As we patiently wait for the first game of the season, we’re still asking you for thoughts on which players will lead the team in certain statistical categories this fall. We wrapped up the offense last week, so now it’s time to move to the defense.
On Monday, I posted to The Feed: Who leads Michigan Football in sacks when the 2026 season is over?
Who leads Michigan Football in sacks in 2026?
We’ve got another poll this week!
Who leads Michigan Football in sacks when the 2026 season is over?
Cast your vote and let us know your thoughts in the replies!
Closed • 26 total votes
Rec 0CommentsThin Stroke Comment Icon BubbleReplyRead 5 replies
The majority of you expect John Henry Daley to get the most sacks in 2026. Honestly, it’s a pretty reasonable vote. He played for multiple seasons at BYU and one at Utah. In 2025, he was an All-American, a Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist and a Lott IMPACT Trophy quarterfinalist. He played in 11 games before getting injured, and compiled 48 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. The only question is how he’ll look this fall post-injury.
Daniel Plocher: “If anyone other than John Henry Daley wins, barring injury, Michigan has a defense akin to the group with Hutch-Ojabo. JHD should push double-digits this year and if there is someone doing the same opposite, it should be a ton of fun to watch.”
GideonC: “Daley will win this voting however nobody really knows if he is the same player he was before the injury.”
WolverinePride: “Easy pick is Daley. However, I want to see one of the young guys be the winner of this stat line.”
Dominic Nichols and Nate Marshall could take a step forward this season. We heard a lot of offseason hype before Nichols took the field in 2025, but it would take some improvement for him to lead the team in sacks; he only finished with one in 2025. However, Nichols is in a position where defenses could focus their attention on Daley, which could open up more opportunities for him.
Marshall is another one of those players you’d like to see take a leap forward. It’d be awesome to see him at least battling for the most sacks in 2026. Again, it’d take a lot of improvement for him to battle it out in this category. He didn’t contribute much in terms of on-field stats, as he only had six tackles in 2025. Out of Marshall and Nichols, more people think Marshall has the chance to break out this season.
Smashmouth58: “If Nate Marshall has added some good weight with strength and muscle I think he might surprise and be the guy. I think the new defensive coaches are gonna light this kid on fire. We’ll see…..”
Ryan2288: “People have film on Daley and he will have to adjust from injury so it might take him time to hit his stride so I’m going someone younger. A breakout from NM.”
There wasn’t a whole lot of love for Cam Brandt and Trey Pierce in our poll. As a senior, Brandt has a chance to really step it up this season. He finished with 22 tackles last year, with just 0.5 sack. If new defensive coordinator Jay Hill can help him find some rhythm and capitalize on Brandt’s experience, maybe he can emerge and have a breakout season.
While it feels right that a defensive end will lead the team in sacks, Pierce has been getting a lot of love this offseason. While I personally hoped for a bigger year for him in 2025, he’s still got a chance to prove why he’s been getting so much attention. Maybe leading the team in sacks is pushing it, but we’ll have to wait and see. He finished 2025 with 30 tackles, one tackle for loss and zero sacks.
Thanks for letting us know your comments this week! Keep an eye on The Feed this Monday for your chance to vote in the next poll!