5 burning questions for Michigan football as spring practice begins

It’s still hoops season for Michigan in March: Dusty May’s men enter March Madness as a 1-seed and a national title favorite, while Kim Barnes Arico’s women are a 2-seed and will host the first two rounds of the NCAAs this weekend.

It’s almost enough to make one forget about football.

Almost.

Michigan football begins spring ball on Tuesday, March 17 – the first time the Wolverines will wear pads under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, hired in late December.

Whittingham is far from the only new face in Schembechler Hall, with just one coach remaining who was on staff for U-M’s November loss to Ohio State (running backs coach Tony Alford), 20 new transfers (replacing 27 players lost to the transfer portal) and 26 incoming freshman.

Arriving with them are a host of burning questions surrounding the program, ranging from the QB to the schemes to special teams. So let’s dig in before Michigan’s 15-practice stretch culminates with the annual Maize vs. Blue spring game at Michigan Stadium (2 p.m., April 18).

How much did Bryce Underwood develop?

It wasn’t the freshman year he expected as Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025, mixed flashes of elite talent with crushing turnovers. He completed 60.3% of his passes for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but his November and December were arguably worse than his September.

Underwood had seven touchdowns and two picks in the first half of the year, followed by just four touchdowns and seven picks – including six interceptions (plus a fumble) in his final four. Was that a result of the chaos behind the scenes, or the lack of a dedicated quarterbacks coach? Either way, this year brings some stability in the coaching ranks, thanks to the importation of a swath of Utah and BYU assistants – including Koy Detmer Jr., brought in specifically to work with QBs.

Whittingham’s first player meeting was a solo convo with Underwood, a sign of the QB’s importance to the Wolverines. Now we’ll get to see what he learned in his first year – not to mention the staff’s sense of offseason growth –throughout the next month of practice.

What are the schemes?

Along with Whittingham and Detmer arrive myriad assistants, led by new offensive coordinator Jason Beck and defensive coordinator Jay Hill.

Beck led Utah to one of its most productive seasons in program history in 2025; the Utes ranked No. 5 in scoring (41.2 points per game), No. 4 in total offense (482.9 yards), No. 3 in third-down conversions (52.6%), No. 2 in rushing offense (266.3 yards) and No. 1 in first downs.

Beck will likely orchestrate a “power spread” attack; the hope is that his scheme will cut down on turnovers, as Utah quarterback Devon Dampier threw just five interceptions last season, tied for the fourth fewest of any QB with at least 300 attempts.

Hill, meanwhile, comes from BYU after back-to-back top-25 scoring defenses. The Cougars ranked No. 18 in 2024 with just 19.6 points allowed per game, and No. 21 in 2025 (19.1). In 2024, BYU led the nation with 22 interceptions and was No. 13 in total defense (308.8 yards per game).

HIll runs a familiar 4-2-5 defense, built around five defensive backs. U-M has run a variable scheme in recent years, but often operated with five defensive backs, particularly on passing downs.

Still, the terminology and details will be different , raising the question of how the Wolverines will adapt to it.

How are the trenches?

It was no coincidence Michigan hit its modern height while winning Joe Moore Awards (for the top offensive line in the country) and sending defensive linemen to the NFL in the first round. There’s no likely first-rounders this season, but the Wolverines need to get back to elite status in the trenches to get back to the College Football Playoff.

Whittingham brought key offensive linemen, such as Andrew Sprague and Jake Guarnera, back from the transfer portal. So what will the unit look like this season?

Blake Frazier is the favorite to start at left tackle, while Evan Link is expected to move to left guard. Guarnera is widely expected to become the starting center, with Nathan Efobi as right guard and Sprague at right tackle. That’s a solid unit.

But there’s also Andrew Babalola, a five-star signee from the class of 2025 who tore his ACL last fall before season’s start. The redshirt freshman figures to be among the most talented in the room; he could be an option as the sixth man on the line or as the swing tackle that Whittingham likes to call the “rhino.” Meanwhile, Brady Norton will compete for a guard spot, as will Nebraska transfer Houston Ka’aha’aina-Torres, though he likely will be U-M’s backup center.

On defense, U-M has a lot to replace – nearly its entire starting defensive line. The starting edges will likely be John Henry-Daley, an All-American from Utah coming off a lower body injury and senior Cam Brandt, working on takingthe next step. Nate Marshall, Dom Nichols and five-star freshman Carter Meadows will all compete for snaps as well.

Trey Pierce and Enow Etta figure to be the starting tackles, while Jonah Lea’ea will also see significant time and could push for Etta’s spot. Manuel Beigel, Deyvid Palepale and Alister Vallejo will all fight to be part of the rotation.

There are potential issues with upside in this group, but it’s not a weakness for now.

Who’ll catch the ball?

Receiver Andrew Marsh returns for his second season, and the Wolverines added a couple potential talents out wide: JJ Buchanan was dynamic as a freshman at Utah (26 catches for 427 yards and five touchdowns) while Jaime Ffrench Jr. was a highly regarded four-star wideout in the class of 2025.

Beyond them, there’s potential, if not production. Can Channing Goodwin find consistency? Can Jamar Browder live up to his imposing 6-foot-5 frame? Will Salesi Moa, a top-50 recruit in the class of 2026, play on offense or just be in the secondary? Can incoming freshman Travis Johnson, who the Wolverines are extremely high on, break into the rotation? Can Kendrick Bell build on a Citrus Bowl that included an impressive touchdown grab? Can I’Marion Stewart finally earn some snaps?

For the first time in a while, there are multiple intriguing options; they start with Marsh, who could be one of the Big Ten’s top three wide receivers in 2026.

Special teams struggles in the past?

Michigan thrived on special teams in the Jim Harbaugh era, picking up hidden yards and points consistenly enough to make a difference. During the two-season Sherrone Moore era – outside of an incredible Dominic Zvada season in 2024 – the unit was woefully ineffective, with a dead return game and punting that was average, at best.

How will that change under former Ohio State special teams whiz Kerry Coombs? The initial returns were excellent in December’s Citrus Bowl, with Marsh looking like a truly explosive returner. We’ll see what Coombs can do with the kicking game, as Michigan imported a new long snapper (Nico Crawford, Pittsburgh), kicker (Trey Butkowski, Pittsburgh) and punter (Cam Brown, UNLV).

Even a merely above-average performance could be enough to steal a win at some point.

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football 5 burning questions as spring practice begins