Michigan Football: 5 biggest X factors for the 2026 season

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Heading into a Michigan football season, we usually have a pretty good grasp of what the team’s ceiling and floor are. However, the 2026 Wolverines present just about the widest possible range due to a brand new coaching staff, a quarterback widely regarded as talented but in need of development, and a defense that looks to reload after losing a majority of their starters.

This team could certainly make the College Football Playoff given how talented it is. They also could go 6-6, as the schedule is absolutely brutal. With that in mind, who will have the biggest impact on swinging the pendulum one way or the other? Here are our thoughts:

Offensive Coordinator Jason Beck

There’s no denying Michigan’s offensive coaching was an abject failure in the entirety of the Sherrone Moore era. Offensive coordinators Kirk Campbell and Chip Lindsey failed to develop quarterbacks and had no semblance of a passing game in either season.

In steps highly sought after coordinator Jason Beck, who is widely regarded as one of the great minds in college football. However it’s worth noting he runs a scheme that’s fairly new to Michigan. Namely, Beck loves to run the quarterback and add that dimension to the offense. His game planning and play calling will have a huge impact on the 2026 Wolverines.

QB Bryce Underwood

Duh. Not many words are needed here. Underwood’s development is pivotal to everything the Wolverines want to accomplish now and in the future.

DE John Henry Daley

When fully healthy, Daley might be the best defensive player in the country. But will he be fully healthy? That’s anyone’s guess. Head coach Kyle Whittingham announced a c ouple weeks back that Daley had been cleared by the team doctors, but that he was held on a “pitch count” for parts of fall camp. However, it sounds like that pitch count is completely cleared, but how will he look when he steps into a live game for the first time in 10 months on Sept. 5 against Western Michigan?

There’s a huge difference between a fully healthy edge rusher firing on all cylinders and one that is a few steps slower and unable to get enough push on the offensive line. Which version of Daley Michigan gets will be a huge X factor for the successes and failures of the entire defense.

DT Enow Etta

The new coaching staff values Etta very highly. This is evident by the fact they recruited his brother to join the program. While Etta came to Michigan as a high four-star out of high school, he has yet to fully bloom into a star. He has been a solid contributor, but never a significant starter. That appears to be changing this year.

With the depth at defensive tackle appearing, at least on paper, to be relatively light, Etta will be asked to play early and often on the interior. Given the talent on Michigan’s schedule at running back, Etta and Trey Pierce will be asked to be stout against the run. There is a hefty drop off in talent behind Etta, so he is pivotal to Michigan’s success this season.

S Rod Moore

Make no mistake, Rod Moore is already a legend at the University of Michigan. He burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2021 and hasn’t looked back. I’ll never forget his interception to seal the 2023 Ohio State game.

However, Moore hasn’t been fully healthy since Jan. 2024 when he played in the National Championship against Washington. Now the definition of a grizzled veteran, he is back to full health and has been mentioned by the staff as a starter. If Michigan is able to get the old version of Moore back, the secondary could be one of the best in the country. But if he is still hampered by injuries, the ceiling of the secondary drops significantly. The floor is still high, but Moore is the heartbeat of the team and a true X factor.

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