The 2025 Michigan Wolverines football season is just a few months away, and there is hope for quite a few guys to make a name for themselves and catch the attention of the next level. Here’s what their top 2026 NFL Draft prospects need to do to secure themselves as first-rounders next year.

Edge Derrick Moore

Michigan has produced plenty of defensive linemen in the last decade, specifically on the edge. Moore could be the next one, with an ideal 6-foot-3, 256-pound frame that rivals those selected in Round 1 this year.

But in order to really take that next step, he needs to make more of a difference on the stat sheet. The average number of sacks for guys selected in the first in 2025 was 6.5, and the average number of tackles for loss was about 13. Moore only has nine sacks and 12 tackles for loss in his career thus far.

Additionally, we need to see more of a burst. Moore is a solid pass rusher, but he doesn’t pop off the screen like David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson did. It could certainly be in there, but NFL teams are paying more and more attention to 40-yard times in their evaluations. If he surprises and hits a 4.6 or lower, he’ll have a much better shot at being a first-rounder.

Edge T.J. Guy

Similar to Moore, Guy has an NFL-ready frame at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. And while 5.5 sacks in 2024 was more than expected, he’ll likely need to approach double digits to even be considered in that range. Not impossible by any means.

But we also saw Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart go in the top-15 this spring despite only 1.5 sacks in 2024 and 4.5 total in his career. Again, if he has sneaky athleticism that maybe we don’t know about, anything can happen.

Cornerback Jyaire Hill

The name trending the most on the Michigan roster in mock drafts is Hill. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, he is lankier than the average first-round corner over the past five years. Most expect him to run in the low 4.4s to high 4.3s in the 40-yard dash, which gives him the intangibles of a corner taken in this range.

But Hill is rough around the edges. He went through growing pains last year and allowed some big plays at times, but he also improved as the season went on. By the time The Game rolls around, the hope is that he is ready to take on one of college’s top wideouts in Jeremiah Smith and give him fits. That game could go a long way in his NFL evaluation.

Defensive Tackle Rayshaun Benny

If I were to fast forward a year from now, I think Benny will have the best shot at being a top-15 selection. He’s been overshadowed by Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, but now it’s his time to shine.

One of two things must happen — he either has to put on weight and stuff running lanes, or he’s got to show off a great 40-time. Benny is far from small at 296 pounds, but first-round guys at his position are usually heavier than 300 pounds and running in the 4.6-4.7 range. His best bet will be putting on a few pounds and still showing off his natural athleticism.

The average first-round interior defensive lineman stats over the past five drafts are 37.5 tackles, four sacks and nine tackles for loss in their final college season. While Benny has 71 career tackles, the other two metrics are right around what he has for his career.

Linebacker Jaishawn Barham

The priority for Barham is figuring out where he best fits. He’s far from a prototypical middle linebacker at 6-foot-3, 248. He’s a physical specimen who can turn into the top linebacker off the board, but he must he can clean up some of his mistakes from last year.

Where that typically lies for Barham is in coverage. He’s far from polished in covering running backs and is usually a step slow in getting into his lanes in zone. His play recognition in the pass game is usually late, allowing receivers to get open. Additionally, he can be a better tackler — he relies too much on his physicality and less on fundamentals.

That’s why he might be better suited on the edge, but time will tell how much he will play there this season. He’s a really athletic player, so it’s just a matter of finding where he fits in best and what position provides him the highest upside in the NFL.

The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry has always been heated and given fans events that are remembered for years – and even decades – to come.

Fifty-four years ago, in front of a then-record crowd of 104,016, that was certainly the case. On November 21, 1971, the Buckeyes traveled to Ann Arbor for the third edition of the Ten Year War. Following a touchdown by Michigan’s Billy Taylor to give the Wolverines the lead and cap an 11-play, 72-yard drive, Ohio State trailed 10-7 with 2:07 remaining in the game.

Looking to secure a comeback win over its rival to close out a disappointing end to the season, OSU was driving and at midfield. Then the madness began.

Ohio State quarterback Don Lamka attempted a downfield pass to Dick Wakefield, but it was intercepted by Michigan’s Thom Darden at the Wolverines’ 32-yard line as the defensive back jumped over the OSU wide receiver’s back to secure the catch.

“(Michigan quarterback Larry) Cipa did a fine job, and that catch by Darden was one of the greatest I’ve ever seen. I don’t need to look at the films to know that,” Bo Schembechler said of the interception.

But Woody Hayes thought that the Wolverines should have been penalized for defensive pass interference, a flag that would have erased the interception and kept OSU’s drive going.

Hayes quickly went onto the field to argue the call, getting in the face of every referee that he could. That tantrum resulted in a 15-yard penalty, which made Hayes even more angry and disgruntled. After Ohio State coaches and players were eventually able to bring the head coach back to the sidelines, Hayes still couldn’t hold back his frustration with the no-call.

He grabbed one down marker, ripped it apart, and threw it onto the field. He then went over to the other down marker and did the same. Hayes was subsequently ejected from the game and suspended for one game.

The outburst and meltdown by Hayes, as described by The Plain Dealer:

Hayes put on a disgraceful performance in the closing seconds of the game. First, he raced on the field to protest a pass interference call which he thought should have been called on Michigan with 1:25 left at the Wolverine 32.

He argued long and hard with the referee, who marched off two consecutive 15-yard penalties. Hayes was so incensed that his players, with the aid of backfield coach George Chaump, finally encircled Woody and forcibly escorted him to the sidelines as he resisted every step of the way.

But Hayes was still raving mad. He grabbed the down marker which is used on the sidelines by the chain gang and ripped it to shreds. He flung its pieces onto the playing field. Then Hayes went for another pole, grabbing it from the official’s hands and throwing it to the ground.

The huge throng, now standing, was showering its vocal disapproval. When order was restored, the game proceeded and Michigan killed the final 42 seconds. As the final seconds ticked off, thousands of fans poured on the field to engulf the victorious Wolverines.

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What precipitated Hayes’ shocking outburst was a pass from quarterback Don Lamka to end Dick Wakefield, which was intercepted by Thom Darden, senior from Sandusky.

Hayes evidently thought that Darden interfered with the play, but no one will ever know because Hayes refused to talk to the press after the game. Many scribes waited 50 minutes, but to no avail. There was no official or unofficial comment from Hayes.

For the first time in Hayes’ 21 years at Ohio State, the head coach didn’t talk to the media after the game.

Later, Hayes wrote to Michigan and offered to pay for the down markers that he destroyed at the end of that game, but the damage had already been done and the offer was declined by Michigan athletic director Don Canham.

The incident ended a 6-4 season for Ohio State, the worst of Woody Hayes’ final 12 seasons leading the Buckeyes.