The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BY JOHN BORTON K yle Whittingham leaves no doubt about his emphasis on special teams. In each meeting of those units, you'll find Michigan's new head coach sitting in the front row. Early in fall camp, he doubled down on the importance to him. "I go to every single meeting," Whittingham said. "I'm involved with everything we're doing on special teams. I'm not micromanaging, but I'm just there. Kerry does a very good job." Kerry, of course, is Kerry Coombs, Michigan's new special teams boss, who was hired prior to the Wolverines' bowl game last year. And Whittingham is quick to stress that he likes what he sees. "Very little that he's doing is different than how I did it," Whittingham said. "I was a spe- cial teams coordinator for about three or four years, and then all throughout my head coach- ing career, I've been involved in special teams. In fact, I coached the specialists for 12 years at Utah. Special teams has always been some- thing that has been a priority for me." Whittingham also didn't mind singling out the unit that stands alone atop the emphasis mountain. He noted he'll use starters or back- ups on that particular squad — the punt game crew. On other units, Whittingham indicated he will look to use Michigan's considerable roster depth to his advantage. "The No. 1 priority as far as our special teams is the punt game," Whittingham said. "There are no limitations there. But beyond that, we'd like to have starters on no more than one full- time special team." Sophomore receiver Andrew Marsh could be handling punts for the Wolverines, though Whittingham noted the player's willingness to perform in that spot also plays a role. "If we've got a guy like Andrew Marsh and he has the desire to do it, get the ball in his hands another three to six times a game, whatever the case may be, then I'm all for it," Whitting- ham said. As for who will do the punting, sophomore transfer Cam Brown, who hails from Coolan- gatta, Australia, will look to put his best (left) foot forward in a preseason battle with last year's starter, graduate Hudson Hollenbeck. Hollenbeck averaged 43.2 yards per punt a season ago for the Wolverines, while Brown averaged 43.8 yards as a freshman at UNLV. Sophomore Trey Butkowski has the inside track on the placekicking job. The transfer from Pittsburgh nailed 20 of 23 field goal attempts last season and connected on 43 of 44 extra- point attempts. Butkowski will likely handle kickoffs as well. "We're looking for the best in the country," Coombs said. "We're looking for the best punter, the best kicker, the best long snapper in the country — every day, always. I think we have kids that could potentially be that." Junior Stuart Blake and strong-legged fresh- man Jacob Baggett are also competing at place- kicker. Marsh and senior cornerback Smith Snowden headline a lengthy list of potential returners. Sophomore transfer Gavin Magorian from Marshall leads a short list of potential long snappers, one that includes freshman Jack Treutelaar, graduate Nico Crawford and senior Trent Middleton. Even with all those aspects up in the air, one facet of special teams is written in stone — Whittingham is all in. "I have great respect for everything that [Whittingham's] done in the coaching world, so you've got a guy that's going to go in the Hall of Fame who's sitting in the front row," Coombs said. "He takes a laser pointer and says, 'Hey, we got to make sure we get this done. Every- body's listening, right?' So, absolutely, it's fan- tastic to have great feedback, and he's not shy about giving it." ❑ Wolverines special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs is expecting big things from a revamped unit in 2026. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PLACEKICKER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 99 Trey Butkowski 5-11 179 So./4 35 Stuart Blake 6-1 183 Jr./3 Note: Butkowski was tremendous as a freshman at Pittsburgh and leads the way as Michigan's placekicker and kickoff specialist, accord- ing to coordinator Kerry Coombs. PUNTER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 33 Cam Brown 6-3 185 So./4 90 Hudson Hollenbeck 6-2 215 Gr./1 Note: Brown transferred from UNLV and joined the Wolverines this summer, while Hollenbeck had an up-and-down season as Michigan's starter a season ago. LONG SNAPPER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 49 Nico Crawford 6-0 230 Gr./1 46 Gavin Magorien 5-11 210 So./4 Note: Crawford has appeared in 37 games as a long snapper and was Butkowski's holder at Pittsburgh last season. Magorien, meanwhile, also has experience at Marshall. KICK RETURNER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 3 Andrew Marsh 6-1 192 So./4 3 Smith Snowden 5-10 188 Sr./2 or 12 Salesi Moa 6-2 186 Fr./5 Note: Marsh was Michigan's kick returner throughout last season and is dynamic with the ball in his hands. Snowden took 5 snaps on kick return with Utah in 2025. Moa is a versatile freshman who has shown a high level of athleticism. PUNT RETURNER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. Remaining 3 Andrew Marsh 6-1 192 So./4 12 Salesi Moa 6-2 186 Fr./5 Note: Marsh took over as Michigan's punt returner late last year and shined. 24 THE WOLVERINE ❱ SEPTEMBER 2026 The Wolverine's Projected 2026 Depth Chart — Special Teams SPECIAL FROM THE TOP DOWN Kicking Units A Priority For Kyle Whittingham