Worst possible news confirmed for Michigan Wolverines superstar that could wreck the entire season
Justice Haynes’ latest injury update confirms the worst case for Haynes, and he might miss the most important game of the year for Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines have had a relatively successful 2025 campaign, sitting at 7-2, although it hasn’t been pretty. Quarterback Bryce Underwood is certainly more talented and more enjoyable to watch than whatever Michigan was trying to play under center last year, even if it has been a very frustrating season. With a manageable schedule ahead of them, the Wolverines have been eyeing a potential College Football Playoff berth.
However, their latest injury problem could be catastrophic for the rest of their 2025 season, particularly clouding their matchup in The Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Running back Justice Haynes, who sustained an injury against Michigan State, has just had the worst possible news confirmed for both him and the Wolverines.
On Sunday, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz revealed that Haynes will now require surgery on his foot injury that I broke on Friday. He is in a boot and scooter and will miss time, with the official stance being a “hope” that he returns sometime this season. However, speaking to sources, it seems like it could be the last time we see Haynes in a Michigan uniform, as the NFL is calling his name.
Time for Jordan Marshall to step up
I think it’s fair to say that Haynes has been the best player on the Wolverines so far this season. I’ll go ahead and say that Haynes is the entire offense. Without his presence in the backfield, Michigan’s offense has sputtered due to a lack of explosives, and they’ve required turnovers to put teams away, especially against Washington.
With Haynes out, Michigan will turn to Jordan Marshall, who has been effective, but not nearly as explosive. Marshall has over 300 fewer yards on the ground on just nine fewer carries, and Michigan’s EPA/Rush falls from .30 with Haynes to .03 with Marshall. Their success rate on the ground falls from 48% to 37%. That’s equivalent from falling from 2nd in the country to 60th in EPA/Rush and 12th to 120th in rushing success rate.
Marshall delivered a good performance against Purdue, carrying the entire offense in what was an abysmal day for the Wolverines. However, it will only get tougher from here, and Marshall still isn’t quite as explosive.
His absence will put more of the onus on Underwood to deliver as a passer after having just 86 yards last week against Michigan State and another rough day against Purdue. We’ll see if Haynes pushes to play sooner, but he’s put out enough quality film to likely be a Day 2 pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, and he might not want to risk further bothering his injury. It will ultimately come down to his rehab and how quickly he can return from surgery.
If he can’t play, their matchup against Ohio State gets that much harder, and could doom the rest of their season.
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