Don’t blink. Michigan football is almost here, and so is Kyle Whittingham’s first season in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines open next Saturday night against Western Michigan, and while that game is the first item on the calendar, the bigger picture is impossible to miss. This schedule is loaded.
Michigan will face four playoff teams from a season ago and six total ranked in the preseason top 25. That’s why a wide range of outcomes feels in play, from 10-2 down to 8-4.
With all that uncertainty, here’s a look at six bold predictions for Whittingham’s debut season.
Bryce Underwood is set up for a real leap
The numbers should climb if Whittingham opens things up more than Michigan did a year ago. Underwood averaged 216 total yards per game last season, and that figure should push well past 250 in 2026.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he gets over 200 passing yards per game, and it also feels realistic for him to approach 50 rushing yards a game. He threw for 186 passing yards and rushed for 30, and he was more productive than plenty of people gave him credit for.
The sophomore looks more polished as a passer, the game should slow down for him, and Michigan should use him more as a runner. He was only a couple hundred yards short of 3,000 total yards as a freshman, and this season he should get much closer to 3,500 total yards, including 3,000 passing and 500 rushing.
The five-star quarterback should finish with around 25 total touchdowns, and the chatter about him being a bust or falling short of the hype should fade fast.
Jordan Marshall becomes a first-team All-Big Ten back
Michigan’s run game should be nasty. With Jordan Marshall, Savion Hiter, Bryce Underwood and a strong offensive line, the Wolverines could finish first in the Big Ten in rushing yards.
Marshall averaged 6.6 yards per carry in Big Ten play last season. He had four 100-yard games and ran for 61 yards on seven carries against Ohio State before leaving with an injury.
Most of the offseason buzz has centered on Underwood, Hiter and the receivers, but Marshall may end up being the best offensive player on the team. He’s the one to watch, and the prediction here is 1,200 rushing yards and First-Team All-Big Ten honors.
The Wolverines lead the Big Ten in interceptions
Michigan picked off 25 passes over the past two seasons. Jay Hill’s BYU defense grabbed 39, and Hill brings a similar vibe to Jesse Minter as a defensive coordinator.
He’s known for working magic in the secondary, and Michigan has the pieces to make that happen. Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, Smith Snowden, Rod Moore, Chris Bracy, Jordan Young, Shamari Earls and others give the Wolverines a chance to have the best secondary in the Big Ten.
Hill could be headed for an early-round NFL draft selection. Berry should be right there with him, and if Moore is fully healthy, that changes everything. If Moore can play 75 percent of the snaps and look like the old Rod Moore, Michigan’s ceiling jumps again.
Michigan’s top three corners have combined for 49 career pass breakups and nine career interceptions. Under Hill, that total should spike.
Savion Hiter goes over 1,000 total yards
The one thing that keeps Jordan Marshall from being the only running back in the spotlight is Savion Hiter. It’s easy to get carried away with high school tape, but Hiter has a Saquon Barkley kind of blend - speed, power and burst all rolled into one.
The No. 1 running back in the 2026 class also landed in the right place. Whittingham’s Utah team ran the ball more than it threw it last season, and that approach could show up again.
Underwood will throw more, but with two elite backs and an elite offensive line, Michigan won’t be able to resist pounding the ball. Hiter can also make plays as a receiver, and there are plans to get him involved there too. As a runner and receiver, he should clear 1,000 total yards as a freshman.
Michigan wins at least 10 games
This is not a soft schedule. There are four playoff teams on it, with two at home and two on the road. The Oklahoma game is the first huge test, and Michigan should pass it.
The defense is expected to carry the early part of the season. Everyone wants to talk about the quarterback, and for good reason, but Michigan should be far better up front on both sides of the ball.
That’s where games get decided. Ohio State was better on the offensive and defensive lines last season, and they were better throughout the Meyer era too. Add in the Buckeyes’ receiver talent, and it becomes almost impossible for Michigan to win that matchup.
The offensive line dipped after Sherrone Moore became head coach, and the defensive line slipped too, especially with all the rotation. Whittingham has said the defensive line is the strength of the team, and if that’s true, along with the improvement the offensive line has made under Jim Harding, Michigan should find a way to get to at least 10 wins when the bowl game is included.
A 9-3 regular season feels realistic. Still, if the Wolverines can control a game like Oklahoma in the trenches, that would say a lot about how they’ll hold up in Big Ten play.
Whittingham splits the rivalry spotlight
Beating Michigan State doesn’t really count as a bold call, but that one goes to the Wolverines. The tougher prediction is Ohio State: Michigan will lose a close one.
Underwood and Michigan might not win in Columbus this year, but he should still have a strong showing in something like a 27-24 defeat.
It would help if Michigan had already reached double-digit wins before The Game, and that’s more realistic than it might seem. The Wolverines just need to handle their home slate, which is no small task with Iowa, Penn State, Oklahoma and Indiana all coming to the Big House.
Ohio State gets the win, but The Game should feel different than it did last year. Back then, there was a canyon between the two programs with Sherrone Moore in charge. That gap should not look as wide now.
The pressure will shift onto Underwood and Whittingham heading into 2027, just as it did for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes before the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons. In this rivalry, the losses stack up, and so does the pressure.
Michigan should look like one of college football’s best teams this season. That wasn’t the case in 2025.
In Other News...
Michigan Has One Andrew Sprague Decision That Could Change Everything Up Front
Andrew Sprague has already put himself in a key spot on Michigans offensive line, with the right tackle job currently viewed as his to lose after a strong season of grading from Pro Football Focus. For a program that always measures its line play by how well it can protect the quarterback and control the line of scrimmage, Spragues emergence gives the Wolverines a real foundation to build on up front.
But the bigger question is whether Michigan leaves him where he is or starts exploring a move that could change the shape of the whole line under Jim Harding. Sliding Sprague to left tackle would be a major shift, one that could accelerate his development while also putting a proven blocker on the blindside, and it is the kind of decision that can ripple through the rest of the depth chart even before summer competition fully settles it. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Commit Is Already Sounding Like A Future Class Leader
Lundon Hampton is wasting no time looking like more than just a name in Michigans 2027 class. The running back, who is already committed to the Wolverines, opened the season by scoring two touchdowns for Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills and continues to stay in close contact with Michigan coaches and fellow commits as he gets ready for the next step in his development.
Hamptons mindset is one of the reasons he stands out in the class early on. He has talked about improving himself while helping a team chase bigger goals, and he is already preparing to enroll early at Michigan. For a program that values future leaders as much as future playmakers, Hamptons approach suggests he may be building toward exactly that kind of role. [Read more 🡒]
Former Michigan Players Suddenly Face Tough NFL Roster Decisions
A wave of roster cuts around the NFL has put several former Michigan Wolverines on the move, with teams trimming down to 53 players before the regular season. Among the players released or waived are Stueber, Ryan Hayes, Donovan Edwards, Haskins, Mazi Smith, Myles Hinton, Thomas and Greg Crippen, a reminder of how quickly the margin tightens once preseason ends and front offices start sorting out the last spots.
For some of those ex-Wolverines, the next stop could be injured reserve or a practice squad opportunity if they clear waivers, which keeps the door open even after an initial setback. It is still an uneasy stretch, though, because these decisions can change the course of a young players first real NFL opportunity just as camp has ended and the league turns the page to Week 1. [Read more 🡒]