OL Brady Norton’s path to Michigan Football, outlook for 2026
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One unit that must perform better for the Michigan Wolverines in 2026 is the offensive line. The unit has gone through their lumps since the Jim Harbaugh era, but Jim Harding, one of the best offensive line coaches in the country, has taken over the position under head coach Kyle Whittingham.
There’s optimism this team can take the right step in developing the line to a level meant to compete in the Big Ten and with some of the best teams in the country. One player that could take advantage of the new staff is the versatile Brady Norton, a redshirt junior in his second season with the program after transferring in from Cal Poly.
The story so far
Norton was a three-star prospect out of high school, ranking as the No. 329 player in the state of California. Little recruiting interest from major players sent him to FCS Cal Poly, where he redshirted as a freshman and became the starting left tackle as a redshirt freshman in 2024. He allowed zero sacks and only three pressures on 444 pass-blocking snaps that year, earning FCS Football Central All-American honors and earning immediate attention from FBS schools as he entered the transfer portal.
Michigan was one of several teams, including Ohio State, that reached out in attempt to earn his talents. Turns out, he was ghosted by the Buckeyes until he was on his official visit to Michigan, where he quickly committed to the Wolverines.
Norton didn’t earn a starting job, but played a role for the Wolverines in his first season with the program. The redshirt sophomore played in seven games with responsibilities on special teams and earning the sixth lineman role. Norton also started at right tackle vs Texas in the Citrus Bowl. It was his third start of the season because of injuries, cementing his status as a piece of the future for this offensive line.
Outlook for 2026
Coming into Ann Arbor, Norton needed to put on some mass. He was only 280 pounds then, but now, the spring roster lists him at 312-pounds. That’s a dramatic improvement to his 6-foot-4 frame over the course of the year.
According to spring reports, it looks like Norton has made the transition to the interior, as the tackle spots will be duked out between Blake Frazier, Andrew Sprague, Andrew Babalola — who is recovering from an ACL tear suffered before the 2025 campaign — and others. That leaves norton competing with the likes of Nathan Efobi and Evan Link for a starting guard spot.
Mike Lynch, assistant offensive line coach, joined the In The Trenches Podcast in May to discuss the battle for the guard spots.
“(Both Norton and Efobi) did a really good job this spring. They battled through some injuries, and I thought they did a nice job.”
There’s a lot up for grabs on this offensive line, but there is also reason for excitement thanks to the depth across the board. The Wolverines’ key to success is getting back to controlling the trenches for Bryce Underwood and the stud running backs in the backfield. If that happens, and guys like Norton take a big step forward, Michigan very well could perform better than expected in 2026.
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