Kyle Whittingham has obvious first call to make once hired as Michigan head coach

After several weeks of various name-dropping and rumors, it appears like Michigan is going to go the best route and hire Kyle Whittingham as the next coach. It's a great hire for a number of reasons. Whittingham is an experienced coach and will be a stabilizing force in a program that needs it. If offensive coordinator Jason Beck joins him as expected, it could lead to a succession program that works out well for the Wolverines in the long term.

But the first thing that Whittingham (and/or Beck) needs to do is make sure that quarterback Bryce Underwood is on board and ready to roll with this new regime. Underwood should be excited about the prospect of working with Beck, who orchestrated one of the most prolific offenses in the country last year. 

Underwood should thrive under Whittingham and Beck

Underwood can look at the production of Utes' quarterback Devon Dampier this past season. Dampier accounted for nearly 3,000 yards and 29 total touchdowns with just six interceptions. Dampier is a solid player, but he's nowhere near the physical talent that Underwood is as a passer or runner.

It felt like Underwood was constantly treading water this year under Sharrone Moore and Chip Lindsey. The total yards weren't that much different than what Dampier did at Utah, but often it felt like Underwood had more to offer and the Wolverines' offense could've been more explosive. It also felt like Moore and Lindsey didn't completely trust Underwood enough to put the game in his hands all the time. 

This lack of trust really reared its head against Ohio State, when the weather conditions affected the passing game, but Underwood wasn't unleashed as a runner, gaining just one yard on six carries. 

This lack of trust really reared its head against Ohio State, when the weather conditions affected the passing game, but Underwood wasn't unleashed as a runner, gaining just one yard on six carries. Whittingham will challenge Underwood to go out and win games. He'll challenge him to be the player that he believes he can be and Beck will put together an offense that should make him successful. 

This feels like a perfect marriage

While Moore and Underwood probably had a very good relationship, there are too many stories coming out about Moore's tenure that make me believe things were pretty chaotic. That probably stunted Underwood's growth in his freshman season. Whittingham is going to put the focus back on football and that should be reassuring to Underwood.

The second year is when most college quarterbacks take the jump. It's when they've had the full year of adjusting to the college game and the college lifestyle behind them and can now dig into the process of development. It's hard to imagine many coaches more committed to the development process than Whittingham. This should make Underwood excited to play under Whittingham and Michigan fans excited about what the future holds.