Michigan football is on the hunt to pick up its fifth consecutive win against rival Ohio State on Saturday, Nov. 29 (noon, Fox), but if it does come, it will be without a number of the team’s leaders.
The Wolverines could be without as many as three of its six captains. Safety Rod Moore, fullback/tight end Max Bredeson and linebacker Ernest Hausmann are all varying degrees of questionable or out.
Moore, a fifth-year senior and two-time captain, was officially ruled out by coach Sherrone Moore at his Monday press conference. Even if the Wolverines are to make the College Football Playoff, Rod Moore is “most likely” done for the season.
It’s a painful ending to what was a tremendous career. Moore, an Ohio native who came to Ann Arbor and vowed to never lose to his home state team, is one victory away from doing that.
He was directly responsible for sealing one of those victories − the last time the teams played in Ann Arbor in 2023 − when he picked off a pass by Kyle McCord intended for Marvin Harrison Jr. to send U-M to the Big Ten title game and eventually the CFP, which ended with a national championship.
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Moore has dealt with knee issues since he tore his ACL in the spring of 2024, then had to get a second procedure on his meniscus in December. He sat out the first three games in 2025, came back for the fourth contest, but played just three games against Nebraska, Wisconsin and USC, and has missed the past five wins.
Max Bredeson injury update
Bredeson, an unsung standout for the program, left last week’s 45-20 victory over Maryland, and came back with a boot on his right foot and crutches.
Sherrone Moore hasn’t ruled out the chance for him to play, but it sound like a longshot.
“Max − the X-rays, we’ll see,” he said. “Didn’t look great, but, you know, if anybody can push through it, it’s Max Bredeson. So, we’ll know more as we go through the week.”
Hausmann is the green dot linebacker and leading tackler on the team. He was a surprise absence from the Maryland game, when rumors began to swirl he’d left the team.
Hausmann took to social media in a now deleted post which stated he “never left.”
Moore rejected that rumor and classified him as “day-to-day.” My take: It’s hard to feel confident about Hausmann playing going forward.
Michigan football injury report vs Ohio State
Here are the Wolverines’ injury designations as of Tuesday for the regular-season finale against the Buckeyes.
- RB Justice Haynes, out.
- S Rod Moore, out.
- OL Evan Link, doubtful.
- TE/FB Max Bredeson, doubtful.
- LB Ernest Hausmann, questionable.
- TE Hogan Hansen, questionable.
- WR Semaj Morgan, questionable.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.