ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- All of the big questions surrounding Michigan football this offseason have centered around the pass game. And last week, after the first fall camp practice, the questions still remained unanswered.
However, that appears to be starting to change.
After practice one, offensive coordinator Jason Beck said that the run game was the strength of the offense, at least at that point. Now, nearly a week later, WolverinesWire asked head coach Kyle Whittingham his estimation of the pass game given Beck's comments a week ago, and he's optimistic about its trajectory.
"It's coming along," Whittingham said. "I would say five practices in, we're right on schedule as far as offensive install, where we are execution-wise. I mean, we're obviously
a long ways from where we need to be, but we do have an outstanding running back room, and we figure that we're gonna be able to be a physical run team, and offensive lines starting to shape up. So we have a lot of unanswered questions: who the best five are, and that's again, as I mentioned last time, we had some media that we're gonna get the best five out there regardless of what position they may be labeled at. We've got to get the best five football players out there."
That may have seemed relatively effusive, but even so, he expounded when asked what unit, position group, or element of the team has made the biggest strides in camp thus far.
"I'd say the pass game, as we mentioned," Whittingham said. "It's much cleaner right now than it was any time during spring ball, which is a positive, but we had a lot of work to do back then, obviously, too. But the pass protection, pass protection -- we have some good defensive linemen, so it's being tested pretty good, but the pass pro seems to be on an upward trajectory."
Naturally, everyone wants to know about quarterback Bryce Underwood, who Whittingham says is making better decisions and is trusting his pass protection more. Wide receiver Andrew Marsh is more of a known commodity in terms of the receiving threats, but who else is taking steps forward?
Whittingham broke down a litany of receivers, noting that one stands out above the rest, nearly, if not at the same level as Marsh.
"JJ Buchanan is a special receiver," Whittingham said. "He's, at times, unguardable in practice. He's the 50-50 ball, the contested catch up the field. He's as good as anybody I've ever been around. He's got a size, 6-3, 215 pounds. He can run. He can jump. He's tough. He'll block. He's a complete receiver in all aspects.
"Salesi Moa is doing a really nice job. Jaime Ffrench is starting to come into his own. He was kind of figuring things out in spring, but he has really settled in and playing some good football. Channing Goodwin is another guy that's emerged -- that is a guy that's going to be in that mix. When all is said and done, we want about seven guys that we feel confident we can put in the game. We're probably at about five, five and a half right now."
Michigan will continue fall camp until game week, with the season opener set for September 5 against Western Michigan at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football pass game showing progress in camp
