Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham spoke to the media for the second time this spring on Thursday and confirmed that one season-ending injury has occurred this spring.
Junior running back Micah Ka’apana is expected to miss the 2026 season with a lower-body injury. He was limited to four games last season after an arm injury suffered early in the season.
“One big downer,” Whittingham said. “Micah, our running back, Ka’apana, is out for the season. Lower leg injury. So, we’ll miss him. It’s unfortunate, but so far we’ve been healthy other than that. That’s a loss, something that I’m sure he’ll return from and will be back for the ’27 season. It looks like he’s going to be out for the ’26 season.”
Whittingham was unable to comment further on the state of the injury, but said the team will move forward assuming he is not available this year.
“Lower leg [is] as specific as I can get,” Whittingham said, citing medical privacy rules. “But it’s a shame, too, because he was having a good spring. He’s a tough kid, and he’ll be missed. But you have to move on.”
Ka’apana has played in 6 career games at Michigan and could have as many as 3 seasons of eligibility remaining after this year due to a redshirt year and a medical redshirt season.
Despite that, Ka’apana was going to be a depth piece and contributor for the Michigan offense. The Wolverines will be led this season by junior Jordan Marshall and freshman Savion Hiter, a former five-star recruit who has impressed this offseason.
“I think really the whole offense has progressed and is doing really good things. Savion Hiter, he’s another bright spot,” Whittingham said. “We’ve talked about him several times during the course of spring. But he’s really a great fit for this offense. Has really impressed me with his blitz pickup. You have to be able to pass protect if you’re a running back. That’s part of the job description. And he is, for a true freshman, he is really doing a good job in that respect.”
With Ka’apana out of the picture for depth reps, it further solidifies the return of Bryson Kuzdzal, who should be firmly in the top three at the depth chart.
“We have some young guys that are working hard,” Whittingham said. “But really, Jordan and Savion are, and Kuzdzal, I shouldn’t forget him. He’s a heck of a player, too, so Bryson is in that mix. But we have those three top guys, and then some guys down below, jockeying for position to see who’s gonna be that fourth guy. Right now, we don’t know who that fourth was; it was going to be Micah. But now that’s a competition.”
Michigan is through 10 of its 15 earmarked spring practices. It concludes camp on April 18 with the annual spring game at the Big House, set for 2 p.m. ET. Admission is free.