The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543845
APRIL 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 21 2026 LOOK AHEAD he will run things than anything else, and that's a refreshing change from the recent past. Whether it was offseason drama under former coach Jim Har- baugh or the almost unbelievable, dys- functional end to the Moore era, never knowing what was coming next made it less enjoyable. In Whittingham, U-M is getting one of the most straitlaced guys in the pro- fession, someone who is all about do- ing it the right way. Former Michigan basketball coach John Beilein endorsed him after speaking to the new coach for quite some time weeks ago, and those who played for him at Utah — like offen- sive tackle Spencer Fano, a top 2026 NFL Draft prospect who spent three years in Whittingham's program — insist it doesn't get much better. "You want a stable head coach, you want someone that's going to demand the most out of every single player in that program, and that's what you're getting," Fano said at the NFL Scouting Combine recently. "He's not going to settle for anything that he thinks is lesser. He's going to be a coach that's going to try to win a championship every single year." He'll do it while holding players ac- countable. His "you will become us — we won't become you" insistence in his first Michigan presser is reminiscent of the old days (and yes, the Harbaugh regime), and some have described him as an "even more organized Jim Harbaugh" in the way he operates. But there will be some question marks heading into the season. Here are top five storylines heading into the spring: CAN THE DEFENSIVE COACHES DEVELOP A CHAMPIONSHIP- WORTHY FRONT SEVEN? The linebackers and defensive line could be the difference between a good year and a great year for the Wolver- ines, and they're going to have to de- velop some young talent to get there. Linebackers Jimmy Rolder (NFL Draft) and Cole Sullivan (transfer to Okla- homa) opted out of the program, leaving the Wolverines without any returning starters at that position. On the defensive line, edges Derrick Moore, T.J. Guy and Jaishawn Barham are gone, so a few edge rushers are go- ing to need to step up. Adding former Utah edge John Henry-Daley will help, and sophomore Nate Marshall could be a great one, but they'll need to de- velop depth, too. Tackles Trey Pierce and Enow Etta return, but they'll need depth behind them. At linebacker, there have been positive reports about former Georgia product Troy Bowles' offseason and high hopes for Nathan Owusu-Boateng, but there are no proven solutions here. There's hope that North Dakota State transfer Nate Staehling can play at a high level — he'll likely be limited this spring after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery — and they're going to need him to. Like just about every defensive co- ordinator everywhere, Jay Hill has one goal in mind first when it comes to strategy. "We'll be attacking, and that means so many different things," he told for- mer Michigan lineman Jon Jansen on his "In the Trenches" podcast. "First and foremost, you've got to stop the run, but we want to stop the run by being in different spots that the offense doesn't know where we're at. "I don't want O-linemen teeing off on our D-linemen. We're going to play straight up sometimes. We're going to stunt. We're going to blitz, and we want to attack weaknesses of players. We want to attack weaknesses in scheme." But you need the players to do it, and the question is whether the Wolverines have enough depth in the front seven. WILL BRYCE UNDERWOOD MAKE THE 'SOPHOMORE LEAP'? In his first collegiate game last year, a win over New Mexico, Underwood looked every bit the part of the next great collegiate quarterback. Coach Ja- son Eck, in fact, was so impressed that he reserved some of his highest praise for the frosh after Underwood com- pleted 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards with a touchdown. "I was impressed. I complimented him afterwards. ... He's a great player," Eck said. "Maybe I'll be telling my Sophomore Bryce Underwood returns at quarterback, looking to make a leap from good to great in Year 2 as the Wolverines' starting signal-caller. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL