The Michigan football team begins spring practice today in preparation for its first season under head coach Kyle Whittingham. After plenty of positive and not-so-positive developments for the program since the end of the 2025 regular season, it’s finally time for the players to strap on their pads and get back to work.
It’s during this time of year that a handful incoming transfers and true freshmen will mesh with their new teammates, all within the confines of new offensive and defensive systems
under Jason Beck and Jay Hill, respectively. Furthermore, this will be the time for all the players to start asserting themselves as possible contributors to the 2026 team.
With plenty to look forward to in the weeks leading up to the spring game on April 19, here are the four storylines we’ll be watching the closest as spring practices get underway.
A new identity for the offense
If you remember Whittingham’s introductory press conference, you might recall his idea for the new offense, which features a spread style and plenty of 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers). This type of offense is something he claimed would suit second-year quarterback Bryce Underwood “to a T.” Well, now it’s time for the team to begin installing those packages on the field with Beck pulling the strings.
Beck helped engineer a massive offensive turnaround for Utah last season and will be tasked with doing the same thing in Ann Arbor. The offense recently at Michigan has built its identity on being physical up front and efficient in the run game. And while the offensive line and running back rooms are both ripe with talent, it’ll likely be the aerial attack that’s the star of the show if all goes according to plan.
During the spring, we’ll be looking to see how the new scheme can best maximize Underwood’s talent, and if Beck and new quarterback coach Koy Detmer Jr. can continue to iron out the kinks in Underwood’s game (footwork issues and decision-making).
Building depth in the front seven
Both Whittingham’s and Michigan’s teams of the past have been synonymous with great defensive play, particularly in the front seven. However, Michigan doesn’t return many key contributors, as the defensive tackle, edge rusher and off-ball linebacker positions all faced plenty of attrition this offseason.
Enow Etta and Trey Pierce are back on the inside and both offer plenty of promise, but we’ve yet to see either take on the workload they’ll get this year. Meanwhile, along the edge, we’ll be looking for updates from guys like Cameron Brandt, Dominic Nichols and Nate Marshall. Meanwhile, incoming transfers John Henry Daley and Jonah Lea’ea, as well as early-enrolling freshman McHale Blade, will have the chance show their skills, too.
The situation at linebacker is a bit more bleak considering none of the top four guys from last season are back. As it stands, Michigan will be relying on big jumps from junior Troy Bowles, and sophomores Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and Chase Taylor, to help fill the void. However, Michigan did bring in four linebackers from the portal to maximize the competition, which hopefully results in a handful of viable contributors emerging.
Which pass-catchers step up?
To follow up on the new offensive scheme, any success through the air will likely be predicated on reliable targets emerging for Underwood this spring. Last season, Andrew Marsh and Donaven McCulley proved to be the only consistently reliable targets, but entering the spring, there looks to be upwards of eight or nine players between wide receiver and tight end that could compete for targets.
Marsh is back to lead the group, while transfers Jaime Ffrench and J.J. Buchanan will help complement Marsh’s skillset. Those two are likely the next up in the pecking order for targets, but there will be competition from returning players like Channing Goodwin and Jamar Browder, as well as incoming freshmen Salesi Moa and Travis Johnson.
As for the tight ends, Zack Marshall made the most of his opportunities with Hogan Hansen hurt for much of 2025. Those two will spend the spring duking it out for the top spot on the depth chart.
Is the offensive line set in stone?
During last year’s spring and summer workouts, we’d heard those inside the program rave about then-freshman offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, giving him some serious helium to be a starter in Week 1. However, a knee injury in fall camp derailed his season. Now, he is back for his sophomore season, but so are five other players that started games up front in 2025.
With the return of Babalola, Avery Gach and Brady Norton, and the arrival of Nebraska transfer Houston Kaahaaina-Torres, the offensive line now has more than enough competition to build itself up under new position coach Jim Harding. That’s not even to mention early-enrolling freshman Marky Walbridge and prized four-star recruit Malakai Lee, who is set to arrive this summer.
Michigan’s offensive line took a step in the right direction last season with the five returning starters, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see someone like Babalola or Norton makes the most of the competition and push for a starting spot. Regardless of how it plays out, the group should be able to take another step forward under Harding’s tutelage. It will just be a matter of figuring out which pieces fit together the best.
