Kyle Whittingham reveals the starting center for Michigan Football in 2026

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

After winning the Joe Moore Award in back-to-back from 2021-22, Michigan’s offensive line play has been less than ideal over the last couple seasons. Despite having a head coach that built those top line classes, the Wolverines were not as dominant and were beaten because of it. However, the 2026 team will feature a more experienced offensive line than in recent seasons, and it will be coached by one of the best in the business.

New head coach Kyle Whittingham brought over offensive line coach Jim Harding with him from Utah, arguably one of the biggest additions to the entire program. The hope is he is able to replicate what he accomplished with the Utes, developing first-round offensive linemen. The challenge was a few of Michigan’s top guys had entered the transfer portal, so Harding quickly went to work convincing them to stay.

“With Coach Harding, obviously you see the success he had last year with the two tackles, Caleb and Spencer, and just how they’re going to fare in the draft this year,” center Jake Guarnera recently told the media. “I wanted to play for a coach that gets guys that are not as highly rated — I think he said he only had six to eight four-stars ever recruited — and to have two first-rounders this year speaks to his development. That’s someone I want to play for.”

Guarnera was an All-Big Ten selection during his first season as a starter at right guard for the Wolverines in 2025. He finished the year as the highest-graded Michigan offensive lineman on Pro Football Focus (69.5 overall grade). When Whittingham and Harding arrived in Ann Arbor, they were immediately struck by Guarnera’s football IQ and leadership. And after working with him for a few months, Whittingham officially declared him as the starting center on Thursday.

“Yeah, he’s the center,” Whittingham told the media. “He’s had a terrific spring and really, probably the leader of that offensive line is Jake.”

PFF recently ranked the top returning offensive linemen, and Guarnera came in at No. 7 among guards. PFF credited him as one of the 40 most valuable guards in the nation with a 70.6 run-blocking grade that ranked 11th in the Big Ten. There is still work to be done in pass protection — he graded out at 66.0 — but PFF described him as a powerful player who is just getting started.

A former three-star prospect from Ponte Vedra, Florida, Guarnera played 710 snaps for the Wolverines in 2025, the fifth-most across the entire offense. In 2026, he figures to be in a similar position, serving as the leader of the offensive line.

With second-year quarterback Bryce Underwood behind him and a stout running back group capable of making magic between the hashes, Guarnera will be asked to do a great deal in managing the offense up front.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos