The Michigan football season is rapidly approaching. We are now less than a month away from the first game of the Kyle Whittingham era.
Fans are excited to get back to football. It seems like that's what will happen under Kyle Whittingham. The man coached at Utah for 17 years without a whiff of scandal. Adults are back in the room in Ann Arbor, and beyond that, Whittingham is a damn-good football coach.
Whittingham didn't win three conference titles in two different conferences by accident, and didn't he win 68 percent of his games by chance. The question is what can he do with more? After always having to do more with less with the Utes.
The first fall camp under Whittingham has been impressive. It's clear that the team is responding to his coaching style, and looking back at the first week of fall camp, here are the biggest takeaways.
Bryce Underwood has improved
We have only seen a few practice clips from Underwood this fall, sure, but the throwing motion, the. mechanics, the footwork, all look much better.
Underwood has been shown completing a couple of back shoulder throws or fades. Those were passes that he struggled with last season. He threw them with too much velocity and not enough arc.
Underwood's mechanics got sloppy in 2025. If the footwork isn't there, you aren't going to thrive throwing the football, so the fact that some of that's been cleaned up is good to see.
Of course, it's different when you have a completey clean pocket, without a pass rush. Underwood neees to show he will stick to those mechanics under pressure.
So far, though, so good. Michigan also won't be afraid to run the ball, so Bryce Underwood feels like he will actually be a weapon in 2026.
The O-line is really good and it's deep
Whittingham remarked at Big Ten Media Days how often Underwood was under pressure last season. It's a fair point. The offensive line was much better as a run-blocking unit last season.
Whether it improves with Andrew Babalola at left tackle, or just through guys like Blake Frazier, Jake Guarnera, and Andrew Sprague getting more experience, plus someone like Evan Link coming back and bumping inside, the Wolverines will be better up front.
Jim Harding is one of the best offensive line coaches in the business. Coaching matters at that posiiton as much as any other. With the talent in the room, and his expert coaching, I see no reason the Wolverines can't win the Joe Moore Award. This room is loaded.
Michigan has seven starters for five spots. The young talent is also coming along, and it feels like the offensive line will be a strength for years to come.
Cornerback room is beyond legit
One of the biggest strenghts of this team that isn't talked about enough is the cornerback room. This week, Jay Hill said there were three players battling for the nickel job, Jyaire Hill, Smith Snowden, and Zeke Berry.
That job is a coveted one in this defense. Snowden feels like the best fit. Berry would be great there, too, while Hill feels like he should stay on the boundary, covering the other team's No. 1.
Regardless, Michigan football fans should feel really good about the cornerback room. The fact that Hill was encouraged by the play of all three is a good sign. Jyaire Hill has been talked about as a potential first-round pick. Berry, who entered the portal before coming back, was Second-Team All-Big Ten last season. Snowden was Second-Team All-Big 12.
Between the three of them last season, there were 24 pass breakups and four interceptions. Shamari Earls feels ready for primetime, too.
Whittingham has mentioned that the defensive line will be the strength of the team. It feels like the secondary, will be, too, especially if Rod Moore is 100 percent.
The wide receiver room is vastly improved
It feels like night and day. Andrew Marsh is the top returner from last season. He finished with 651 receiving yards and feels poised to contend for 1,000 yards.
The only thing standing in his way is JJ Buchanan. The Utah transfer is another who could push for 1,000. He averaged 71 yards per game in his last three games last season. Over 13 games, that's 923 yards.
Michigan football could essentially have two No. 1 wide receivers. Jaime Ffrench has been making plays in game. Freshman Travis Johnson and Salesi Moa have impressed, too. Channing Goodwin might not catch a ton of passes, but he's a blocking machine. He will have a role, too.
This might be the best wide recevier group Michigan has had since 2019 and Bryce Underwood won't lack for weapons.
The physical gains have been impressive
Michigan looks like a different team. The Wolverines were physically imposing when Ben Herbert was the strength coach under Jim Harbaugh, but the strength training took a huge hit under Sherrone Moore.
It was another indictment of Moore's staff. Whittingham revealed that the Wolverines didn't even bench press much. Under the new staff, guys have been adding weight and hitting new personal records.
Getting bigger and stronger matters in football. The Wolverines got pushed around under Moore in a way they didn't under Harbaugh, outside of a few instances.
That won't happen under Kyle Whittingham. Those gains have been clear so far in fall camp and they will mean something once the season rolls around.
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