Michigan’s 2026 offense is going to look different on paper, but the shape of it may feel awfully familiar once the season starts.
The Wolverines have reshaped the skill group through transfers and recruits, Bryce Underwood is moving into his second year at quarterback, and the staff around him has been completely overhauled. Even with all that turnover, the new direction under Jason Beck sounds built around ideas Michigan has long understood well: run the ball, stress defenses, and let the quarterback be part of the ground game.
“If you watch Jason Beck’s offense the last few years, it was RPO heavy and quarterback runs will be a part of it,” head coach Kyle Whittingham told the media on Friday. “Bryce certainly is a very good runner. It wouldn’t make sense if we didn’t deploy some of that.”
That approach fits both the coordinator and the roster. Under Whittingham at Utah, Beck worked with a run-first structure, and that lines up neatly with Michigan’s identity over the years. More importantly, it gives the Wolverines a system that can actually make the most of what they have right now.
The clearest strength on offense sits in the backfield, where veteran Jordan Marshall and highly touted recruit Savion Hiter form a dangerous one-two combination. Add Underwood’s legs into the mix, and Michigan has the pieces to move the ball on the ground in a hurry, especially if the offensive line takes a step forward.
That matters because the last two seasons under Kirk Campbell and Chip Lindsey drew plenty of criticism for a lack of creativity and a tendency to fall into the same play calls over and over. An offense built around run-pass options, trick plays and misdirection would give Michigan far more ways to attack without abandoning what it does best.
The receiver room also points toward that kind of setup. Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan give the Wolverines two different weapons to work with: Marsh brings elusiveness, polish, speed and route-running that fit well in an offense designed to create yards after the catch, while Buchanan’s bigger frame makes him a natural fit for short-yardage and red zone situations where Michigan only needs a few tough yards.
Underwood may benefit from this structure more than anyone. His best flashes last season came from his physical tools and his ability to improvise, and RPO concepts play directly into that skill set.
They give him room to operate after a fake handoff, to pull the ball and run, or to throw after reading the defense. Just as important, a run-heavy system with plenty of option football can mask some of the areas where he still has room to grow, including his vision and touch, by not forcing him into a pure rhythm-passing role.
Michigan has a lot of new parts heading into 2026. But if Beck’s offense settles in the way it sounds like it might, the Wolverines won’t need to reinvent themselves. They’ll just be leaning harder into what already fits.
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Brown is expected to open 2026 as Michigans starting punter, and the fit has already drawn confidence from coaches Kerry Coombs and Kyle Whittingham. For a team that wants better field position and fewer shaky moments when the offense has to hand the ball away, this is the kind of move that can quietly matter a lot, even if the full impact will only be clear once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Still Has 3 Starting Jobs To Settle Before Week 1
Michigan has spent most of the offseason sorting out the edges of its lineup, and by now the picture is clearer in a few important spots. The offensive line appears close to taking shape, while coach comments and spring and summer performances have helped narrow the field at edge rusher and linebacker as the Wolverines move toward their Week 1 meeting with Western Michigan.
Still, the job is not finished, and the final starting lineup remains open to change as injuries and competition keep things fluid. Michigan knows what it wants to look like once the season begins, but the last few calls on defense and up front will determine how settled this team really is when the opener arrives. [Read more 🡒]