2026 Season Countdown: #51-55
#51. Aisea Moa – LB – North Ogden (UT) Weber: Moa is a 6’2″, 238 lb. fifth year senior who is the older brother of Michigan freshman wide receiver Salesia Moa. Aisea spent three years at BYU before transferring to Michigan State in 2025, where he made 12 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 2 pass breakups. (He made 2 of his 12 tackles in the Michigan game.) He played for new Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill when he was at BYU, so he has some familiarity with the system as well as some playing experience (27 total games played during his four years). He does not appear to be in the running to start at linebacker, but he will probably play some special teams and should be able to help in the linebacker room as the inexperienced group learns Hill’s system.
#52. Channing Goodwin – WR – Charlotte (NC) Providence Day: Goodwin is a 6’1″, 197 lb. redshirt sophomore who started six games in 2025. It’s odd for a half-season starter to drop so precipitously from where we might expect a returning starter to be, but Michigan has upgraded its wide receiver corps. Goodwin had 12 catches for 148 yards last season and did some nice things at times, and I admitted at one point last year that he seemed to be faster than he looked when he was coming out of high school. But the talent in the position group has been upgraded with transfers J.J. Buchanan (Utah) and Jaime Ffrench (Texas), along with freshmen Salesi Moa and Travis Johnson. Goodwin seems like a fairly reliable player who should be able to jump in the game adequately in case of an injury or two, or just to give someone a breather, but he doesn’t seem to have game-changing ability.
#53. Travis Moten – DT – Louisville (KY) Fern Creek: Moten is a 6’6″, 315 lb. monster of a human who’s a bit of a question mark at this point. He has the requisite size to be a force, but he only played in one game last season, his first year of college. Michigan needs some players to step up at defensive tackle, especially if Utah transfer Jonah Lea’ea hasn’t been able to add weight and/or won’t be able to hold up inside for the Wolverines. Michigan also has other options like Benny Patterson and Deyvid Palepale who are unproven, and the team needs someone from that cluster of players to emerge as a rotational player in 2026.
#54. Eli Owens – TE – Alcoa (TN) Alcoa: Owens is a 6’1″, 244 lb. redshirt freshman who has said all the right things – he wants to be a team player and wants to emulate former Michigan fullback/tight end Max Bredeson. The biggest question is whether Michigan will employ fullbacks and tight ends in the same way they did under Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore. Owens even took over the #44 jersey from Bredeson, but the transplanted Utah staff used a “Rhino” – a backup defensive lineman or offensive lineman – as an extra tight end last year, and they averaged having 5.5 offensive linemen per snap in 2025. Owens is likely to be a backup to Jalen Hoffman, so I don’t have high expectations for Owens to be a major factor in 2026, but he should be in the mix to play on special teams.
#55. Jamar Browder – WR – Jacksonville (FL) Santaluces: Browder is a 6’5″, 215 lb. sophomore who played in seven games as a freshman last season. Despite playing a fair amount, he did not make any receptions. Michigan brought in several new receiving targets (see Channing Goodwin’s blurb above) and Browder was already behind a few guys, so he will probably not see a ton of playing time in 2026. His biggest asset – mini tight end size at 6’5″, 215 – may be something the offensive coaching staff could use in some jumbo sets or down near the goal line, but I expect him to play fewer snaps this year than last year.
