Michigan’s Week 2 win over No. 11 Oklahoma was supposed to be a statement. Kyle Whittingham’s Wolverines delivered exactly that, grinding out a 17–10 victory. But just as the celebration began to settle, Monday morning brought a fresh dose of concern, with Whittingham providing injury updates that could leave Michigan a little uneasy.
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During the weekly presser on Monday, Whittingham said that Sophomore Andrew Babalola will remain on the sidelines for the rest of the year, as reported by On3’s Pete Nakos.
Babalola entered the program in 2025 as the nation’s No. 28 overall recruit. His football journey isn’t like that of other athletes. Babalola did not start playing football until his junior year of high school. Instead, he was fully focused on basketball. But that late start didn’t stop him from being one of the top high school O-line prospects.
A consensus 5-star recruit in his class, Babalola had offers from a number of powerhouses, including Alabama, Georgia, and Oklahoma. However, he chose the Wolverines in October 2024. Two months later, he officially signed to play college football for Michigan.
Despite joining early to fast-track his development, Babalola couldn’t get the desired start in his freshman season. An ACL tear in late August 2025 during fall camp derailed his season. The 6-foot-6, 305-pound tackle was expected to compete for snaps this year during Kyle Whittingham’s first year at the program, but he suffered another injury that the head coach initially described as minor. However, things have now taken a more concerning turn.
The latest setback has delayed Babalola’s return, with the head coach revealing he will miss most of the season and could remain sidelined for the foreseeable future. Babalola entered fall camp battling Blake Frazier for the starting left tackle role and appeared poised to earn the job. Frazier is now expected to take over as Michigan’s starter.
Frazier is far from inexperienced. He gained valuable experience last year while rotating across several positions on Michigan’s offensive line. But Whittingham is now forced to contend with the issue of depth. Evan Link almost missed the Oklahoma game. However, he is expected to be back for the game against UTEP.
More importantly, the O-line hasn’t put together a complete performance so far. In Week 1, the line was inconsistent against Western Michigan. The Wolverines didn’t have any push in the run game. More importantly, the passing game suffered from persistent pressure from the Broncos.
As a result, Underwood was constantly operating from out of the pocket. That improved a little against Oklahoma. Michigan ran for 152 yards. But that was more about Underwood’s talent than about clean running lanes. UTEP may not present the same challenge as the Sooners. However, Whittingham would have learned his lesson from the first game not to underestimate any opponent.
Kyle Whittingham has one positive update for Michigan fans
Amid the bad news, Kyle Whittingham delivered a much-needed boost for Michigan. The head coach revealed in the same presser that Carter Meadows “should be good to go” when the Wolverines host UTEP in their non-conference finale Saturday.
The edge rusher missed Michigan’s first two games with an undisclosed injury, but his return to practice last week was an encouraging sign. He now appears poised to make his long-awaited collegiate debut. Apart from that, the head coach gave the Michigan fan base a breather, stating that Evan Link is not benched.
The offensive lineman was sidelined from Saturday’s 17-10 win over Oklahoma with an undisclosed injury. With him on the sidelines, the Wolverines started the game with Nathan Efobi in his spot at left guard, and rolled with the same five up front for much of the game.
“We shuffled the lineup due to injury — not due to anything other than that,” Whittingham told reporters. “We hope to get Evan Link back — in fact, we should get back this week barring anything unforeseen.”
That said, if Link doesn’t return this week, the head coach has left the door open for Efobi to step in at left guard again, with Brady Norton remaining at right guard.
“That’s to be determined, but the effort level and the passion and energy that the o-line played with were markedly different than Week 1,” Whittingham remarked.