The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545685
THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 21 BY MARK PANUS T he early returns are in, and the three major college football preseason magazines have Michigan slotted to finish fourth or fifth in the Big Ten and anywhere from 13th to 16th nationally. Most programs would be thrilled to be in that position, but this is Michigan. The Wolverines — and first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham — have greater ex- pectations. Job 1 is to compete for the Big Ten title and from there, a berth in the College Football Playoff. Athlon Sports Athlon predicts Michigan will finish fourth in the Big Ten and No. 13 nation- ally, which would have the Wolverines sitting just outside the 12-team College Football Playoff field if the season ends that way. In a redux from a year ago, the publication projects U-M's postseason fate as a Cheez-It Citrus Bowl matchup, this time against Ole Miss. "New head coach Kyle Whittingham inherits a team poised to contend for the playoff," Athlon wrote. "The Wolverines will be strong once again on defense, but the development of dynamic sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood looms large against a schedule that includes matchups against [No. 8] Oklahoma, [No. 5] Indiana, [No. 6] Oregon and [No. 1] Ohio State. Jor- dan Marshall and true freshman Savion Hiter form one of the top backfield tan- dems in the nation." Other key takeaways from Athlon in- clude: Offense: "Michigan's 68th-ranked scoring offense gets a boost from a new face running the show [offensive coordi- nator Jason Beck] and plenty of returning production. … Look for the Wolverines to run more spread and to use Underwood more frequently in the run game. … With four starters back and more depth than last year, Michigan's offensive line is primed to make a jump as well." Defense: "Jay Hill from BYU takes over as defensive coordinator and wants to replicate the 2023 Michigan national title unit. That means varied looks, simulated blitzes, a mix of zone and man-coverage — all in the name of confusing opponents and forcing turnovers. … If the secondary can stay healthy, Michigan's defense has the ability to become a top unit in college football." Specialists: "Veteran assistant Kerry Coombs takes over a special teams unit that struggled with fundamentals in 2025 and used the transfer portal to restock. Cameron Brown from UNLV is the favorite to win the punting job, while Pitt's Trey Butkowski was 20-of-23 on field goal at- tempts as a freshman." Final Analysis: "The cupboard is far from bare for Whittingham, who makes the jump to Michigan after more than 30 years at Utah, the final 21 as head coach. … Con- cerns with depth and a difficult schedule could make for some growing pains. A 9-3 season might be the ceiling for this team." Lindy's Sports Lindy's Sports, now in its 45th year of publishing a preseason preview, has Mich- Transitional Year New Coaching Staff Plus A Mix Of Talent Have Michigan Primed To Compete In Big Ten And Nationally