The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545685
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL The standard here is a national cham- pionship. You go outside and you see The Big House — [2023 national champions] — and it's all very exciting. The fan base has expectations, and you want to be able to rise up to the occasion. That's definitely part of it." — Senior defensive end John Henry Daley Kyle Whittingham didn't want to leave Utah, but he probably can't feel too bad about where he ended up. Whit has long been either in our top 10 or just on the periphery of it, so this spot is not a result of him being at a blue-blood program. However, like Matt Campbell at Penn State, I wonder how he'll be judged going forward, given the very different expectations at his new job than at his last gig." — CBS Sports writer Tom Fornelli, ranking Kyle Whit- tingham as the 10th-best Power Four head coach It's really fun to cheer them on, but in the back of your mind, it inspires us to want this school to come together for the football team how they do for the basketball team going to the national championship. We want to go and get a national championship for the school." — Junior offensive lineman Andrew Sprague on the men's basketball team's success I'd have been pissed off at myself down the road had I not taken the job. Didn't need to see it. Knew what it was, knew the challenge, wanted the challenge. The expecta- tions here are high, and they should be. But I adapt to change well, so here we go. New chapter." — Head coach Kyle Whittingham to USA Today If you've got your top 10 percent of your team that works their butt off and trains hard, everyone else seems to follow suit. Set the bar, demand everyone else live up to it." — Head coach KYLE WHITTINGHAM 6 , 938 938 Career passing yards and 1,949 offensive snaps in 31 games with 28 starts for graduate quar- terback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, who played for Colorado State the last four seasons. For his career, he's completed 60.2 percent of his passes with 38 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. 2 , 820 Yards of total offense for sophomore quar- terback BRYCE UNDERWOOD in 2025, ranking ninth in the Big Ten. Underwood tallied 2,428 passing and 392 rushing. 33 Missed tackles forced by junior running back Jordan Marshall in 2025. That ranked ninth in the Big Ten, but he recorded fewer rush- ing attempts than all but one of the play- ers ahead of him. 20 Made field goals for sophomore kicker Trey Butkowski at Pitts- burgh last season, ranking tied for 23rd in the FBS and fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He earned second-team All- ACC recognition. 19th In the country in scoring de- fense for BYU in 2025, allowing 19.1 points per game under Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill, who spent three seasons in Provo. 16 Five-star recruits have enrolled at Michigan since 2004, ac- cording to the Rivals Industry ranking, including running back SAVION HITER in 2026. He joins quarterback Bryce Underwood (2025), offensive lineman An- drew Babalola (2025), defensive back Will Johnson (2022), defensive back Daxton Hill (2019), defensive tackle Christopher Hinton (2019), wide receiver Donovan Peoples- Jones (2017), defensive tackle Aubrey Solo- mon (2017), defensive lineman Rashan Gary (2016), defensive back Jabrill Peppers (2014), cornerback Donovan Warren (2007), defen- sive end Brandon Graham (2006), running back Kevin Grady (2005), defensive line- man Marques Slocum (2005), quarterback Chad Henne (2004) and defensive end Tim Jamison (2004). 7th On Sporting News' ranking of the quarter- back situations in the Big Ten in 2026, with Oregon, Ohio State, USC, Indiana, Wash- ington and Penn State standing ahead of Michigan. 7:30 p.m. ET Kickoff for a third straight season-opener, with Michigan set to host Western Michigan in prime time on NBC Sept. 5. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL