3 biggest holes on the Michigan roster, and the guys we’d like to fill them

Now that the transfer portal has come to a close, the Michigan Wolverines’ roster is all but set for the 2026 season. There are some holes in this roster, even after Whittingham did a great job at both retaining talent and attacking the portal. But questions do remain at a few key positions.

Here are the three most glaring holes on the team and who we’d like to fill the roles.

Left Guard

A net positive for the Michigan offseason was its effort to retain talent on the offensive line. Jake Guarnera, Andrew Sprague and Lawrence Hattar all entered the transfer portal but ended up returning.

Heading into 2026, there are at least two jobs available with left guard Gio El-Hadi and center Greg Crippen both out of eligibility. El-Hadi was the bonafide starter at left guard the last two seasons. He leaves a hole not just as a strong interior presence, but also as a leader of the unit and the locker room.

The guy who might make the most sense would be transitioning from left tackle — Evan Link. He started seven games at left tackle in 2025 and was more comfortable on that side than he was on the right side in 2024. He’s yet to play on the inside, but his size and skillset would translate really well to the interior. At 6-foot-6, 324 pounds with two years of experience, he’ll be on the front lines somewhere. And based on the depth Michigan has, a move to the inside may be the best fit for him and the team.

The solution: Evan Link

Edge

Michigan lost both its starting edge rushers — Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham — this offseason, leaving a massive hole at both edge spots. Losing both of them had the potential to cause a glaring need this offseason, but Michigan went out and snagged Utah’s John Henry Daley from the portal. He’ll likely be one of the best pass rushers in the country if he can properly recover and keep pace with this performance last year.

But Michigan’s still needs a complimentary player on the other side. Cameron Brandt and Dominic Nichols are legitimate options, but the talent and ceiling that Nate Marshall possesses is too exciting to ignore. In limited snaps in 2025, he flashed big potential and athleticism. His position coach talked him up a bit last year as he was heading into this freshman season as well.

“He is an unbelievable athlete,” defensive line coach Lou Esposito said last offseason. “Like you could just line the ball up right now and say ‘Go pass rush, go win,’ and he could do that. He’s learning how to play … we’re super excited about him, he’s gonna be a great one.”

The solution: Nate Marshall

Linebacker

The linebacker room is by far the most interesting positional unit to watch this offseason. Losing Cole Sullivan to the portal was the biggest hit Michigan took here. Then you add Barham, Jimmy Rolder and Ernest Hausmann, and suddenly you have a big problem.

Michigan got four guys — Max Alford, Christian Pierce, Aisea Moa and Nathaniel Staehling — from the portal. The most intriguing from that group are Staheling and Alford, but the two options I think fit best based on the makeup of the team are Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and Mason Curtis (yes, the same Mason Curtis that played safety last year).

Even with the amount of depth Michigan had in 2025, Owusu-Boateng appeared in five games on defense and he looked college-ready. I could see a path to him being the lead linebacker in 2026.

What might make the most sense for Curtis is to move down from safety to linebacker, and I mostly say that because I love Curtis’ makeup. I thought he could be the best safety on the team heading into the 2025 season. That remains true if he stays at the position, but the secondary is pretty crowded with Rod Moore, Jordan Young, Zeke Berry, Smith Snowden and Jyaire Hill all expecting to see significant playing time. If there’s one place Curtis could really make a name for himself at Michigan this season, it’s linebacker.

Curtis was a scrawny defensive end/outside linebacker at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds coming into college. He’s put on 11 pounds since joining the team, now potentially serving as a long, cover linebacker for this defense. Michigan liked to put him in the box already, so a transition to linebacker full-time wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

The solution: Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and Mason Curtis