Michigan Football announces captains and leadership council for 2026 season

On Monday night, the Michigan football program announced its team captains for the 2026 football season. The group includes sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood and junior running back Jordan Marshall on offense, as well as senior defensive tackle Trey Pierce and graduate safety Rod Moore on defense.

Underwood, Marshall and Pierce are all serving as captains for the first time in their careers, while Moore becomes the first three-time captain the Wolverines have had in nearly 140 years, since Horace Greely Prettyman from 1886-88. All four players have also played their entire careers at Michigan, something not as common in today’s college football.

The most notable player of the group is Underwood, the team’s starting quarterback, who started every game as a true freshman last season. He has repeatedly expressed his desire to step up as a leader since the end of 2025, and it appears he’s doing just that. Furthermore, having a sophomore as a captain goes to show how young the core of the program is, with several freshmen and sophomores expected to contribute on both sides of the ball this season and in the foreseeable future.

In addition to the four players named as captains, the team also announced 12 players who will be part of the team’s leadership council, a tradition carried over from head coach Kyle Whittingham’s Utah teams.

Players in the leadership council include Underwood, Marshall, Pierce, Moore, Nico Andrighetto, Zeke Berry, Troy Bowles, Cam Brandt, JJ Buchanan, John Henry Daley, Enow Etta, Blake Frazier, Jake Guarnera, Jyaire Hill, Andrew Marsh and Andrew Sprague.