The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 51 ❱ FOOTBALL RECRUITING great mind," Will said. "He has all the ability in the world to recruit. More im- portantly, his offensive scheme is great. Everyone thinks he's a run-first OC, but he's really not. If you look at how ef- fective he was during his years at Vir- ginia, he's shown he has the ability to coach any type of player, particularly at quarterback. [Bryce] Underwood will be successful in that offense. But re- ally, any quarterback can be successful because he adapts his scheme based on his field general. He's a great coach and a great recruiter. "Jay Hill was brought up under Kyle Whittingham. He had major success at Weber State. He t u r n e d t h e wh o l e program around and made them a con- tender in one of the to u g h e s t c o n fe r - ences in the FCS. T h ey we re i n t h e depths of hell before he came. He turned that around, and there was a drop when he left. "Schematically, he puts his players in positions to succeed. I'm really curious to see what he does with all that talent that Michigan is going to have. Jay is an amazing hire." Perhaps the two biggest splash hires came in the trenches, with Michigan hiring Jim Harding to coach the offen- sive line and Lewis Powell to coach the defensive line. Both Harding, a former Michigan high school coach, and Powell are considered elite coaches and high- end recruiters. "When you talk about Lewis Powell, he's obviously one of the best defen- sive line coaches in the country and one of the best recruiters in the country," Will said. "He can bring that Polynesian pipeline to Michigan. Lewis is a grand slam. Jim Harding is also a home-run hire. He's up there in the top five as one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. He has the ability to recruit. His resume speaks for itself. He puts his O-line guys in the NFL. There really isn't much he hasn't done." Will added that wide receivers coach Micah Simon and quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr. will bring plenty of youth and energy to the staff. "Micah Simon and Koy Detmer are both bright, young minds working around Beck," Will said. "Koy is a fiery coach. He comes from great stock. His dad and his uncle were big-time foot- ball guys. It's just in his blood. He lives, breathes and eats football — almost to the point that it scares me sometimes. "I've known Koy since he was in high school. He's always been film-first and studies like you won't believe. He'll be exceptional for that room. Micah will be great as well." On the recruiting front, Will said he expects Michigan to have plenty of suc- cess out West under Whittingham and his staff. "I think every school on the West Coast has been put on notice," Will said. "Every state has been put on notice as well. The Wolverines are going to come out west aggressively and recruit for top talent. I know they'll be coming for top talent here in Utah. I think people need to open their eyes when it comes to the amount of talent the state of Utah has — just look around the NFL and colleges at every level. Having Kyle at the helm, he can come into Utah and pluck the four- and five-stars that he wants." And yes, the Wolverines are in play for his son in the transfer portal as well. Smith was a top priority for Whit- tingham as a high school recruit (he was ranked as a four-star) and shined dur- ing his time at Utah. This past season, Smith started all 12 games at cornerback and also saw time on offense at wide receiver and running back. He finished with 37 tackles, 9 pass breakups and 2 interceptions. Ranked as the No. 8 cornerback and No. 87 overall player in the transfer por- tal, per On3, Smith would be a major ad- dition for the Wolverines. And Will sees him as a fantastic addition. "We think it would be a great fit for him," Will said. "Obviously, we know the staff. We have so much respect for everyone that has been hired, particu- larly Kyle Whittingham. He committed to Kyle Whittingham out of high school. I would think that it would be a perfect fit for him. It's really exciting. "We don't want to put the cart before the horse. I want to be very clear about that. Michigan is a great institution with great football players. If Smith could be a benefit to that program and organiza- tion, we'd be more than excited about it. I've had relationships with these coaches longer than Smith has been alive on this earth." Will, a former BYU running back, had the unique opportunity to coach his son in 7v7 and work closely with him over the years. Ne e d l e ss to say, Will had high praise for his son as a player. "Smith is a techni- cian who specializes in covering top tal- ent," Will said. "Ob- viously, there is a lot of talent in the Big Ten. I think Smith would do well in that conference. I think he would relish the opportunity to con- sistently play against top guys. "This year, a lot of people were saying he would be a third-round draft pick without him testing. He has opportuni- ties in the NFL, but he wants to continue his college career. I think Michigan could be a great fit. … Smith is everything you are looking for in a corner. He's a fast player who plays fast. He studies the game religiously every day. People who really watch tape will see that it's hard to find a better cover corner. He's a very sophisticated cover corner. "He's a team-first guy. He stayed at Utah for three years when he had op- portunities to go to blue bloods and major schools. He's loyal to his coaches and friends. He's a blue-collar foot- ball player who will do everything the coaches ask of him. He's going to love the fanbase wherever he ends up, and the fanbase will love him for what he stands for — hard work and dedication to his craft and his team." Michigan may be undergoing a culture adjustment, but if it can add players like Smith, and everything Will said about Whittingham and company is true, you can bet the Wolverines will be just fine moving forward. ❏ ❱ Will Snowden, founder of Alpha Recruits in Utah, on Whittingham "He's very well respected nationally. Every room he walks into, he's going to get respect. He's done it all. He's coached at a high level, has won big games and has a very high success rate of putting players in the NFL. Michigan hit a grand slam."