Michigan’s special teams have been in rough shape for two straight years, but the punting situation is already pointing in a different direction under Kerry Coombs. After a season that featured shaky kicking and a particularly poor punt game, the Wolverines moved quickly this offseason to fix the problem by bringing in former UNLV punter Cam Brown through the transfer portal.
Brown arrives with a strong first year behind him. The right-footed Australian was a true freshman in 2025 and stepped into the starting role immediately for the Runnin’ Rebels.
He appeared in all 14 games, punted 22 times for 943 yards and finished with a 42.9-yard average. His longest boot traveled 71 yards, and he had four punts of 50 yards or more.
The numbers beyond raw distance were solid too. Brown placed eight punts inside the 20, forced eight fair catches and had two touchbacks.
His net punting average of 40.6 yards per punt ranked No. 43 nationally. He was also one of just 14 true freshman punters in the FBS to attempt at least 40 punts last season.
That production made Brown an appealing portal pickup, and Michigan didn’t wait long to land him. The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder entered the transfer portal after the season and signed with the Wolverines in December, becoming the second portal addition that winter after Pitt long snapper Nico Crawford.
Now, the job is Brown’s to lose heading into next week’s opener against Western Michigan. Coombs addressed him during a media availability a couple weeks ago and was clearly encouraged by what he’s seen.
“Cam Brown had a good year at UNLV,” Coombs said. “I’m very familiar with the Australian kickers. I’ve done it for a long time with those kids, and he’s off to a great start.”
Whittingham echoed that sentiment last week, saying Brown would be Michigan’s starting punter heading into the season.
With Coombs leading the unit and a new kicker and punter in place, Michigan has a chance to get special teams back on track. After the last two seasons, that alone counts as a major step forward.
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It is the kind of early test that will define Whittinghams first year in Ann Arbor, especially with both programs facing demanding roads before their late-November 2026 meeting. Michigan and Ohio State will spend the months leading up to it navigating their own challenges, and by the time the game arrives, Whittinghams first chance to live inside the rivalry will come with plenty of buildup already behind it. [Read more 🡒]