CHICAGO --
New Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham said on Thursday at Big Ten media days that when he arrived in Ann Arbor, he was surprised at how weak his new program was in the weight room. He noted that his Utah team was stronger, so he quickly worked to change that. And while he added that most of the team are now posting personal bests, it doesn't appear that that's just lip service.Wolverines running back Jordan Marshall is feeling the effects himself. Asked what the big differences are now playing under Whittingham, Marshall quickly pointed to the strength and conditioning, under new coach Doug Elisaia, taking things up a notch.
"Two major differences -- the strength and conditioning program. I mean, huge difference," Marshall
said. "I mean, a lot of us are a lot bigger and stronger. I know my bench has skyrocketed. I hit 375. But numbers from everyone's like -- oh yeah, my squat, my bench, has all went up 100 to 200 pounds. I mean, that's saying something. And then I would say, I mean, even from a conditioning standpoint, I think we're going to win a lot of games just because how much we condition and how much we run. And I think that's the biggest difference is we're going to be more conditioned than teams in the fourth quarter. And I think we lacked that in the last season."
Outlasting teams in the fourth quarter due to superior conditioning used to be a hallmark of Michigan football teams, even as recently as the national championship year of 2023. Yet, it hasn't been the same since acclaimed coach Ben Herbert followed Jim Harbaugh to the NFL.
As noted, Marshall is one who is doing much better than he was previously, and given his injury issues a year ago, he's excited to see what his added strength will be able to do to keep him on the field. But it's not just about getting stronger as much as it's building functional strength, so that the players are more capable and more impervious to tweaks that happen in-game.
"We did not just because of shoulder injuries and stuff," Marshall said. "But I think we need to have it. We are doing a lot of movements that prepare you for football instead of just being in there and lifting. And I think when you're doing movements that also help you and direct straight to the field, that's when it counts. You shouldn't be in the weight room just lifting the lift. You should be in the weight room to say, when I go squat, this is why I'm squatting. And that's what we've been doing. Same thing with my hamstrings. You work on your hamstrings every day, so there's no hamstrings or soft tissue injuries. And that's what's been good. You need that."
Now the Wolverines are closing out summer conditioning with fall camp set to begin next week with eyes on the September 5 season opener against Western Michigan at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football players see big gains under new coach
