Michigan Wolverines football has three position groups that checked in top 10 nationally according to the Lindy’s college football preview magazine — defensive line, offensive line and defensive backfield.
The categories that Michigan was outside the top 10 in (not listed) were backfield, receivers and linebackers.
Defensive line — No. 6
Top 10: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Miami, No. 5 LSU, No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Indiana, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 9 USC, No. 10 Alabama
Michigan’s defensive line has only one returning starter back in senior tackle Trey Pierce, but the transfer portal helped boost the group.
Senior defensive end John Henry Daley is a returning All-American with 11.5 sacks in 11 games at Utah last season, but he’s coming off of an Achilles injury suffered last November. He’s way ahead of schedule in recovery, cleared for football activities June 1, so there’s a high level of belief he will be an impact player on the defense.
Daley is one of several intriguing options at the defensive end spot. Depth is a concern on the interior, where senior Enow Etta will likely step into a starting role, but adding senior Jonah Lea’ea from Utah, a starter a season ago, was big.
Offensive line — No. 8
Top 10: No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 5. USC, No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 8 Michigan, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 10 Miami
Michigan’s offensive line paved the way for the No. 14 rushing offense in the FBS in 2025, but struggled in pass protection. Six players who have started games at Michigan are back, though, so there’s much more experience, and position coach Jim Harding is considered one of the best in the business.
The Wolverines were semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award, handed out to the nation’s top offensive line, and the expectation is that they’re at the very least in that category this fall.
Defensive backfield: No. 9
Top 10: No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 Miami, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Iowa, No. 8 Indiana, No. 9 Michigan, No. 10 South Carolina
The outlook of Michigan’s defensive backfield, like the D-line, is riding on a player returning from injury. Graduate safety Rod Moore is one of the best at his position in the country but has only appeared in three games over the last two seasons. He’s as healthy as he’s been in two years, though, coming off an ACL injury that required three surgeries.
Moore is elite, and senior cornerback Jyaire Hill could join him with that label if he takes the jump that many expect him to. Between Hill, graduate Zeke Berry and senior Smith Snowden, a versatile Utah transfer, Michigan has a lot of cornerback talent.