Michigan football hit the practice field for the first time in the 2026 season as fall camp officially opened on Wednesday.
It's the first fall camp under new head coach Kyle Whittingham. That brings a level of excitement all on its own. Michigan football fans are ready to get back to football. It would be nice to talk about things happening on the field, instead of scandals off of it.
Whittingham said that was his goal at Big Ten Media Days. He came to Michigan to win a national championship. The biggest X-factor in that pursuit will be former five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, who had at least one impressive throw on Wednesday.
Underwood completed an over-the-shoulder throw to JJ Buchanan, one of the players who followed Whittingham from Utah. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver, who was listed as a tight end at times last season for the Utes, looks like he will be a weapon.
Buchanan didn't have as many receiving yards as Michigan football standout Andrew Marsh, however, in the last three games, Buchanan averaged 71 receiving yards per game, with at least one reception of 29 yards or more in each of those games.
The wide receiver room should be much better this season. Not just because of Buchanan. Marsh should be even better after a stellar freshman campaign. Jaime Ffrench has a chance to contribute after transferring from Texas, while true freshmen Travis Johnson and Salesi Moa are names to know, too.
Johnson, a 6-foot-3 freshman who was ranked No. 125 overall in the 2026 class, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings, was also shown in a highlight video released by the Michigan football program from the first day of fall camp. The video also featured Underwood's pass to Buchanan. Johnson caught his pass across the middle of the field from Tommy Carr, the true freshman quarterback, who comes into camp as the No. 2 behind Underwood.
Gone camping ⛺️ pic.twitter.com/C1Hm9ALEZd
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) August 6, 2026
Bryce Underwood looks good in first fall camp practice
Jason Beck, the offensive coordinator, met with the media after practice. He talked about the hard work that Underwood has invested this summer, especially on his footwork. That was a key point of emphasis. It should have been based on last season. That's often an inconsistency of young quarterbacks.
Obviously, one highlight clip and one completion don't mean much. It's good to see, though, even if it's just a taste of real football.
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