henry Daley being one, in particular, that many fans and pundits are excited about. Even though ESPN did not name the others, former Utes in cornerback Smith Snowden and defensive lineman Jonah Lea’ea are also expected to make immediate contributions to Michigan’s defense in 2026.
The freshmen mentioned — Carter Meadows and Savion Hiter — are very highly regarded prospects, but it would not be a major surprise if both took a bit of time to get going. That is especially so for Meadows, who won’t be on campus with the team until the summer and is pretty slender at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds. Hiter should be in line for some immediate playing time, but he will have to beat out returning player Bryson Kuzdzal in the spring and fall for RB2 reps.
All of that combined with the fact that Michigan was able to retain the likes of Bryce Underwood, Jordan Marshall, Andrew Marsh, a majority of the offensive line and several other players on defense — Nate Marshall, Enow Etta, Rod Moore, Zeke Berry and Jordan Young come to mind — it makes total sense why many national outlets expect Whittingham to lead Michigan back to the CFP so soon.
What do you think of where ESPN has the Wolverines headed into spring ball? Do you think “prime to make a CFP breakthrough” is a reasonable category to put Michigan in? Let me know what you think down in the comments below.
