There’s been plenty of offseason chatter about how often Michigan will let it fly in 2026, and that conversation has only grown louder with Kyle Whittingham taking over as head coach.
Andrew Marsh said the Wolverines will "air it out" more than they did a year ago. That’s believable enough. Even if the total number of passes doesn’t jump dramatically, the approach figures to be more aggressive, with the ball pushed downfield far more often than it was last season.
That matters because Michigan didn’t exactly encourage Bryce Underwood to test defenses beyond the line of scrimmage a year ago. The plan looks different now. But even with that shift, the clearest strength on the roster still sits somewhere else entirely.
It’s the running back room.
Whittingham didn’t shy away from that point, either. He called it the "Best room in the country," via Chris Balas of The Wolverine.
That group includes Jordan Marshall, Savion Hiter, and Bryson Kuzdal, and it gives Michigan a real chance to lean on the ground game as a centerpiece of the offense.
Marshall already proved what he can do in Big Ten play last season, piling up four 100-yard games. He also ran for 61 yards on seven carries against Ohio State before leaving that game. Kuzdal had his own 100-yard outing against Maryland.
Kuzdal was expected to head to the transfer portal this offseason, but Justice Haynes left instead, with Michigan simply not having enough carries to keep Marshall, Haynes, and Hiter all happy.
Hiter brings a different kind of punch. The top-ranked running back in the 2027 recruiting class, he arrives with an elite blend of size, speed, and agility, and he can hurt defenses as a receiver too.
Put that together with an offensive line that should rank among the best in college football, not just the Big Ten, and Michigan could end up with the sport’s most dangerous rushing attack. That possibility gets even more interesting if Bryce Underwood is used as a runner.
The passing game should improve, and Underwood should as well. Jason Beck also looks well positioned to use the run game to create explosive chances through the air, just as he did at Utah last season, while helping Devon Dampier, the transfer quarterback from New Mexico, become one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football.
Still, for all the talk about a more dynamic passing attack, Michigan’s cleanest path may remain the oldest one in the book: run the ball, wear teams down, and make them crack.
In Other News...
Familiar Michigan Coach Is Staying In The Big Ten Spotlight
Biff Poggi is sticking around the Big Ten spotlight in a new way, with the conference network announcing that the former Michigan associate head coach will join its broadcasting team in 2026. Poggi has spent years around college football, and his recent stops at Michigan and Charlotte give him plenty of familiarity with the league hell now help cover from the studio side.
For Michigan fans, it adds another familiar name to the conferences media lineup after Poggis time on the Wolverines staff came to an end under new head coach Kyle Whittingham. Big Ten Network said he will appear across its studio programming, while other former players take on game analyst roles, keeping Poggi connected to the league even as his next chapter moves away from the sideline. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Has 3 Players Ready To Make The Media Look Wrong
Big Ten Media Days left Michigan with a familiar chip on its shoulder, as the Wolverines were picked to finish fifth in the conference and got only limited love in USA Todays All-Big Ten projections. Even so, there are still a few names in Ann Arbor who look capable of forcing a rethink by the end of the season, especially if the roster settles quickly around a few high-end playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Jordan Marshall, Jyaire Hill and Rod Moore all have the kind of ceiling that can change how a preseason list looks in hindsight. Marshall flashed enough last season to belong in the conversation, Hill has the tools to become one of the leagues better corners, and Moore remains the kind of veteran presence who could matter a lot if he is back to full strength. For a team that did not get much respect this summer, those are the sorts of players who can make the early projections look awfully premature. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Still Has A Shot At A Massive 2028 QB Flip
Michigans work on the 2028 class is already taking shape, and the early board includes some of the kind of names that can change the direction of a cycle. The Wolverines are pushing to stay in the mix with high-profile targets, including quarterback Jayden Wade, while also keeping lines of communication open with linebacker Cale Britt as they try to build momentum beyond their recent recruiting success.
Wade remains the bigger swing, and Michigan knows the path to making that kind of flip realistic starts with getting him on campus and back again. Britt, meanwhile, gives the staff another intriguing opening because he is still talking with Michigan even after his commitment elsewhere, which is the sort of steady contact that can keep a flip alive if the Wolverines can turn interest into visits. [Read more 🡒]