Michigan’s new offense is taking shape in fall camp, and the early picture says the Wolverines are trying to build around a quarterback who has already drawn a major endorsement, a freshman back who is turning heads, and a system that wants to put as many of its best players on the field as possible.
That starts with Bryce Underwood, who enters his sophomore season under the microscope after expectations were not met in 2025. The talk around him has been loud enough to include speculation about a hot seat if he struggles again, though that idea isn’t being fully embraced. What is clear is that Michigan’s ceiling is tied to him, especially with Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State on the schedule.
The encouraging sign for Michigan is that Underwood appears to be ahead of where he was earlier in the year. Kyle Whittingham, who was hired to lead the program and brought in Utah’s Jason Beck as offensive coordinator, gave Underwood his strongest public praise yet when the Big Ten Network visited practice.
“He's coming along well,” Whittingham said. “He's much further ahead than he was at the end of spring.
He obviously worked hard this summer and did a lot of positive things getting himself ready in the film room, on the field and so far through six practices. I’d grade him an A-plus.”
Beck’s arrival has brought a clear intention: shape the offense around the players Michigan already has, while moving people around and creating advantages. That approach shows up everywhere in camp, including at running back, where Jordan Marshall is expected to be the bell cow after spending the last two years behind Kalel Mullings, Donovan Edwards, and Justice Haynes.
But the name drawing real buzz is Savion Hiter. Beck didn’t shy away from the hype, and he made it plain that the freshman has backed it up since arriving.
“Yeah, you know, there's been a lot of buzz around Savion and deservedly so. And a lot of times you can get the buzz in the recruitment.
But he showed up here and is what stands out with him,” Beck said. “He has talent.
You know, when you meet him and see him, he's an impressive-looking kid physically. But what stands out about Savion is he just works so hard all the time.
Like, there is no such thing as not full speed with that kid. I mean, it is just full-speed effort all the time.
And so he just, he makes a splash from day one because he's not easing his way in there.”
That kind of versatility matters in an offense that may need help at tight end and wide receiver. Hiter can impact the game as both a runner and a receiver, and that gives Michigan another player who looks like one of its best 11 on offense.
The same “best five” logic is driving the offensive line battle, though Michigan’s front is still sorting itself out. Evan Link is back from injury and likely to land at one of the guard spots after spending most of his Michigan career at tackle.
Blake Frazier finished last season at left tackle, but could move inside if Andrew Babalola wins the left tackle job. Jake Guarnera at center and Andrew Sprague at right tackle feel set.
Everything else is still up in the air, but one thing seems fixed: Babalola will be at left tackle whenever he’s on the field. That makes the line one of the most interesting battles in camp, and one that could go all the way down to the wire before Western Michigan arrives in early September.
There’s also a package Beck knows well and expects to use heavily in Michigan’s offense. The “Rhino” look replaces a tight end with an offensive lineman to give the run game more muscle, and Beck has leaned on it before. With Michigan’s surplus of linemen, it gives the staff another way to get its best players out there while reinforcing the identity it wants to build.
“Physicality in the run game. Pass protection, you know, in complement to that.
But it's about being physical to run the football,” Beck said. “And then hold up in pass protection.
Because, you know, you can't be there out there and you're running it. You have to be able to throw the ball when the Rhino's out there too.”
At receiver, Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan are the top two options. The bigger question is who fills the next spot when Michigan needs another body on the field.
Micah Simon addressed that competition Monday, and the list includes veteran Channing Goodwin, who won the job out of fall camp last year before being pushed down after drop issues, along with freshmen Salesi Moa and Travis Johnson. Transfer Jaime Ffrench from Texas is also in the mix.
That battle is still wide open, and it matters because Michigan is trying to find a way to spread teams out without giving up what it wants to do on the ground. The pieces are there. Fall camp is now about figuring out how they fit together.
In Other News...
Ryan Day Just Put Michigan At The Center Of Ohio State's Season
Ryan Day is treating Michigan like the sort of game that can swallow everything else around it, which is why Ohio State moved its Senior Day to the opener against Ball State. The idea is simple enough: clear the deck early, cut down on the buildup and keep the Buckeyes focused on the rivalry game on Nov. 28, where the stakes always seem to rise no matter how many wins stack up before it.
From Michigans side, the timing says plenty about where the pressure lives in this matchup. Day still has not beaten the Wolverines at their home stadium, with losses in 2022 and 2024, and his decision only underscores how much that game continues to frame Ohio States season. Even in a year when the calendar is full of ordinary Saturdays, the week of Michigan remains the one Day is trying hardest to simplify. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Is Already Fighting For Its Future At Quarterback
Michigan is already looking well down the road at quarterback, and the staff has started laying groundwork in the 2028 class while fall camp approaches. Jayden Wade, who is currently committed to Georgia, remains on Michigans radar, while Tristin Gaines and Jamar Howard have both shown interest and are working through plans to get to campus in Ann Arbor.
For a program that always has to think a step ahead at the games most important position, the early recruiting push matters as much as the on-field depth chart. Michigan is trying to keep those connections warm now, knowing the next wave of quarterback recruiting can shape the roster for years to come, even if the real resolution is still a long way off. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans May Not Love Kyle Whittinghams Early Ohio State Message
Kyle Whittinghams arrival in Ann Arbor has already brought a shift in tone, and not every Michigan fan is likely to love the early message. Rather than leaning into the old script of pure dislike for Ohio State, Whittingham has framed the rivalry in terms of intensity and significance, keeping the focus on competing hard without trying to sell hatred as the centerpiece. For a fan base that measures the season in part by what happens against the Buckeyes, that kind of language is bound to stand out.
Ryan Day, meanwhile, has gone in the opposite direction by making the rivalry feel like a constant priority. His decision to move Senior Day to the opener was aimed at eliminating distractions later in the year, another reminder that Ohio State is treating rivalry week as something to be protected and sharpened. The contrast sets up an interesting early test for Whittingham with Michigan supporters, because the football part of the job may be one thing, but the emotional language around this game is another matter entirely. [Read more 🡒]