Michigan officially dropped its spring football roster, and while roster reveals are never too dramatic, it still gives us a few real clues about how the Wolverines are shaping up heading into spring ball.
Here are some takeaways from the updated roster.
Perhaps the most notable change on the roster is Manuel Beigel making the move to the offensive line. The former defensive lineman’s size and physical profile make the move intriguing, and spring ball will be our first real look at whether this is a developmental experiment or something Michigan plans to lean on moving forward.
Beigel appeared in seven games as a sophomore in 2025 (three on the defensive line and four on special teams), so the hope for all of us readers is this move is driven more by his potential than a positional need.
The most obvious takeaway outside of Beigel’s move is Michigan’s receiver room suddenly looks stacked on paper. Based on both the roster makeup and Kyle Whittingham’s recent comments, the Wolverines appear to have a pretty clear top group in Andrew Marsh, J.J. Buchanan, Jaime Ffrench and Salesi Moa.
That means guys who started games for this team a year ago, such as Channing Goodwin and Kendrick Bell, will battle it out for snaps behind them. For a program that has spent a lot of time trying to manufacture receiver depth, that’s a pretty healthy place to be entering spring.
The tight end room, though, is a little more revealing in the opposite direction. As it stands, the roster suggests there are really only three guys — Zack Marshall, Hogan Hansen and Deakon Tonielli — with consistent experience working off the line of scrimmage. That doesn’t mean the core is weak, but it could be rough sledding surviving the season for a group that’s already dealt with its fair share of injuries recently.
Another interesting detail is Taylor Tatum being listed at safety. This was a move that had already been previously reported on, but whether it turns into a meaningful role or just remains a roster curiosity will be worth watching this spring. Michigan also lists incoming freshman Ernest Nunley at safety.
Jersey Number Changes / Switches
There were also a handful of jersey number changes that will take some getting used to. Safety Rod Moore is now wearing No. 1, cornerback Jyaire Hill and wide receiver Kendrick Bell switched to No. 0, while wide receiver Andrew Marsh is officially No. 3.
A few additional switches stood out as well, including safety Jordan Young moving from No. 14 to No. 6, edge rusher Dominic Nichols changing from No. 33 to No. 8, and wide receiver Jamar Browder shifting from No. 6 to No. 81.
One more noteworthy item — Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi was not listed on the spring roster. That does not necessarily mean anything dramatic on its own, but it is at least notable given the expectation that Michigan would have more experience in the quarterback room this offseason.
Additionally, offensive lineman Lawrence Hattar is also not listed after briefly entering the transfer portal earlier this offseason before withdrawing.