2026 Season Countdown: #56-60
#56. Bobby Kanka – DT – Howell (MI) Howell: Kanka is a 6’4″, 305 lb. second-year player who has quietly emerged as someone I think might start making some contributions in 2026. While I wasn’t high on him coming out of high school, he has added some good weight and looks like someone who could play some backup snaps. I’m not expecting him to be a starter or work his way into the regular rotation, but playing some snaps to rest the top few guys isn’t out of the question, depending on the game situation. Michigan does need some players to emerge at defensive tackle, and Kanka is in the mix.
#57. Travis Johnson – WR – Chesapeake (VA) Oscar Smith: Johnson is a 6’2″, 185 lb. true freshman who enrolled early and immediately looked good for the Wolverines, according to practice reports. A 4-star, the #18 wide receiver, and #125 overall in the 2026 class, he has the recruiting pedigree to be an early contributor. His MGoBlue profile says he had “at least” 40 catches for 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2025, so that’s roughly 30 yards per catch if those numbers are close to being accurate. I think Johnson will definitely play in 2026, but it’s a matter of how much. The Wolverines kept Andrew Marsh and brought in J.J. Buchanan (Utah) and Jaime Ffrench (Texas), along with landing freshman transfer Salesi Moa (Utah); Moa seems to be ahead of Johnson right now, and Johnson will also have to contend with holdovers Kendrick Bell and Channing Goodwin. Johnson is more talented than Bell or Goodwin, but the experience factor may work against him.
#58. Jo’Ziah Edmond – CB – Indianapolis (IN) Northwood: Edmond has been pretty quiet through two seasons in Ann Arbor, and now he’s a 6’1″, 185 lb. defensive back with ten total appearances under his belt. He only played in the first two games in 2025 after playing in eight games in 2024, so perhaps there was something going on behind the scenes like a minor injury. But the depth chart behind Jyaire Hill and Smith Snowden is pretty murky, and this year would be a prime opportunity for another cornerback or two to step up. Edmond looks like he’s at least behind Shamari Earls in the running for playing time, and I would have expected Edmond to have a little more weight on him by this point in his career. We’re not likely to see a breakout season from Edmond, but he could emerge as a rotational corner behind the aforementioned guys.
#59. Taylor Tatum – S – Longview (TX) Longview: Tatum is a 5’10”, 212 lb. redshirt sophomore who spent the past two seasons playing running back at Oklahoma. Michigan was a finalist for him back in 2024 and recruited him out of the transfer portal prior to the Sherrone Moore scandal going public. Tatum is now listed as a safety instead of a running back, and he looked decent in the spring. If Michigan were to run into depth issues at running back, it’s possible that Tatum could switch positions, but for now it looks like he’ll stick on the defensive side of the ball. Tatum has not been mentioned among the top few safeties, so I don’t imagine he’ll see significant playing time on defense, but he does offer upside with his versatility and perhaps an ability to contribute on special teams.
#60. Marky Walbridge – OT – Hanover (MA) St. Sebastian’s: Walbridge is a 6’6″, 285 lb. true freshman who enrolled early during the winter. He was a 4-star, the #25 offensive tackle, and #241 overall in the class. Spring practice reports mentioned him as somewhat of a pleasant surprise for someone who was supposed to be finishing his senior year of high school, and there have been whisperings that he could be the “Rhino” in Michigan’s offensive personnel package that would bring in a sixth lineman as a quasi tight end. While that remains a possibility, I’m always skeptical of true freshman offensive linemen. Jim Harbaugh used to his sixth best offensive lineman as the extra guy, and I doubt that’s Walbridge; furthermore, sometimes the position requires people to think on the move as defenses adjust and shift, and I would think an older player might be able to make those adjustments and recognitions a little quicker. Regardless, it’s possible that we see Walbridge playing a role in 2026.
