The Michigan Wolverines have several players dealing with a variety of injuries prior to the season opener on Saturday, but it’s mostly good news on that front. Edge rusher John Henry Daley (Achilles), safety Rod Moore (knee) and others are set to play, while one significant name will be sidelined.
John Henry Daley (available)
Daley’s dominant season at Utah was cut short after suffering a torn Achilles in November, but he is now back to 100 percent health. The 6-foot-5, 252-pounder has been practicing at full speed in fall camp
and will make his Michigan debut this weekend. According to head coach Kyle Whittingham, Daley “hasn’t missed a thing” and is “more explosive than ever.”
Rod Moore (available)
Moore’s journey back to the field has been widely-discussed in recent years. The Michigan safety missed the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL, then appeared in just three games in 2025 before re-aggravating his knee, forcing him to miss the rest of the year. Whittingham said Moore isn’t “quite back to where he was” prior to the injury, but he will still play a lot on Saturday.
Dominic Nichols (available)
Nichols was frequently mentioned as a standout in fall camp. Even though he missed some practices with a minor injury, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound edge rusher is available to play and will likely start against Western Michigan. Whittingham told the media that Nichols was “battling something,” but he’s expected to “bring great pressure off the edge” this week and beyond.
Andrew Babalola (out)
Babalola was the one player that Whittingham ruled out in his Monday press conference, saying the 6-foot-6, 305-pound offensive tackle is “still on the shelf” and “unavailable for this week.” The former five-star recruit missed his entire freshman campaign after going down with a torn ACL in fall camp last season, and now a minor setback will keep him sidelined entering this year. It doesn’t sound like a major injury, so expect Babalola to be back sooner rather than later.
Out for the season
Michigan lost a pair of players to season-ending injuries in the offseason, as running back Micah Ka’apana and offensive lineman Ace Hamilton suffered severe injuries. Both players will look to recover from their surgeries and bounce back in 2027.
