Michigan Football: 5 Thoughts on the Wolverines no-huddle offense

A primary buzz of Spring Michigan football has been the pick up of offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, and the “no-huddle” offense he is installing.  Descriptions like “up-tempo,” “hurry up” and “speed in space,” are thrown around now in the media and by fans who think they know what those characterizations mean. But do they really?

It’s hard to imagine what a Michigan football no-huddle offense will look like and even if the spring game gave us a glimpse, the full picture cannot be put together without all of the pieces.

The best way to figure it all out could be looking into Michigan football’s past for the answers.

Michigan football’s history with the no-huddle

It may surprise some that Michigan football actually has an interesting history with the hurry up Offense. In fact, legendary Wolverine coach Fielding Yost exploited the rules of the early 20th Century in ways that allowed him to create maneuvers, trick plays and hurry up offenses that deceived the opposition and earned him the nickname “Hurry up Yost.”

With apologies for bringing up bad memories, a century later coach Rich Rodriguez was hired in 2007 in large part because he had the reputation as a guru of the up-tempo offensive philosophy. But his tenure was a disaster, and he was fired after the 2010 season because of a very poor record and NCAA violations in the program.

When describing what fans can expect to see this season for Michigan football, coach Jim Harbaugh explained that the offense would be more up-tempo and less huddle.

However, coach Josh Gattis and others later confirmed there will be no huddling.