In the age of the transfer portal, it’s not uncommon to see a program’s entire roster — or at least a large portion of it — look vastly different from one year to another. Add in a coaching staff change, and you’d expect a program like Michigan to have its roster lose plenty of production.
However, according to Bill Connelly of ESPN, the Wolverines actually return one of the highest percentages of their production from 2025 in all of college football, sitting at No. 20 overall.
Connelly is one of the
brightest statistical minds in the college football space and keeps track of ESPN’s SP+ rankings. Percentage of returning production is something that plays into his offseason rankings that project where teams should stack up in the fall. And considering all that transpired for Michigan over the last few months, No. 20 is actually quite impressive.
That ranking comes with what Connelly estimates as 63 percent of the team’s production coming back. A big chunk of that comes from the offense, which ranks No. 6 in the country with 72 percent returning. Bryce Underwood, Andrew Marsh, Jordan Marshall and six offensive linemen that started games last year factor into that.
Justice Haynes was the biggest loss from Michigan’s offense over the offseason from a talent standpoint. However, from a statistical standpoint, he was actually less impactful than Marshall, accounting for fewer yards and carries thanks mostly to a foot injury that cut his season short.
The defensive side of the ball is a different story, as the Wolverines return just 55 percent of their returning production, which is No. 55 in the country. Much of the damage comes from the front seven, as Rayshaun Benny, Derrick Moore, Jaishawn Barham, Cole Sullivan, Jimmy Rolder and others are all gone. That’s plenty of attrition at some important positions (especially in the Big Ten), so Michigan will have its work cut out for it replacing that production. Returning defensive tackles Enow Etta and Trey Pierce will be asked to carry a big load in 2026.
Fortunately, Michigan returns plenty of experience in the secondary. Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry are both back, as are younger players like Mason Curtis, Jordan Young and Shamari Earls, who are all poised to play bigger roles this fall.
Connelly listed Michigan and USC as two Big Ten programs that should take a step forward in 2026, saying both teams, “return strong levels of experience (and starting quarterbacks) from last year’s intriguing but merely solid squads.” Additionally, he ranks the Big Ten as the conference that returned the highest percentage of its overall production from 2025, just edging out the SEC by 1.7 percent.
