Marshall, who will be a junior, figures to be the lead running back after Justice Haynes transferred to Georgia Tech. After Haynes was injured, Marshall averaged 6.1 yards per carry en route to 932 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Pierce, 6-foot-2, 310-pound defensive tackle who will be a senior, was a big piece of U-M’s solid run defense last season, starting all 13 games with 30 tackles (including one for loss). His brother, Christian, joined the team as a transfer from FCS Western Illinois.

Moore, meanwhile, returns for his sixth and final season. A two-time captain, Moore nearly left U-M for the 2024 NFL Draft. Instead, he returned to boost his draft stock, only to suffer an ACL tear in spring 2024. Injuries have limited him to three games since the Wolverines’ 2023 College Football Playoff championship season.

Michigan football spring 2026 leadership council

The Wolverines will also have a leadership council for the spring, which includes 11 other players who all returned from U-M’s 2025 team. All but one of them are upperclassmen as of the 2026 season. Formal captains and leadership council for the 2026 season will be elected during fall camp:

S Nico Andrighetto, fifth-year senior.

CB Zeke Berry, fifth-year senior.

DE Cameron Brandt, senior.

S Mason Curtis, junior.

DT Enow Etta, junior.

OL Blake Frazier, junior.

OL Jake Guarnera, junior.

CB Jyaire Hill, senior.

WR Andrew Marsh, sophomore.

TE Zack Marshall, senior.

OL Andrew Sprague, junior.

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

Why is that, especially when this is a midterm election with Donald Trump in the White House? The last time that happened, in 2018, Democrats won virtually every statewide election in Michigan. And, in the most recent off-year elections, Democrats again won everywhere, from the governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia to statewide seats in Georgia, of all places. 

Nevertheless, I see three reasons why 2026 is poised to be a good year for Republicans here in Michigan. 

A short list of things Democrats didn’t fix

The first is history. Since Republican William Milliken became governor in 1969, the office has flip-flopped back and forth between Democrats and Republicans. From Milliken to Democrat Jim Blanchard, then from the GOP’s John Engler to Democrat Jennifer Granholm, and most recently from Republican Rick Snyder to Democrat Gretchen Whitmer. Thus, Republicans have one of the enduring campaign themes on their side — time for a change. 

Issues are the second reason Republicans should do well in 2026, because much needs fixing in Michigan.

Whitmer ran in 2018 on the slogan “fix the damn roads.” It took her seven years to get a package through the Legislature — and then, only with the prodding of the Republican House speaker. 

Now, the Democrats say, they are focused on children’s literacy. Now? After holding the governor’s office for eight years? If young girls and boys have not learned how to read, then they are incapable of reading to learn. Without the ability to read, no education is possible. 

Incredibly, even the state of Mississippi is doing a better job of teaching their students how to read. This is a damning indictment, and should serve as a clarion call to action. Reading is not a partisan issue.   

Then there is the issue of population.  Michigan’s population is aging and declining. What is worse, we are losing our best and brightest, the graduates of our great colleges and universities such as the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech and Wayne State. Barely half of MSU grads stay in Michigan after graduation ‒and that’s according to a study by Michigan State. This is unsustainable. 

The solution is jobs. Michigan didn’t even have a tourism campaign in the 1960s, but families flocked here for good jobs and good paychecks at Ford, GM and Chrysler. Bring jobs to Michigan, and the population will take care of itself. 

More from Freep Opinion: TikTok’s asking Whitmer about AI data centers. She’s not answering.

Republicans’ secret weapon: Mike Duggan

The third reason Republicans should do well in 2026 is the independent campaign of former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Duggan has a lot of skills. He is smart, tenacious and he gets things done. Detroit is 1000% better off because of his time as mayor. 

What I don’t know is whether Duggan is a safecracker.  He’ll need that skill to capture Republican votes this fall. 

Why do I say that? 

In 2022, 1,852,510 voters cast their ballot for the Republican nominee for secretary of state, Kristina Karamo. Karamo had no name ID, no discernible skill set and no money to run a campaign. She received 1.8 million votes only because she had an “R” next to her name.   

If 1.8 million women and men voted for Kristina Karamo, then they’ll vote for anyone with an “R” next to their name for governor. Good luck safecracking that, Mr. Mayor.   

To the extent Duggan gets any Republican support, it will come from an incredibly small group of Never-Trump Republicans. Trust me, we could all fit in a cab. 

Duggan’s real support will come from voters who call themselves independents, from some Detroiters who supported him as mayor and from a handful of moderate Democrats in southeast Michigan who like what he did for Detroit.

In short, Duggan’s support will almost entirely come right out of the Democratic column.

I do not think Duggan will win. But if he gets 20% or more, then the 41% base Republican vote will put a GOP’er back in the governor’s mansion. 

More from Freep Opinion: Trump looms over 2026, from war fears to democratic collapse

Eyes on the prize, GOP

The one caveat to all this, the one fly in the ointment, is President Donald Trump. In 2022, all the Republican statewide candidates asked for, and received, Trump’s endorsement. Then they proceeded to speak and act like Trump. And all of them lost by hundreds of thousands of votes. 

Republicans have a great shot at winning if they focus on the issues, the cares and concerns of hardworking Michiganders who want more jobs, better schools, better roads and a plan to bring down prices. 

But the GOP will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory if the party focuses on debating who won the 2020 election (spoiler alert: it was Biden), attacking Venezuela, debunked conspiracy theories, attacking Colombia, calling women ‘Piggy,’ attacking Canada, shooting peaceful protesters and attacking Greenland. If this is what Michigan Republicans support, get ready for another Dunkirk. 

Victory is there for the taking, Republicans. Keep your eyes on the issues, and the votes will take care of themselves. 

Contributing columnist Rusty Hills is a past chair of the Michigan Republican Party, and was the top adviser to former Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette. 

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