Can Michigan football finally produce a 1,000 yard receiver?
Andrew Birkle and Tony Garcia debate if Michigan football will finally break its drought of not having a receiver break 1,000 yards in an episode of “Hail Yes!” on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.
Michigan football will be without a few notable players for its season opener against Western Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Michigan Stadium.
Carter Meadows, Andrew Babalola and Hogan Hansen are not suited up for the matchup with the Broncos, a team spokesman confirmed to the Free Press.
Babalola, a class of 2025 five-star offensive tackle who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, is not a surprise absence. He suffered what was described as a relatively minor injury earlier this camp but the expectation earlier this week per Whittingham was that he would not dress against WMU, “barring anything miraculous.”
Meadows, a class of 2026 five-star edge, was U-M’s top rated recruit in the most recent cycle and enrolled this summer with the Wolverines. He was part of the “bridge” program which required him to take a few classes last month, causing him to miss some time in the facilities. Still, he impressed when he was on the field.
“Carter Meadows, he’s a great kid, great overall kid,” senior edge rusher Cam Brandt said last week. “In practice, he’s just a freak. He’s a long body, long kid, still growing into his body, of course, but he’s going out there doing what he needs to do. He’s making plays, and that’s just good to see for the future for sure.”
Meadows was ranked as the No. 1 player in Washington, the No. 4 edge in the nation and the No. 9 player regardless of position among the incoming freshman class, per 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
Hansen is expected to be in the rotation at tight end as with Zack Marshall and Deakon Tonielli, but is also out for undisclosed reasons. The junior tight end battled nagging injuries for much of the 2025 season and appeared in just four games, catching six passes for 74 yards.
“Just excited to be healthy and go out and play healthy without any limitations,” Hansen said in April, just days before U-M’s Maize vs. Blue game. “I’m just excited to get back to it and build off freshman [year]. Maybe last year wasn’t the greatest year, how I saw it play out for myself.
“So just scratch all that and new offense, new staff, go out and get it this year.”
Those three are the only expected absences among U-M’s projected two-deep depth chart, a program spokesman told the Free Press.
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Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.