The Mitten Report

The excitement for Michigan football’s 2026 season is at an all-time high. Let’s make a few tosses towards the dartboard and see if anything sticks for this campaign.

1. Bryce Underwood will finish with 4,000+ Total Yards

Michigan has only three instances of 3,000-yard single-season passers in its history, most recently Shea Patterson in 2019. The record for touchdown passes in a single season is a modest 25, set by Chad Henne in 2004. Many people believe Bryce Underwood has a chance to beat both of those records in 2026. The most important believer; himself. Underwood has never been short on confidence in his craft, but Michigan fans are getting restless. Fans are ready to see a nationally recognized quarterback season.

Underwood finished 2025 with 2,428 yards, 17 total touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and a QBR of 72.6, good for 29th in the country. The back half of the season was rather underwhelming, with 7 interceptions in his last 5 games. My bold prediction is that Underwood will finish with 3,000+ passing yards and close to 1,000 rushing yards. All summer we’ve heard head coach Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Back unleashing Underwood’s legs. I would not be surprised of Bryce Underwood doubles his rushing yard total of 392 yards from 2025.

Michigan also added new weapons for Underwood. JJ Buchanan, Jaime Ffrench, Travis Johnson, Salesi Moa, and even Savion Hiter are all going to be new names catching passes from Underwood this season. I would argue this is Michigan’s most talented receiver room in the last 10 years. He also gets a massive weapon in Andrew Marsh back, who truly shined in the last six games of 2025. Underwood has all the talent he needs, can he put the pieces together and become the heisman hopeful he believes his is?

2. Andrew Marsh will NOT have 1,000+ yards this year

Andrew Marsh was excellent as a freshman for Michigan in 2025. Marsh had a breakout performance in Week 5 in a loss against USC, where he had 8 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. The train kept rolling for all of 2025. Marsh finished with 45 catches, 651 yards, and 4 touchdowns in his freshman year. You would think an 1,000-yard season is no doubt in the cards for Marsh in 2026. I wouldn’t be so sure.

Michigan’s receiving room last year consisted of (in order of receiving yards), Andrew Marsh (651), Donovan McCulley (588), Marlin Klein (248), and Semaj Morgan (223). Not a horrible room, but definitely nothing to write home about. The talent Michigan added in the offseason is no joke. I think that this year Michigan’s receiver room is going to be log-jammed, in a good way. I believe we are going to see 3+ receivers have over 500 yards. Marsh, Buchanan, and Ffrench all have strong cases for being Michigan’s leading receiver. I wouldn’t be shocked if JJ Buchanan leads this team in yards. He is going to feast on most big teams while Marsh gets much of the attention.

3. Carter Meadows leads the team in sacks

The addition of John Henry Daley was a massive deal for Michigan coming into the year. Daley finished with 11.5 sacks in 2025 for Utah and decided to follow Kyle Whittingham to Michigan. The 6’4 “, 255-lb DE is going to make huge waves in the Big Ten this year. Guys like Enow Etta and Dominic Nichols are also going to be major factors on the defensive line this year. But, I believe people are forgetting about Carter Meadows. This is 5-star 6’7 252 lb blue chip prospect who didn’t join the team until the spring. People need to remember this name, because Meadows has all the talent in the world.

Derrick Moore led Michigan with 10 sacks in 2025; Jaishawn Barham was second with only 4 sacks. I would love to make an insane prediction and say Meadows finishes his season with 10+ sacks, but let’s not go crazy. I think that Carter Meadows is going to show the Big Ten what he’s made of. John Henry Daley is also coming off of a torn Achilles, so that likely means Meadows will see extended time especially towards the start of the season against inferior opponents. This extra time could rack up a few sacks and also some added trust from the coaching staff to give Meadows a full season of run.

4. Michigan will finish with 3+ losses in 2026

Michigan’s schedule is TOUGH. Based on the preseason AP poll, Michigan will face 6 Top 25 teams this season. Week 2 is a home game against #10 Oklahoma, and this game will answer a huge question. Can we buy into this Michigan team? There were certainly bright spots during 2025, but it felt like they could never fully put it all together. IF Michigan beats Oklahoma in week 2, I will raise my hand and say I was wrong because I think that early season win could propel this team strongly into the playoff conversation. Here’s the issue, I don’t think Michigan wins that game. Brent Venables squad is dangerous yet again this season, maybe even more than last. In 2025, Michigan’s offense was stifled for only 288 yards in Norman. This game will be a huge sign to how this season will go.

Michigan then has 3 Top 25 teams coming to Ann Arbor in 5 weeks. #22 Iowa and #18 Penn State will both be formidable challenges. But then #6 Indiana will come to town on October 24th. Last year’s national champions will be a huge game for Michigan. Can Michigan prevail and streamline into an upper echelon tier of college football this year? Last not but least, 2 of the 3 last games will be an away against both #2 Oregon and #1 Ohio State. That is a gauntlet of a schedule for Michigan in 2026. I believe that Michigan drops games to Oklahoma, Oregon, and Ohio State. I do however see them beating Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana. 9-3 on the outside looking into the playoffs is how I see this playing out. Floor of 7-5 and a ceiling of 11-1.

5. Savion Hiter wins Big Ten Freshman of the Year

Savion Hiter is the real deal, folks. The 5’11 212 lb 5-star freshman out of Louisa, Virginia, is an absolute specimen. Being compared to the likes of Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson is nothing short of extreme expectations. Hiter averaged nearly 15 YPC in his senior year of high school and accumulated 25 TDs. Jordan Marshall is returning to Michigan in 2026 coming off a very strong 2025 where he ran for 932 yards and 10 touchdowns in an injury-shortened campaign. Marshall will in all circumstances likely be an 1,000+ yard rusher for the Wolverines this season if he stays healthy. But Hiter has talent that can’t just sit on the bench, he is going to play early and often.

There is plenty of competition in the Big Ten for Hiter. Names like Chris Henry Jr.(Ohio State), Luke Wafle (USC), and Legend Bey (Ohio State) are all destined for strong seasons in 2026. The Wolverines are going to rely heavily on the run game, with Marshall and Hiter likely splitting the carries a lot closer to 50/50 than people might think. If Hiter gets ample opportunities it isn’t out of the question that Hiter could be around 1,000 rushing yards. Even more if Marshall misses any sort of time. Hiter is going to be a big deal in Ann Arbor and everyone’s itching to watch.