Michigan will have some new faces on offense in 2026. While Kyle Whittingham and his offensive staff managed to retain Bryce Underwood and Andrew Marsh, they also brought in a few key additions to help improve the Wolverines’ pass game.
JJ Buchanan was listed as a tight end at Utah, but was announced as a wide receiver by Michigan. The Wolverines are also bringing in Texas wideout Jaime Ffrench. Those two portal additions, as well as Marsh, will greatly help improve Michigan’s ability to throw the
ball in 2026.
WR Andrew Marsh
Marsh finished 2025 as Michigan’s leading receiver with 45 catches for 651 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot, 190-pounder gave Michigan’s offense a spark, especially at the end of the season. Former offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey utilized Marsh out wide and in the slot — he took 324 snaps as an X or Z receiver compared to 215 snaps in the slot, per Pro Football Focus. Given Marsh’s talent and familiarity with Underwood, it seems like he has a good chance to be the No. 1 receiver in 2026.
The video in this tweet highlights how Michigan capitalized on Marsh’s versatility last season. While there’s a new coaching staff, there’s reason to believe they’ll still move Marsh around on the field based on Utah’s passing attack under new Michigan coordinator Jason Beck.
WR JJ Buchanan
Buchanan is listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, and played almost as many snaps as a wideout (264) as he did in the slot (269). Despite being listed as a tight end in Salt Lake City, Buchanan only had 10 snaps inline in 2025, according to PFF. He finished the year with 26 catches for 427 yards and five touchdowns. Watching some of his highlights, you can tell the Utes’ offensive staff trusted him to go up and make plays.
Check out this catch from the Las Vegas Bowl. They have him on the line and then he makes a pretty impressive catch. He’ll definitely be a player to utilize in the fall.
WR Jaime Ffrench
Ffrench only had one catch for six yards as a true freshman for the Longhorns last year, but that’s also the only time he was targeted in 2025. He’s 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, and will likely line up out wide for the Wolverines. Again, he wasn’t on the field a ton for Texas, but he lined up out wide 18 times compared to just three times in the slot.
You can see why he had a lot of eyes on him in high school. He’s fast and capable of making guys miss tackles. Ffrench finished high school with a long list of accolades. He had 35 catches for 621 yards (17.7 yards per catch) and two touchdowns in nine games as a senior. His high school also used him on kick returns.
Whittingham said at his introductory press conference that the Wolverines will run 11 personnel — one running back, one tight end, three receivers — as their base offensive package, so it’s possible we’ll see these three guys on the field a lot at the same time.
Looking at how previous teams have used them, it seems likely Whittingham and Beck will continue to put Buchanan in the slot, and Ffrench and Marsh on the outside. These transfers are incredibly talented and should also help take some of the pressure of Marsh’s shoulders to be the go-to guy, while forcing defenses to hone in on the other weapons on the field.
If you’ve been waiting to get exciting about Michigan throwing the ball, 2026 might finally be the season for you.
