Michigan finished 9-4 in 2025, a season in which there were multiple areas to improve in. For the most part, Michigan’s defense and run game proved impactful and near the top of the country in most statistical categories. The pass game, and the pass defense at times, though, struggled to get going and never really found its footing.
With the development of quarterback Bryce Underwood and additions in the secondary, as well as multiple key returning pieces, there are improvements that will likely be
made that could help the Wolverines be more successful in 2026.
Here are five statistics Michigan must improve in that will help take on a schedule that boasts six teams in the coaches poll preseason top125 and four teams in the top-10.
Passing yards per game: 186.8 (104th in 2025) -> 225+
Rushing has never been an issue for Michigan. Even during Michigan’s 2023 national championship season, the Wolverines ranked 76th nationally in passing yards at 213.7 yards per game. Last season, Michigan was 11th in rushing yards per game with 210.2, a major improvement from the 157.2 yards per game in 2024. Even looking at the translation from the Utes a season ago, they were second only behind Navy with 265.8 rushing yards per game.
All to say, you don’t absolutely need to have an efficient passing game to perform well, but given Underwood’s talent and expectations, he should be one of the premier quarterbacks in college football. Last year, even with Fernando Mendoza, Indiana ranked 64th in passing yards per game with 229.8, but eclipsing that 225 yards per game marker would be a good standard for Underwood and the Michigan offense.
Passing yards allowed per game: 211.4 (46th in 2025) -> -200
Yards allowed through the air is actually a category Michigan improved upon from 2024 to 2025, going from allowing 216.3 yards per game in 2024 to 211.4 in 2025. But that mark isn’t anywhere near the 157 yards per game Michigan allowed in the national championship season in 2023, and even falls behind both the 2022 and 2021 seasons where Michigan had 191.8 and 204.4, respectively.
Similar to the passing offense, the Wolverines haven’t had an issue with the rushing defense, ranking 17th in rush yards allowed per game last season at 112.2, lower than the 90.7 in 2024. Michigan doesn’t need a whole lot of improvement in this category, but it should be able to do this thanks to returning some key pieces in the secondary and adding new pieces from Utah’s defense.
Red-zone scoring: 78.85% (103rd in 2025) -> 87%+
This one is pretty simple. Michigan was abysmally efficient in the red zone last season, only scoring on 78.85 percent of their trips in 2025. This is even a major decline from the 87.18 percent scoring percentage in 2024, which ranked 44th in the nation.
Last October and November, Michigan scored on 24 of its 33 trips in the red zone, which is a 72.7 percent scoring percentage which would rank 123rd and the lowest in the Big Ten last year. The Wolverines have to be more efficient in the red zone and capitalize on drives and turnovers, especially for a team that had a positive turnover margin and forced 19 turnovers.
4th down conversion: 38.9% (122nd in 2025) -> 60%+
Fourth down conversions are often very situational and hard to gauge at times. But the drop in fourth down conversion percentage from 2024 to 2025 for Michigan alone is a cause for concern.
The Wolverines converted on just 38.9 percent of fourth down attempts in 2025, down from 70.6 percent in 2024. The difference between fourth down attempts per game in 2025 and 2024 is 1.4 per game in 2025 to 1.3 per game in 2024. The issue for Michigan wasn’t that it was forced to attempt more fourth down conversions, it’s that the Wolverines simply weren’t converting them and need to find a solution in 2026.
Time of possession: 29:47 (74th in 2025) -> 31:00+
The goal for any team should be to have possession of the ball for more than half of the game. Unless you’re blowing out opponents and scoring quickly on every single drive, it’s imperative to rest the defense while the offense operates.
Last year was the first time since 2020 where the Wolverines had possession for less than half the game. Michigan ranked 74th in time of possession last season, down from 23rd in 2024 where it held possession for 31:54 per game. The Wolverines have been in the top-25 in this category every year from 2021-24 and had more than 31 minutes per game in each season.
For a young core on defense that lacks depth at linebacker and other positions, more time off the field for a defense could be the key to winning games in the fourth quarter and near the end of the season.
