The No. 18 Michigan Wolverines will take on the Northwestern Wildcats at Wrigley Field on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12:10 p.m. on FOX. That’s a win for anyone tired of the night games we’ve had to endure
for the majority of the season.
Ahead of the game, we asked you to post your questions to “The Feed.” Here are a few of the questions we got this week, and my thoughts on the matters at hand.
HintOfTruth: Why doesn’t Michigan have a dedicated QB coach?
In my opinion, Sherrone Moore thought it’d be enough to have Chip Lindsey coach up that room and run the offense. Whether you like the decision or not, Lindsey has worked with some impressive quarterbacks in the past, including Drake Maye (UNC), Jarrett Stidham (Auburn), and even Mikey Keene (UCF). My guess is Moore thought they had enough help for the quarterbacks heading into the season.
VictorsV2317: Why are we still behind in the NIL game? What can we expect next year?
First, I’m not sure I agree they are behind in the NIL game. They’ve been finding success in the portal and managed to secure a top recruiting class. In their post on The Feed, VictorV2317 referenced Indiana when it comes to NIL, but I just don’t think that’s the entire story. Curt Cignetti is working with a lot of his same guys from last season and is an experienced coach. While you might get in good players with NIL you still have to know how to use them, and that’s what Indiana is proving moving forward.
BdGoblue23: What do you think is up with all these wonky substitution patterns?
These are both great questions, and I appreciate the use of “wonky” in a sentence.
My educated guess when it comes to the substitutions is they’re just trying to get as many guys out there to keep people healthy and give the younger guys experience. As the College Football Playoff expands, I think more coaches are going to be thinking about how to keep their players healthy and have a deep rotation to win more games, especially later in the season. Unfortunately, the Wolverines just aren’t there yet. I’ll admit I’ve been extremely surprised by how little we’ve seen players like TJ Guy and some guys in the secondary.
David Lewis 2: What happened to the tight ends? What’s going on with QB Mikey Keene?
I’m asking the same question when it comes to Michigan’s tight ends. They were used well in the game against Washington, and Bryce Underwood was targeting them all game long. With all the injuries at the position this season, I wonder if Underwood is starting to look for Andrew Marsh right away as the two of them start to build up their connection.
As for Mikey Keene, my guess is the Wolverines aren’t going to take Underwood off the field. I don’t know that I jump to the “he’ll transfer if he isn’t starting” narrative, but I don’t see why you’d pull him if he’s still winning games. Underwood uses his legs way more than Keene, and I think even with all the freshman growing pains, you want Underwood on the field because of that upside.
Bjork: Is it just me, or has momentum really tanked for Michigan’s season?
I don’t think it’s just you. Michigan was riding a lot of positives in the offseason after wins over Ohio State and Alabama, plus getting Underwood to flip last November. Andrew Babalola’s injury took some wind out of the sails before the season even started, and while Underwood was compared to Batman after the win at Nebraska, his lackluster passing stats over the past two games have people worried heading into the final three games.
The team is still winning games and is probably going to meet some expectations at the end of the season. I agree Michigan has so many little things to tweak and doesn’t have what feels like a true statement win. There’s still time, but at this point in the season, we’re still waiting for the same kind of enthusiasm and positivity we had at the end of last year.
SonicsAaron and BdGoblue23 both had questions about players declaring for the NFL Draft or returning to Ann Arbor in 2026.
When it comes to players declaring for the draft after this season, I don’t expect too many surprises, but I wouldn’t say I have the best track record this season at predicting things. I am curious about what Justice Haynes will do given his injury this year, but he’s still going to be someone that teams look at. I’m not sure how much that will impact his draft prospects in 2026. At this point in the season, I don’t think we’ll have anyone declare for the draft who we weren’t already expecting, but that answer will probably change by the end of the season.
Thanks again for posting your questions this week! Looking forward to next week’s Michigan Mailbag heading into the Maryland game!
