Michigan freshman tracker: Twenty have played, four on verge of burning redshirts

Michigan Wolverines football has true freshmen making big impacts through four games this season, led by quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class.

Underwood was one of four freshman starting quarterbacks in college football to begin the season, joining California’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Maryland’s Malik Washington and BYU’s Bear Bachmeier.

The 6-foot-4, 228-pounder has led Michigan to a 3-1 start overall, with a Big Ten win in the conference opener over Nebraska, 30-27, in Lincoln. Underwood has completed 56.9 percent of his passes for 733 yards (7.2 yards per attempt) with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Also a dynamic rusher, he’s carried 22 times for 169 yards and 3 scores.

Another freshman has joined Underwood in the starting lineup over the last two weeks, with cornerback Jayden Sanders taking over for injured senior Zeke Berry. A summer enrollee, Sanders ranks sixth on the defense and second among U-M cornerbacks with 167 snaps. He’s fared well, posting a 73.8 PFF coverage rating, which checks in second on the team among those with 20-plus passing snaps. The Kilgore, Texas, native has recorded 16 tackles and 1 pass breakup.

There are others playing key backup roles, such as EDGE Nate Marshall and wide receiver Andrew Marsh. Underwood, Sanders, Marshall and Marsh are the four Michigan freshmen who will burn their redshirts if they play in one more regular-season contest.

Cornerback Elijah Dotson and defensive tackle Benny Patterson, meanwhile, have seen action in three games, so they’re only two away from burning their redshirts.

Shamari Earls, another cornerback, is someone to watch. While he’s only played in two games, he was injured and unavailable for the first two contests. He could burn his redshirt in time.

It’s worth noting that it was reported earlier this year the NCAA is considering doing away with redshirts and allowing athletes to be full participants in five seasons over five years — the proposed “five-for-five” rule — so that could change how Michigan approaches using its freshmen.

Here’s a look at every Michigan freshman and their participation so far this season.

Player	Games	Total Snaps	Offense / Defense Snaps	Special Teams Snaps
QB Bryce Underwood	4	238	238	0
CB Jayden Sanders	4	181	167	14
EDGE Nate Marshall	4	58	40	18
WR Andrew Marsh	4	52	36	16
CB Elijah Dotson	3	63	50	13
DT Benny Patterson	3	26	8	18
S Jordan Young	2	32	25	7
LB Chase Taylor	2	31	22	9
CB Shamari Earls	2	24	24	0
OL Kaden Strayhorn	1	14	14	0
S Kainoa Winston	1	13	11	2
RB Jasper Parker	1	12	12	0
WR Jamar Browder	1	12	12	0
TE Eli Owens	1	9	9	0
DT Bobby Kanka	1	9	9	0
OL Ty Haywood	1	6	6	0
OL Avery Gach	1	6	6	0
WR Jacob Washington	1	3	3	0
DT Travis Moten	1	1	1	0
QB Chase Herbstreit	0	0	0	0
LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng	0	0	0	0
RB Donovan Johnson	0	0	0	0
EDGE Julius Holly	0	0	0	0
OL Andrew Babalola	0	0	0	0