The 2026 Michigan football season is just a few months away. That's when fans will get their first true look at what this program looks like under new head coach Kyle Whittingham.
The proven winner, who won 66 percent of his games with Utah, along with three conference championships, has a reputation for being one of college football's elite head coaches.
This year, he can prove it and other Big Ten coaches, speaking anonymously to Athlon about the Wolverines before the 2026 season, have some bold takes about Whittingham's roster.
“I love that roster," One anonymous Big Ten head coach told Athlon Sports. "The second that (ex-Michigan head coach) Sherrone Moore was gone, they actually got to run that roster. There are four or five players in that freshman class who’ll contribute immediately, and they had a bunch of freshmen last year who contributed.”
Anonymous Big Ten coaches have high praise for Michigan football
Another Big Ten head coach praised the moves that Michigan football made in the transfer portal, adding three new pass-catchers for former five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.
“On offense, you’re gonna have Bryce (Underwood), Andrew Marsh, and Jaime Ffrench and JJ Buchanan out of the portal. There’s a lot of excitement for what that team can be this year.”
Another coach told Athlon he thinks Michigan football has a team capable of winning the Big Ten championship in 2026.
“I think they can win the conference. It’s not a group with a lot of household names, but there’s a lot of depth with really good players.”
Michigan football is expected to have a really strong defense. The Wolverines looked stout on that side of the ball during the spring, and that was without starting EDGE John Henry Daley, and also Rod Moore, who is expected to be healthy this season.
The offensive line had some shaky moments in the spring game. Underwood, too. But Whittingham didn't express any concern about either coming of the spring. Underwood is going to be better this season. Not only will he improve as a passer, simply from having better weapons and coaching, but he will also be freed up to run more. That will help the entire offense.
Michigan won't play as close to the vest as it did last season. Whittingham knows what it takes to win championships. It remains to be seen if the Wolverines can win the Big Ten title in 2026, but maybe they shouldn't be discounted as a championship contender.
One Big Ten head coach believes the Wolverines can win the league, which is more than I expected.
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