The Latest Updates On Michigan’s Rash Of Injuries

Over the past few weeks, a plethora of Michigan’s major contributors have fallen victim to the injury bug. Luckily for the Wolverines, they have a bye week this week to help them rest up and get healthy before the final three games of the regular season.

Michigan still has everything to play for. Sitting at 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten, winning out should place the Wolverines in a very good spot to make the College Football Playoff. Still, a big part of making that push is making sure that everyone is healthy and ready to play.

Here’s the latest news and updates on Michigan’s injuries…

Junior running back Justice Haynes was wearing a boot on his right foot and roaming the sidelines on a scooter against the Boilermakers. There was a lot of speculation the previous week about a potential foot injury, and those rumors were proven correct.

Wolverines fans were given even more bad news on Sunday when CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that Haynes will undergo surgery on his right foot.

While the hope is for him to return to the field this season, Michigan will likely be without its star in the back field for several weeks. Sophomore running back Jordan Marshall will take over the bulk of the snaps in his stead.

Marshall has been excellent in both a starting and backup role this season, and has produced three-straight 100-yard games. While the Wolverines would love to get Haynes back as soon as possible, Marshall is about as good of a replacement as any team could hope for.

Senior edge rusher/linebacker Jaishawn Barham left last Saturday’s game on the first drive with an apparent upper body injury and never returned.

After playing much of the season at the edge rusher position, Barham was moved back to his natural linebacker role against Purdue due to other injuries at the position. His versatility and talent in both positions have made him a highly valuable asset on defense, one that Michigan wants back as soon as possible.

On Jon Jansen’s “Inside Michigan Football” show on Monday, head coach Sherrone Moore offered some hopeful news on the state of Barham’s injury.

“He went in for a couple plays and had an issue,” Moore said about Barham. “I feel like we'll get him back. We’ll allow him this week to recover, so I feel like we’ll be in good shape there.” 

Moore also offered some more vague updates on the duo of starting linebackers — sophomore Cole Sullivan and senior Jimmy Rolder — that were sidelined against the Boilermakers.

“We’ll know more as the week goes, and next week, but those guys are getting closer and closer to getting back,” Moore said. “So hopeful on those guys and where they’re going to.”

Both Sullivan and Rolder are massive pieces of a Wolverines defense that has really started to come into its own as the season has progressed. Without them and Barham, Michigan is forced to rely on freshman Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and senior Chase Taylor. While they played well in their own right, getting Rolder and Sullivan back is a priority.

Redshirt sophomore left tackle Evan Link went down with a lower-body injury Oct. 18 against the Washington Huskies, and has not played since. Moore said a few days later that he was hopeful that Link would return this season, but there have been no more major updates on his status.

It has been mum on the statuses of graduate wide receiver Donaven McCulley, who left the game against Purdue, and graduate defensive back Rod Moore, who hasn’t played in nearly a month. Moore has been out for much of the season, playing just three games with limited snaps, but McCulley is a big part of the Wolverines offense, and losing him for an extended period of time would be a big blow.

As the bye week progresses, there may be more in-depth updates on some of these players, but as it stands now, Michigan is in ‘wait and see’ mode.