Michigan’s offense figures to take a step forward in 2026 after back-to-back seasons of average-to-below-average play. Jason Beck is the new man in charge of the group, and he brings plenty of experience as an offensive coordinator, including a turnaround at Utah last year that had the Utes scoring 41.3 points per game.
Despite his track record, Beck has plenty to prove in a position where the spotlight will be brighter than it has been at any other point in his career. His new players, though, will have
some pressure on them as well to try and make things click, hopefully en route to a more successful season.
Let’s take a look at the three players in Michigan’s offense that have the most to prove in 2025.
RB Savion Hiter
It’s crazy to put a true freshman on a list like this, right? Probably, but we’re going to do it anyway. Running back Savion Hiter comes to Michigan as one of the highest-rated recruits in the nation. He’s 6-foot and 210 pounds, with a chiseled frame and bruising running style that should help him adapt to the physicality of the college game. Combining his physical traits with the fact he enrolled early and has been impressing the coaching staff for months already has many believing he can be a major success right away.
Despite all the positives Hiter brings to the table, it’s not like he’ll have the luxury of being eased into the action. He’ll be asked to be the “1B” to Jordan Marshall’s “1A” right away, so he’ll get immediately tested against the best the Big Ten has to offer, not to mention a tilt against Oklahoma in Week 2. If Hiter lives up to the hype, it should mean great things for the rushing attack, but the monstrous expectations are a lot to place on any freshman’s shoulders.
WR Jaime Ffrench
Michigan was pretty active in the transfer portal this offseason, making a handful of additions to the offense. One of those additions was former Texas wide receiver Jaime Ffrench. He was a highly-rated four-star recruit, but played sparingly for the Longhorns as a freshman, even in an offense that wasn’t able to do much early in the season. On the year, he had just one reception for six yards.
Coming to Michigan signifies he’ll get more playing time in an offense that should be plenty productive (even if it’s not at Texas’ level), but it’s not going to be a cakewalk to be one of the more productive receivers on the team. He likely sits behind Andrew Marsh and fellow transfer J.J. Buchanan in the pecking order, but Michigan also has others right behind him, including freshmen Travis Johnson and Salesi Moa, who have both received some praise by the coaches this offseason.
QB Bryce Underwood
Obviously the quarterback was going to be on this list; we just wanted to save him for the end for dramatic effect. There’s no player on Michigan’s offense — or the whole roster, for that matter — that has more to prove this season than Bryce Underwood. He came into his freshman year with some major expectations, perhaps unfairly so given the infrastructure around him and his youth, but things are set up for him to be more successful in 2026, so the pressure and expectations are going to return.
In 2025, Underwood showed some positive flashes with his arm and legs, but eventually hit a wall and fell into some bad habits, including poor footwork and decision-making that led to an increase in turnovers and questionable throws. The “wow” plays still happened on occasion, but not frequently enough to inspire much confidence that he could take over a game when needed.
Reports have been positive for Underwood at the start of fall camp, and he learned more about keeping his cool while training with Joe Burrow this offseason. It probably won’t translate into a 2019 LSU-like season for the Wolverines, but at a minimum, more consistency and a good grasp of the new offensive scheme should help the talented Underwood get closer to his sky-high potential in due time.
