Western Michigan head coach Lance Taylor isn’t pretending Michigan is easy to figure out this week. He’s digging through every clue he can find.
Preparing for the Wolverines means sorting through a coaching overhaul that makes Saturday’s opener at The Big House a different kind of puzzle. Michigan is set to begin its 2026 season against Western Michigan, and for the first time since Jim Harbaugh was on the sideline in 2015, there isn’t a clear read on what the Wolverines will look like schematically.
Taylor said that uncertainty has pushed his staff to study a wide range of tape.
“All three (Michigan) coordinators are from different places,” Taylor said. “We’ve been watching BYU film, we’ve been watching Utah film, we’ve been watching Cincinnati’s film, we’ve been watching Michigan film from their current players.”
Michigan’s new staff is built around former Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck, former BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill, and former Cincinnati special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs. Those hires mark a major reset for a program that is trying to get pointed in the right direction in 2026.
That kind of change is nothing new in college football, but it does make early-season scouting trickier. Taylor said he has enough familiarity with Kyle Whittingham’s teams to know what kind of challenge Michigan can present, even with all the new faces on the sideline.
“I’ve got a ton of respect for coach Whittingham,” Taylor said. “I’ve played a coach Whittingham team three times.
They’re always tough, disciplined. They’re not going to beat themselves, and they are going to be physical.”
Those are the same qualities many Michigan fans want to see return. Under Harbaugh from 2021-23, toughness and discipline helped define the program’s run of success. Taylor’s assessment lands at a time when the Wolverines are hoping their new coordinators and assistants can help restore that identity right away, with a strong performance in front of the home crowd on Saturday night.
The expectation around the program has been building all offseason. Now Michigan finally gets the chance to show what this new version looks like.
In Other News...
Michigan Fans Just Got An Early Sign About The Backfield Choice
The early glimpse into Michigans backfield picture offered a reminder that roster decisions can shape a season long before conference play settles in. Justice Haynes, who left the Wolverines via the transfer portal and showed up for Georgia Tech in a recent game against Colorado, was part of the backdrop to a move that now looks increasingly intentional from Michigans side, with the program choosing to build around the backs already in the building.
Jordan Marshall is the headliner in that group after a strong previous season, and he has already put himself in the conversation as a potential Heisman contender if that level continues. Michigan also made the call to keep freshman Savion Hiter in the fold, a decision that signals confidence in the current depth chart and a willingness to move forward without Haynes as part of the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Opener Still Comes With One Injury Question Up Front
Michigan heads into its season opener with most of the injury noise already sorted out, and that is a relief for a program that has spent much of camp trying to get healthy in the right spots. John Henry Daley and Rod Moore are both available after earlier injury concerns, which gives the Wolverines some welcome stability as they begin the year with expectations attached and little margin for early-season mistakes.
Andrew Babalola will not be part of that opening-day group after a minor setback, leaving one more question up front as the team finalizes its first-game rotation. Michigan has already absorbed bigger blows in the offseason with Micah Kaapana and Ace Hamilton lost for the year, so even a short-term absence matters when the roster is being layered back together for the start of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Underwood Faces Michigan Test That Will Define The Hype
Bryce Underwood entered Michigans offseason with the kind of billing that turns every throw into a talking point, but the early signs out of fall camp suggest the sophomore quarterback is settling into his next step with a little more polish. The No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class has been working under new offensive coordinator Jason Beck in a revised scheme, and coaches have pointed to noticeable progress in his consistency and decision-making since spring.
Underwoods development matters because Michigan is not just waiting on talent anymore, it is waiting on proof that the hype can survive game planning, pressure and the regular rhythm of a season. He spent part of the offseason training with quarterback Jordan Palmer and Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow, and now the real test is whether those lessons show up when the Wolverines start asking him to run the offense instead of simply flash what he can do. [Read more 🡒]