Kyle Whittingham on Michigan football's 'ready-made' talent

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It's a different animal for Kyle Whittingham now that he's left what he's known for his whole coaching career in and around Salt Lake City, now that he's the head coach of Michigan football. While Whittingham has often fielded excellent teams with the Utes, his entry into all things maize and blue has fewer challenges, it seems.

On Tuesday, Whittingham met with the media in Ann Arbor for the first time since his introductory press conference in Orlando in December. With spring ball set to commence, WolverinesWire asked Whittingham how he balances what he's known with his newfound digs, noting that he's got a lot more talent to work with. And as far as he sees it, it's not just that he's got so much more to work with, it's the younger players he's gaining that he's particularly excited about.

"Utah was more of a development program," Whittingham said. "We had the two and three-star, rare four-star guy, and needed to take some time with them to develop. But here, these guys are more ready-made, I can tell you that. The freshman class that came in — they're not all here yet. There's about seven or eight, maybe nine, that will be here in the summertime. But those guys, a lot of those guys are going to help out right away. 

"I mean, the tailback, Savion Hiter, is special. I believe he's going to be a special player. And there's another handful of guys that we think in that freshman class are going to be real contributors, major contributors for us right away. And didn't have that luxury at Utah very often. Usually had to wait a year or two to develop those guys."

One place where there's a bevy of talent where there hasn't been in a few years for Michigan (and perhaps never at Utah) is the wide receiver position.

With three sophomores in Andrew Marsh, Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench, and Utah transfer JJ Buchanan, it's a good mix between a returning player, a player who already worked with Whittingham, and an identified player who can play a big role. Add in former Utes commit Salesi Moa to the group, and the new Michigan head coach feels like he has four guys who are set to be in the starting group. Beyond that, spring ball should give more clarity as to the next four.

"Andrew Marsh, he's a tremendous talent. That's very evident," Whittingham said. "And Jaime Ffrench, we brought him from Texas, has done a really nice job. Salesi Moa, our true freshman, has really looked sharp in the workouts. JJ Buchanan, transfer from Utah. 

"So those are probably the top four. Still jockeying for position for the next four. You typically travel about eight receivers — seven, eight receivers. And so we know that those top four are pretty darn good, and we're just trying to sort out that next tier. But those four guys are going to be very good Big Ten receivers in my opinion."

Of course, speaking of talent, the big one is quarterback Bryce Underwood, also a sophomore, coming off of a so-so season after being the No. 1 overall recruit in the country.

There's no question for Whittingham that Underwood is the starter, and

"Bryce is our clear No. 1; he’s QB1 without a doubt," Whittingham said. "He has performed very well in the workouts, and not only with his athleticism but leadership-wise. He’s voted one of our team captains. And so he’s a guy that everyone looks to. And the top 10% of your football team is critical because if they’re hard workers and doing things right, everyone else seems to follow along. They set the pace. And so Bryce has done a nice job of setting the pace."

The Wolverines open up spring ball on Tuesday, with eyes on the April 18 spring game, set for 2 p.m. EDT at The Big House.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan coach Whittingham excited about Wolverines' 'special' talent

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