The Michigan Wolverines are set to begin spring practices next Tuesday, and befitting the season, everything feels fresh and new. Even more so this year under new head coach Kyle Whittingham.
Whittingham takes over a program that has endured an eventful transition from one regime to the next. But keeping the focus on the field, he also inherits a program with the bones of a national contender, but in desperate need of innovation.
When Sherrone Moore took over for Jim Harbaugh, it felt like an extension
of the past — trying to hold on to the good ole days without turning the page to the next chapter. Imitation can work in the short term, but the lack of originality hinders development and growth the longer it persists, similar to the difference between Caddyshack II and Terminator 2. Although Moore’s time more resembles the former, his judgment day has inadvertently launched a new hope for the program’s future.
But if that hope is to be actualized into winning Big Ten battles in the fall, it begins with winning positional battles in the spring. With a primarily new coaching staff, the entire roster is set to receive fresh evaluations. The depth chart we are familiar with is completely gone and several positions are set for a hierarchy overhaul.
Today, let’s look at three of the most critical starting positional battles. There are other fun discussions to have further down the depth chart — QB-2 and the order of every wide receiver not named Andrew Marsh — but today, let’s keep our focus toward the top.
Linebackers
With the departures of Jimmy Rolder, Cole Sullivan and Ernest Hausmann, who is going to patrol the middle of Michigan’s defense next season? There are several names to monitor, as Whittingham replenished the depth and ensured competition through transfers and key retentions.
Via the portal, the Wolverines added North Dakota State’s Nathaniel Staehling, Michigan State’s Aisea Moa, BYU’s Max Alford and Western Illinois’ Christian Pierce. Of these newcomers, Staehling appears to be the only one in contention for non-special teams snaps in 2026. Staehling, a former team captain, had 74 tackles, six tackles for loss loss, one sack, three interceptions and two touchdowns last season.
Among the retainees, Troy Bowles, Chase Taylor and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng were top priorities for Whittingham, especially after Sullivan transferred to Oklahoma. Bowles finished his first year in Ann Arbor with 27 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble in a rotational capacity. Meanwhile, the other two combined for 14 tackles in limited action while burning their redshirts.
New defensive coordinator Jay Hill likes to run a multiple 4-3 defense, which is perfect for new linebackers coach Alex Whittingham to evaluate. Whittingham comes from the Steve Spagnuolo tree of the same scheme and understands how each player fits into their role.
Entering the spring, the battle seems to be who lines up around Bowles at the MIKE. Owusu-Boateng is the most gifted athlete of the group, but is his size (listed at 217 pounds last season) going to be an issue against the run? His versatility is undoubtedly a welcome benefit against the pass. Taylor doesn’t garner the buzz of Owusu-Boateng, but the gritty former three-star prospect out-produced his highly-touted counterpart in 2025. And with Staehling, can his game translate to the Big Ten? Not to mention, could any of the early enrollee freshmen — Markel Dabney, Kaden Catchings, and Aden Reeder — upset the veteran competition? Or could Mason Curtis find a new home closer to the line of scrimmage?
Kyle Whittingham, a former linebacker from his playing days and early positional coaching duties, will have a close eye on this battle.
The ‘other’ edge
For argument’s sake, let’s presume John Henry Daley is healthy, which locks him into a starting role. “Edge1” doesn’t have the same ring or swaggering connotation as “QB1,” but it holds the same weight. The 2025 All-American is expected to make a full recovery from his Achilles injury, and until given evidence to the contrary, we are not going to speculate about his absence. But, more interestingly, who will be his rushing partner on the other side?
Derrick Moore, Jaishawn Barham and T.J. Guy are gone, opening the door for an intriguing competition. The leading candidates among returners are senior Cam Brandt, junior Dominic Nichols and sophomore Nate Marshall.
Brandt is the most experienced player on the roster with 40 career games to his name, but he regressed in terms of sacks and tackles for loss last season despite an increase in snaps. Nichols was the most productive among the returners with one sack and 5.5 tackles for loss in 2025. Nichols was fifth on the team in tackles for loss last season and is the only player from the top nine to return. And Marshall, who might be the most talented pass rusher on the roster, understands team defense and responsibilities as well as LaMelo Ball knows traffic laws.
With no clear frontrunners and new eyes evaluating the roster, could this be the perfect time for a freshman to cut the line? Moore recruited and Whittingham retained several edges in this class. Ndi Etta, Tariq Boney and McHale Blade each bring a moldable foundation for this staff to develop, but the real prize is Carter Meadows, a 6-foot-6, five-star super athlete and one of Michigan’s highest-rated recruits ever. It is rare for a freshman edge to earn a starting role, but freshmen edges rarely look like Meadows.
However, Meadows will not be on campus until the summer. In fact, Blade is the only freshman in this group enrolling early. With a few key names out of the mix, perhaps this should be viewed as a spring skirmish for edge — the real battle will have to wait until Meadows is on campus later this year.
Offensive line
Last week on the In the Trenches podcast, offensive line coach Jim Harding said he had three goals for his position group this spring — establish a starting five, find a rhino (the sixth offensive lineman, which is used frequently in Jason Beck’s offense), and build center depth.
Let’s start at the top: Harding inherits a room rich with talented offensive tackles. Setting aside four-star freshmen Marky Walbridge and Malakai Lee, Harding has enough to sort through with his returners alone.
Andrew Babalola could have been the second Michigan true freshman to start the season-opener at tackle last year before a knee injury ended his season before it started. Babalola’s status for the spring is uncertain, but he will be a factor in the fall. Evan Link has 18 starts at tackle (10 at right, eight at left), but is also overcoming an injury of his own. However, he is expected to be full tilt next week. Blake Frazier started six games last season at left tackle, also has experience at right, and has repped as Michigan’s sixth and seventh utility lineman. Lastly, Andrew Sprague has started 13 career games at right tackle and also has experience playing as the sixth man.
Of these four players, it feels safe to say at least three of them will start — expect Link and/or Frazier to kick into guard — and the fourth to become Harding’s rhino. On the interior, Jake Guarnera is the only player with Michigan snapping experience, which leaves potentially one guard spot available for a handful of players.
Nathan Efobi has played in 19 games with five starts at left guard. Brady Norton has started three different games for Michigan at three different positions — right guard, right tackle, sixth offensive lineman — and could be the team’s next Karsen Barnhart.
The offensive line is the single most important battle to watch from now until Michigan kicks off against Western Michigan. This team may be undergoing an offensive evolution, but success in Ann Arbor will always be predicated on kicking ass in the trenches.
Which position battle are you most looking forward to watching this spring? Let us know down in the comments section below.
