Michigan’s bye week arrives with the record sitting at 3-2, and the pressure around this team is already building. The schedule doesn’t offer much relief, either, with Indiana, Oregon, UCLA and Ohio State still ahead. After five games, it’s fair to say there’s been plenty to sort through - and the coaching staff sits right in the middle of it.
That starts with the head coach. Coming into the season, Michigan ranked 20th nationally in ESPN’s returning production metric, and this was not a stripped-down roster.
The Wolverines brought back most of a 9-3 team, including a big chunk of the offensive line and the quarterback. In other words, this was not a bare cupboard.
Kyle Whittingham has not looked like the answer so far. On the sideline and at the podium, he hasn’t projected the kind of command needed to steady things, and he also bears responsibility for how the season got off track in the first place.
The roster he inherited - plus the players he brought with him from Utah - gave him a workable foundation, but the coaching itself has been a different story. His in-game management has mostly been fine when it comes to timeouts and fourth-down calls, but that’s about where the positives stop.
There’s a lot left to fix, and if it doesn’t happen soon, questions about his future in Ann Arbor won’t be far behind.
The offense has been the clearest problem. Through five games, Michigan ranks 106th in scoring offense, 101st in rushing offense, 112th in passing offense and 114th in turnovers. That’s not just bad production - it’s one of the worst offenses in the country.
Jason Beck deserves a huge share of that blame. The talent was there.
Michigan finished 14th nationally in rushing last season, and much of the same personnel is back. The players didn’t suddenly forget how to run the ball, and the dramatic drop-off points back to the coordinator.
The run game hasn’t worked, but the passing game has been just as rough, if not worse. Bryce Underwood is part of that equation, but the offense’s lack of punch falls heavily on Beck.
The bigger issue is philosophical: he took a team built around a smash-mouth identity and turned it into an east-west run scheme that hasn’t fit the personnel. Even more troubling, five weeks in, there has been almost no visible adjustment despite the results being what they are.
That’s a stubborn approach for an offense that keeps running into the same wall. Beck may have had success elsewhere, but he needs to adapt now.
If not, the bye week should be the moment that forces the conversation about whether he belongs in Ann Arbor next season.
On the other side of the ball, Jay Hill has been the bright spot. He’s mixed coverages well, brought pressure at the right times, and generally put his players in position to succeed.
That matters. Good coaching isn’t just about drawing up a plan - it’s about making your team’s strengths obvious and hiding the weak spots, and Hill has done that.
He hasn’t been flawless. The Iowa game stands out because of the final play, and the decision to have a defensive back so close to the line of scrimmage at the 16-yard line with two seconds left is hard to understand. There have also been stretches when the defense struggled to get off the field, especially against Minnesota and Western Michigan, when long second-half drives kept the offense watching from the sideline.
Still, the overall body of work has been strong. Michigan is 23rd in scoring defense, 20th in rushing defense and 6th in total defense.
That’s a unit playing at a high level, and it’s close to elite. That’s why Hill earns an A-.
Special teams has been a different kind of story. Kerry Coombs inherited a mess.
The punting and kicking game had been shaky since Jim Harbaugh left, and the issues stretched across kickoff coverage, kickoff return and punt return. That was the reality before Coombs arrived.
There has been progress. Compared with 2025, Michigan has been much better punting and kicking the ball in 2026. The Wolverines also blocked a punt against Minnesota and nearly got another one.
But the mistakes have still been costly. Michigan has already allowed a kickoff return touchdown that changed the Iowa game, and Andrew Marsh has muffed two punts on the return team.
So while Coombs has clearly improved parts of the operation, the glaring errors are hard to ignore. It’s been a mixed bag, but with only three major mistakes in total, he gets a C+ for the first five games.
In Other News...
Michigan Finally Has A Passing Game Bright Spot Fans Can Believe In
For a Michigan passing game that has spent plenty of time searching for a reliable spark, JJ Buchanan has given Bryce Underwood a clear place to go early and often. The sophomore wide receiver, a transfer from Utah, has quickly become the Wolverines most productive receiver, leading the team in receiving yards and touchdowns through the first five games while piling up a record-setting debut and multiple 100-yard outings.
That kind of start was enough to put Buchanan on the midseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to one of college footballs top receivers. For Michigan, the bigger takeaway is less about the award buzz and more about the fact that the offense finally has a pass-catcher who is shaping defenses and changing how the Wolverines can attack on a week-to-week basis. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Butt Just Said What Michigan Fans Fear About This Offense
Jake Butt did not hold back when he looked at Michigans offense on Big Ten Network, and his criticism landed because it hit on the same unease plenty of fans have been feeling. The former Wolverine and current analyst said the unit still lacks a real identity, pointing to confusion in the blocking schemes and a broader sense that the coaching staff has not settled on how it wants to use its players. He also praised former offensive coordinator Chip Lindseys approach from last season, a reminder that the current struggles are not just about execution but about direction.
The quarterback discussion is now part of the conversation, too, with Butt questioning Bryce Underwoods decision-making and suggesting Tommy Carr might be the better option. For a Michigan offense trying to find traction, that kind of public assessment only sharpens the pressure on the staff to define what this group is supposed to be. Butts bottom line was clear enough: if the Wolverines want to get moving, they need to lean back into their downhill running game and stop searching for answers in a system that has not yet given them one. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Bye Week Puts Kyle Whittingham's Toughest QB Call Front And Center
Michigan is at its bye week, which makes this a natural pause to take stock of the quarterback situation and the choices sitting in front of Kyle Whittingham. Bryce Underwood has been the starter and a team captain, but his play has come with the kind of uneven stretches that force a coaching staff to look hard at every option. Behind him, Tommy Carr has given the Wolverines a glimpse of promise in limited action, enough to keep the conversation alive without settling it.
For Whittingham, the hard part is not just evaluating performance, but weighing what a change would mean for the room, the offense and the stretch run ahead. Michigan has not announced any decision, and the bye week only adds to the scrutiny because there is time to think but no game to hide behind. The next move at quarterback is still open, and for a team trying to steady itself, that uncertainty hangs over everything. [Read more 🡒]