The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544538
MAY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 43 It didn't take long for the players to understand there was going to be much more discipline. "I think we settled in, and throughout spring just became more … I don't want to say comfortable, but things started to really smooth out," Whittingham said. "Going forward, it'll be critical … I think we've got the best strength coach in the country, and Doug [Elisaia] has those guys again starting June 1 for another eight-week cycle. "That will be critical to continue to develop not only strength, but mental toughness and the work ethic that this program is going to be known for." They're right on schedule. "We're not where we need to be ulti- mately, but I think we're on track given that it's April 18 and we've got a lot of opportunity ahead of us to get better," Whittingham added. "We saw the same thing last year at Utah. We had the same exact situation when we installed an en- tire new offense. I'd say we're right on par with where we need to be relative to what happened last year. "We ended up with a really good of- fense last year. We were third or fourth in the nation in scoring and second in rushing, so there's no panic at all. We feel like we're heading in the right direction." OFFENSIVE LINE PROGRESSING, DEFENSIVE LINE 'A STRENGTH' Word from observers throughout Michigan football spring practice was that the offense was ahead of the de- fense, and that seemed to be the case in the spring scrimmage. The defensive line, specifically, made it tough on the offensive line and the quarterbacks, and the game ended up 7-6. Whittingham, though, wasn't con- cerned, for two reasons. "I think the O-line is going to be fine once all is said and done. Jim Harding is a proven commodity as an offensive line coach," he said. "He's been with me for over a decade and has produced a solid offensive line every single year. I don't think this year is going to be any dif- ferent. Plus, we have two or three guys that were very limited or out this spring. They're going to be very prominent in the fall and pushing for starting jobs. "I don't necessarily think [that was our best]. Especially [in a scrimmage], you have to split up the O-line. Half are on the ones, and half are on the twos. I don't have a big concern about it be- cause I know Jim Harding's track record. I know the talent level of the players that we've got there and the guys that are go- ing to be joining us coming off injury. I think we're going to be solid once we get into the season." On the D-line, the edges got plenty of pressure in the spring game, especially in the first quarter of "thud" (wrapping up, no tackling). Junior Dom Nichols was in the backfield a few times, once on a nifty spin move, and Whittingham said he was one to watch. "He's coming into his own. He's a force out there," the coach said "He's 6-4 plus and 260 pounds and really has a great first step in pass rushing skills. He's a guy that has a chance to be All- Big Ten before he's finished here. I think he's that good, and it's up to him how good he can be. "If he continues to work hard and put everything into it, then he's going to play this game for a long time." Sophomore Nate Marshall showed progress, while veteran Cam Brandt "had a really nice spring" and "was con- sistent for us all spring long," Whitting- ham added. Brandt dropped about 5 or 10 pounds that gave him more quickness and "a little more burst off the edge." "Lugard [Edokpayi] is a guy that we think could help us, as well. He has a big, long frame — 6-7 or whatever he is — and he's very athletic," Whitting- ham said. "And then we don't even have [Utah transfer] John Henry Daley out there right now. He's been out this spring with an injury, but he's expected back on June 1. "That appears to be our strongest suit right now as far as depth goes and 10 bodies ready to play. If you can be two and a half deep on the front on defense, that's a real luxury for you." At tackle, veterans Trey Pierce and Enow Etta led the way inside with great springs. Junior Devyid Palepale was an- other spring game surprise, getting into the backfield on a few occasions. Overall, the line led the way for a de- fense that continued to improve. That was the case on both sides of the ball, Whittingham said. "We felt like we got a lot accomplished this spring as a whole, exactly what we needed to," he said. "The football team got better fundamentally, technique- wise, and got complete schemes in- stalled on both sides of the ball. We had a lot of work to do this spring, and I think we made a lot of progress." ❑ ❱ Whittingham "We felt like we got a lot accomplished this spring as a whole, exactly what we needed to. The football team got better fun- damentally, technique-wise, and got complete schemes in- stalled on both sides of the ball. We had a lot of work to do this spring, and I think we made a lot of progress." Whittingham said after the April 18 spring game that "We're not where we need to be ultimately but … we've got a lot of opportu- nity ahead of us to get better." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL