Kyle Whittingham isn’t ready to let Michigan’s recent run hide the rough edges.
After the Wolverines opened with a shaky 13-12 win over Western Michigan, they responded with convincing victories over Oklahoma and UTEP. That kind of bounce-back can make a team look settled in a hurry. Whittingham, though, made it clear on Monday that there’s still plenty he wants cleaned up.
Speaking with reporters, the head coach said the Wolverines need to play with more steadiness and handle adversity without losing their edge.
"We're still working on the culture and getting things instilled that way and the expectations," Whittingham said, according to ESPN. "When things get tough, that's when you really need to rise up and up your game and not get a deer-in-the-headlights look type of thing."
He continued, "We're making progress in that regard. It's just when things get hard, and you get in difficult situations and face adversity, that's when you need to really rise up with the emotion and the energy and not just put you in a funk, so to speak."
Whittingham also pointed to the emotional rhythm of the team, saying he wants Michigan to "be more consistent with our enthusiasm, passion, energy. It seems to ebb and flow a little bit. We've got to find a way to get that passion and energy at a high level from start to finish."
For a coach still getting a feel for his roster, that kind of message fits. Michigan’s first game already showed how thin the margin can be, and the early close call against a non-conference opponent stood in sharp contrast to the more complete performances that followed.
The good news for the Wolverines is that Whittingham sees progress. The bigger message is that he expects more.
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Jordan Marshall offers a steadier note heading into Iowa. The starting running back has been working back through nagging injuries, but he is expected to be available unless something changes, which at least gives Michigan a chance to keep some balance in the offense while the line situation sorts itself out. The real question now is how long the Wolverines may have to manage without Sprague, because the answer could shape more than just one game plan. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan's Young QB Just Made A Bigger Roster Debate More Urgent
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Kyle Whittingham praised Carr afterward, but the larger conversation around the program is already growing beyond one outing. With the transfer portal making retention harder and the NCAAs new 5-for-5 rule giving coaches more freedom to play younger guys without burning a redshirt, Michigan has even more reason to weigh development against depth management. Carrs outing only sharpened that debate. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Can Finally Plan The Wolverines' First 2026 Road Trip
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Minnesota enters this season at 2-1 under P.J. Fleck, with TJ Thomas and Drake Lindsey among the names to watch, but Michigan has controlled this series for a while. The Wolverines have won five straight against the Gophers, and Minnesotas last win in the rivalry came back in 2014, which gives this one a little extra edge even before the teams take the field. [Read more 🡒]