During his press conference on Thursday morning, Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham announced that redshirt sophomore running back Micah Ka’apana will miss the 2026 season due to a lower-leg injury.
“One big downer, Micah, running back, Ka’apana, is out for the season,” Whittingham said. “Lower-leg injury, so we’ll miss him. It’s unfortunate, but so far we’ve been healthy other than that. That’s a loss for us, something that I’m sure he’ll return from and be back for the ‘27 season, but it looks
like he’s gonna be out for the ‘26 season.
“It’s a shame, too, because he was having a good spring. He’s a tough kid and he’ll be missed.”
Ka’apana was a three-star recruit in the 2024 class and has played minimally for the Wolverines his first two seasons in Ann Arbor. He has 10 rush attempts for 38 yards to his name, along with two receptions for 12 yards in six total games played (two in 2024, four in 2025).
Michigan will rely on Jordan Marshall, Savion Hiter and Bryson Kuzdzal at the running back position in 2026. Ka’apana was facing an uphill battle for playing time, but Whittingham did say he was set to be RB4 this season. His injury shouldn’t not have a huge impact on the upcoming season for the Wolverines, but depth is always important and losing him this early is not great news by any means. Whittingham and Tony Alford will now be tasked with finding another option to be the fourth running back this year.
Hopefully Ka’apana’s recovery goes well and he is able to get back to it in 2027.
