Kyle Whittingham on the dual-threat of Michigan QB Bryce Underwood
Kyle Whittingham spoke about Michigan football’s Bryce Underwood at the start of the spring practice window in Ann Arbor, March 17, 2026.
- Kyle Whittingham is the new head coach of Michigan football following Sherrone Moore’s firing.
- Whittingham believes the team can compete for a Big Ten championship in his first year without a rebuild.
- Michigan still has many talented players, including quarterback Bryce Underwood and running back Savion Hiter.
- The new coaching staff plans to implement a physical, run-heavy offense and a versatile, turnover-focused defense.
Each day Kyle Whittingham walks into Schembechler Hall, he is reminded of Michigan football’s tremendous power. The program he now leads possesses a rich tradition, abundant resources and immense brand recognition.
“I mean, it’s all here,” he said last week at the outset of spring practice.
A convincing case can be made that the Wolverines’ built-in advantages have diminished the impact of their own self-inflicted controversies, which stirred intense turmoil and caused reputational damage but did not lead to complete devastation. Even in the turbulent wake of former coach Sherrone Moore’s shocking firing this past December, college football’s winningest program weathered a destabilizing leadership change and remained relatively unscathed.
In this era of mass player movement, the Wolverines managed to retain many of their top contributors and the bulk of their 2026 signing class, which was ranked 11th-best in the country by 247Sports. Whittingham, in fact, is so bullish about Michigan’s new crop of freshmen that he told reporters “a lot of those guys are going to help out right away.”
THE NEXT STEP? Ernest Hausmann back at Michigan football in search for NFL job
Following his awkward, bitter divorce from Utah – the school where he coached in some capacity for the past 32 years – the 66-year-old Whittingham understands that he landed in a fortunate situation at a place he calls “one of the pinnacles of college football.” It’s why he has already set his mind on achieving lofty goals in his first season in Ann Arbor.
“At Michigan,” Whittingham said, “I would say if you’re not thinking Big Ten championship every year, then something’s wrong.”
Whittingham has reason to believe he can completely bypass the rebuilding phase that usually accompanies a regime change and complete organizational reboot. The team he inherited, after all, won nine games and remained in contention for a College Football Playoff berth until halfway through the third quarter of a 27-9 loss to Ohio State in the regular-season finale.
It was a rather impressive achievement considering Michigan was led by Moore, a flawed, inexperienced coach who still seemed out of his depth in his second year in charge. There is reason to assume Whittingham is capable of producing even better results given that he is more seasoned and successful than his disgraced predecessor. Eight seasons with 10 or more victories during Whittingham’s 21-year tenure at Utah’s helm support that supposition. The Utes, Whittingham noted, were a “more of a development” program populated with lower-tier recruits.
Michigan is not that.
The Wolverines have a strong talent base loaded with players other elite programs coveted. Bryce Underwood, the team’s sophomore quarterback, was the top high school prospect in the 2025 class. Savion Hiter, a five-star freshman, was rated the No. 2 running back in the nation as a high school senior. They headline a large cohort of blue-chippers that dot a roster returning 63% of its production from last season, a share that is among the 20 largest in the country, according to ESPN. With 10 starters back, including seven on offense, the transition should be relatively smooth.
BIG TEN TALK: Kyle Whittingham sets lofty goals for Michigan football in 1st year
While defensive coordinator Jay Hill noted that that Whittingham and his new staff will have to build their “own identity” and a new “culture,” the football philosophy appears similar to the one Moore, and his mentor Jim Harbaugh, espoused.
Whittingham, just as they did, said he wants the Wolverines to be “physically tough” and control the line of scrimmage. In Whittingham’s final season at Utah, the Utes finished second in the country in rushing, averaging 266.3 yards per game on the ground. Much in the same way Michigan has done for years, they feature their tight ends in the passing game and rely on a healthy diet of play-action throws.
“They’ll pack it in and pound you and they’ll spread you out and throw it,” said Hill, who was BYU’s DC the past three seasons and matched wits with Michigan’s new OC Jason Beck last year, when he was at Utah.
Hill noted that the offense is versatile, much like his own defensive scheme, which he likened to the one Michigan ran under Jesse Minter during its run to a CFP championship in 2023. Minter’s system, which had NFL roots and included a menu of coverages, multiple fronts and packages of simulated pressures, was a huge success; it allowed the fewest points and yards per game in the country that year. Michigan also created the fourth-most takeaways. As Hill watched the Wolverines back then, he noted, “That defense looks just like us.”
BYU, under Hill, then began to resemble them in results. Over the past two years, the Cougars forced 53 turnovers, the fifth-highest total in the nation during that span.
The numbers, Hill said, show that his scheme “works.”
“We believe emphatically that it is the best system in the country,” he added.
Hill is eager to prove it. Much like his boss, he sees no point in tamping down expectations. A rebuild, he said, is not even a consideration because “no one puts up with that in today’s world.
“Do we expect to be good in Year 1?” Hill asked rhetorically. “Absolutely. Do we expect to be competing for championships? That’s why we came here.”
The program they now lead has seeded them with the confidence their goals can be accomplished in short order. While history has shown Michigan is not too big to fail, it’s understandable why anyone given ownership of this football Leviathan would think it is. As soon as he assumed control, Whittingham realized he was set up for success. Now, it’s his mission to achieve it.
It seems eminently possible he will, if he can make the right moves with all the quality pieces he has come to possess.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com.
