The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS NUMBERS AND QUOTES BY CLAYTON SAYFIE -165 Odds for Michigan men's basketball to make the Final Four April 4-6 in Indianapo- lis, according to BetMGM through games of March 3, the second-best chance be- hind only Duke (-175). Arizona is another team considered likely to reach the na- tional semifinals (-125). [Sophomore] Andrew Marsh is a guy. He's going to be a 1,000-yard receiver. They haven't had a 1,000- yard receiver since 2013. It's a great trivia ques- tion, by the way. Who was it? Nobody would be able to guess it, I don't think. Maybe Michigan fans. But Jeremy Gallon in 2013 had over 1,000. … They've got a true dude at the receiver spot, which is going to be very good for Bryce Under- wood's development." — College football analyst David Pollack on the "See Ball Get Ball" podcast Michigan got exactly the coach it needed to stabilize a program mired in scandal. The future Hall of Famer brings two decades of head-coaching experi- ence and two accomplished coordinators with him in offensive coordinator Jason Beck and defensive coordinator Jay Hill. The lone concern: At 66, he's unlikely to be a long-term hire." — The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, grading Michigan's hire of head coach Kyle Whittingham as an "A-" As a program, we're working hard this offseason to develop a team that will win on the foot- ball field and represent this great university with class and integrity in the classroom and out in the community. We're going to be a physical, tough, disciplined team that plays with grit and a team-first mindset." — Head coach KYLE WHITTINGHAM in a message to season ticket holders 58th Is where former Michigan star Denard Rob- inson slotted on ESPN's list of the top 100 quarterbacks of the 2000s. Fellow former Wol- verine J.J. McCarthy ranked 100th. "Maybe the single-best moment of the Rich Rod era at Michigan was signing Robinson, who captured fans' imaginations and aver- aged more than 2,000 passing yards and 1,300 rushing yards over his last three seasons," Bill Connelly wrote. "We're used to stats like that now. We weren't a decade ago. We weren't 15 years ago." 3 M i c h i ga n b a s ke t b a l l p l aye rs checked in as first-round picks in The Athletic analyst Sam Vecenie's latest mock draft — graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 19 to the Charlotte Hornets, via the Phoenix Suns), sophomore forward MOREZ JOHNSON JR. (No. 22 to the Los An- geles Lakers) and junior center Aday Mara (No. 27 to the Boston Celtics). Michigan hasn't had three first-rounders since 1990, when Rumeal Robinson, Loy Vaught and Terry Mills were all taken in the top 16. 1 Game that will define the 2026 season for Michigan football, ac- cording to ESPN, is the Oct. 24 home date with Indiana. "Ohio State is always the defining game for the Wol- verines," Jake Trotter wrote. "But Michi- gan can prove it's for real again against the defending national champs after two up-and-down seasons under Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines failed to defeat a ranked team last year and didn't win one in 2024 until the stunning victory over the Buckeyes in the regular-season finale." 1st Team in Big Ten men's bas- ketball history to win by double digits at Michigan State, Purdue and Illinois in the same season. All three teams were ranked top 10 in the As- sociated Press poll at the time of those road victories over the No. 7 Spartans (83-71), No. 7 Boilermakers (91-80) and No. 10 Fighting Illini (84-70). PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PHOTO BY TY KORNBLUE 16 THE WOLVERINE ❱ APRIL 2026