Michigan has gotten some good early returns from its young roster so far in 2025 following a 3-1 start at the bye week. Despite all that’s gone well, the Wolverines still have some room for improvement, as they get into the meat of their schedule starting next week against Wisconsin at the Big House.
Before that matchup, the team will take advantage of its first bye week, and several players will have the chance to show why they’re worthy of bigger roles with their respective units. Today, we’ll take a closer
look at three guys in particular that could be on the field more during Big Ten play.
WR Andrew Marsh
Michigan’s passing game has had some ups and downs through the first four weeks. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone that hasn’t been satisfied with what they’ve seen from Bryce Underwood, but the wide receiver group has had its fair share of issues, which has limited the ceiling of the passing attack as a whole.
Channing Goodwin and Semaj Morgan have done their jobs overall so far, as we’ve seen both players take on bigger roles in the offense than we’d previously seen from them. Both have made plays, but have also left a bit to be desired particularly due to drops on catchable balls. Because of that, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if Michigan got freshman wideout Andrew Marsh more involved in the offense.
Marsh hasn’t been featured much outside the kick return unit thus far, but he has made plays when given the opportunity. His most impressive performance so far was against Central Michigan, when he had a 30-yard reception and 23-yard touchdown run.
Although he likely has some work to do in the finer points of his game, the bye week represents the perfect chance to get young players even more integrated into the offense. Marsh has shown good things can happen when the ball is in his hands, so perhaps more opportunities could lead to more big plays for Michigan’s passing game. If it’s not Marsh, look for Kendrick Bell, Anthony Simpson or Jamar Browder as guys who could be more involved at receiver.
CB Jayden Sanders
The defense has been solid for Michigan through four weeks, but its secondary did show some cracks last week against Nebraska. It hasn’t helped that Zeke Berry has missed the last two games with an injury, but Michigan might need to start dipping into its depth in the secondary if he remains out after the bye.
But even once Berry returns, true freshman Jayden Sanders might be a player that continues to see the field more. He has gotten the start opposite Jyaire Hill the last two weeks and has held his own both in coverage and run support. Against Nebraska, Sanders was credited with eight tackles and one pass breakup. He additionally stepped up and made two tackles on third downs short of the sticks to help get Michigan’s defense off the field.
The youngster has looked to be ahead of schedule so far after catching the eyes of the coaching staff in fall camp, and it might just lead to more playing time against Michigan’s tougher opponents.
OL Nathan Efobi
In the first two games of the season, Michigan’s offensive line wasn’t looking to be much-improved from what we saw last year. Things looked much better the last two weeks, particularly in the run game. One of the things that changed: Nathan Efobi started both games at left guard.
Giovanni El-Hadi and Brady Norton have both missed time, but neither guard had been playing particularly well before their injuries. In their absence, Efobi has stepped into the starting lineup in back-to-back weeks and made the most of his opportunity. He recorded a PFF grade of 63.9 against Central Michigan and 60.8 against Nebraska, which were both on the good side for Michigan’s offensive line.
Michigan’s interior offensive line had its best performance of the year against Nebraska, as it helped pave the way for 286 rushing yards. Efobi was a big reason for that success and is taking a step that many expected from him this year. Let’s see if he’s still part of the offensive game plan when El-Hadi and Norton are back in action.
