Michigan football injury report, depth chart heading into Big Ten championship game

Breaking down the Michigan Wolverines football depth chart heading into the Big Ten championship game against Purdue. We project at least two-deep at every position and add notes, starting with the Michigan offense and continuing with the defense and special teams. First, injury notes:

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Michigan football injuries

• Junior running back Blake Corum (left knee): He is expected to undergo knee surgery and miss the remainder of the season.

• Senior EDGE Mike Morris (leg): He went down with a what appeared to be a hamstring injury against Illinois, and was limited versus Ohio State, playing only 11 snaps.

• Sophomore cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows: He hasn’t played all season, after suffering a knee injury late last season. The first game in which he dressed was the Oct. 15 game against Penn State, but he was attacked by MSU players in the tunnel after that contest.

• Junior linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green (“soft tissue”): Hill-Green has been dealing with what appears to be a minor but lingering injury since the end of fall camp. Harbaugh said before the season opener that Hill-Green would likely be back for Game 2. Things have clearly not gone according to plan here.

• Senior tight end Erick All (back): He hadn’t played since the third game of the season, before undergoing back surgery during the Wolverines’ late-October bye week. He will miss the remainder of the season.

• Senior safety Caden Kolesar (knee): He went down on a punt play against Iowa, injured his knee and is out for the season.

• Senior long snapper William Wagner: He was hurt on the same play as Kolesar and is out for the season.

Quarterback

1.	Sophomore J.J. McCarthy	6-3, 196
2.	Sophomore Davis Warren	6-2, 195
3.	Graduate Alan Bowman	6-3, 217
	OR Freshman Alex Orji	6-3, 235

Cade McNamara entered the transfer portal and committed to Iowa this week. He was out for the season with an injury, but the former team captain no longer even resides on the roster. Warren is the No. 2 behind McCarthy, who’s started the last 11 games.

Running back

1.	Sophomore Donovan Edwards	6-1, 204
2.	Freshman CJ Stokes	5-10, 196
3.	Sophomore Tavierre Dunlap	6-0, 217
	OR Junior Isaiah Gash	5-10, 175

Michigan is shorthanded here without Corum. Edwards has stepped up, but even he, too, is injured, playing with a large cast on his right hand. That limits his pass-catching ability and allows him to only carry the ball in his left arm. Stokes has been the No. 2, while Dunlap and Gash should play tertiary roles.

Wide receiver

Position	X		WR / H		Z
1.	Senior Cornelius Johnson	6-3, 208	Junior Roman Wilson	6-0, 185	Graduate Ronnie Bell	6-0, 190
2.	Sophomore Andrel Anthony	6-2, 190	Junior A.J. Henning	5-10, 185	Freshman Darrius Clemons	6-3, 214
3.	Freshman Amorion Walker	6-3, 180	Freshman Tyler Morris	5-11, 185	Sophomore Cristian Dixon	6-2, 195

Keep in mind that many of these positions are interchangeable. For example, Bell has and will continue to play the slot ‘H’ position, Wilson has and will play outside, and so on.

Tight end

1.	Graduate Luke Schoonmaker	6-5, 250
2.	Freshman Colston Loveland	6-5, 237
2.	Graduate Joel Honigford	6-6, 260
3.	OR Junior Sophomore Max Bredeson	6-2, 232
4.	Graduate Carter Selzer	6-8, 257
	OR Matthew Hibner	6-5, 245

Schoonmaker was banged up against Rutgers, missed the Illinois game and was limited to playing roughly half of Michigan’s offensive snaps at Ohio State. Loveland has started three games and played a bigger role by the week, while the others listed play situationally.

Offensive line

Position	LT		LG		C		RG		RT
1.	Graduate Ryan Hayes	6-7, 305	Senior Trevor Keegan	6-6, 305	Graduate Olusegun Oluwatimi	6-3, 307	Junior Zak Zinter	6-6, 315	Senior Karsen Barnhart	6-5, 308
2.	Junior Jeffrey Persi	6-8, 309	Sophomore Giovanni El-Hadi	6-5, 317	Sophomore Greg Crippen	6-4, 301	Junior Reece Atteberry	6-5, 315	Senior Trente Jones	6-4, 311

Michigan is finally healthy again on the offensive line, with Keegan returning to start last weekend. Jones has been used as an extra lineman on jumbo packages, similar to the role he was used in during the 2021 season.

Defensive line

Position	EDGE		DE		DT		NT		EDGE
1.	Senior Mike Morris	6-6, 292	Junior Kris Jenkins	6-3, 285	Freshman Mason Graham	6-3, 317	Senior Mazi Smith	6-3, 337	Junior Jaylen Harrell	6-4, 246
2.	Graduate Taylor Upshaw	6-4, 255	Sophomore George Rooks	6-5, 278	Sophomore Rayshaun Benny	6-4, 292	Freshman Kenneth Grant	6-3, 356	Graduate Eyabi Okie	6-5, 244
3.	OR Freshman Derrick Moore	6-3, 279					Graduate Cam Goode	6-2, 323	Junior Braiden McGregor	6-6, 261

As mentioned above, Morris gave it a go against Ohio State but wasn’t all that effective and wound up shutting it down after 11 defensive snaps. Michigan got plenty of help from the others, including McGregor, who played the best game of his career. Look for heavy rotation at the edge rusher spots.

Linebacker

Position	MIKE		WILL
1.	Sophomore Junior Colson	6-2, 235	Graduate Michael Barrett	6-0, 233
2.	Freshman Jimmy Rolder	6-2, 228	Junior Kalel Mullings	6-2, 232

Mullings played both ways last week with Corum out, and we’d expect that to continue. He saw two defensive snaps. Colson and Barrett are the clear top guys, with Rolder being a potential future star.

Defensive back

Position	CB		SS		FS		NICKEL		CB
1.	Senior DJ Turner	6-0, 180	Junior Makari Paige	6-4, 200	Sophomore Rod Moore	6-0, 185	Senior Mike Sainristil	5-10, 182	Freshman Will Johnson	6-2, 194
2.	Graduate German Green	6-2, 187	Junior R.J. Moten	6-0, 223	Senior Quinten Johnson	5-11, 202	Sophomore Rod Moore	6-0, 185	Graduate Gemon Green	6-2, 186
3.			Senior Jalen Perry	6-0, 190			Freshman Will Johnson	6-2, 194

We’ve upgraded Will Johnson to full-time starter ahead of Gemon Green (previously, we had an ‘or’ between the two players). Outside of that development, things have held steady in the Michigan defensive backfield this season.

Special teams

Position	PK		P		LS		KR		PR
1.	Graduate Jake Moody	6-1, 210	Graduate Brad Robbins	6-1, 205	Junior Greg Tarr	6-2, 216	Junior Roman Wilson	6-0, 185	Junior A.J. Henning	5-10, 185
2.	Freshman Tommy Doman	6-4, 208	Freshman Tommy Doman	6-4, 208	Freshman Evan Boutorwick	6-3, 231	Junior A.J. Henning	5-10, 185	Graduate Ronnie Bell	6-0, 190