Kyle Whittingham previews Michigan Football coaching debut vs WMU

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The Michigan Wolverines will kick off their 2026 football season under the lights of The Big House on Saturday against the in-state Western Michigan Broncos (7:36 p.m. on NBC). Head coach Kyle Whittingham met with the media on Monday morning to preview his Michigan coaching debut and much more.

Here are the key things he had to say during his press conference.

The Wolverines are healthy entering the season

Whittingham said that the only long-term injuries on the team as of today are running back Micah Ka’apana and offensive lineman Ace Hamilton, who will both miss the entire 2026 season. Other guys who are out — including Andrew Babalola, who is expected to miss this weekend’s game — are not expected to miss significant time.

Underwood is vastly improving

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood is “markedly better” heading into the season as opposed to where he was in the spring and the beginning of fall camp. Since he hasn’t been tackled or even hit at all this fall camp, Whittingham will be looking at that, specifically, this weekend. Whittingham also noted Underwood’s command of the offense and his reads are “way further ahead” than what we saw in the spring.

RB room depth is strong

When asked about the running back room entering the season, Whittingham declared Jordan Marshall as the starter and Savion Hiter as the immediate backup. Bryson Kuzdzal is RB3 and is a “very dependable, talented back that would be starting at a lot of places” had he not returned to Michigan. Tomas O’Meara is slated to be RB4.

The DL is still impressing Whittingham

Whittingham said the defensive line is still the strength of the defense at the moment. He mentioned they are “five deep” on the interior and “probably 7-8 deep” at edge. Freshman Carter Meadows is dealing with a nagging injury that will keep him out another day or so, but he should be fine overall. “We’ve been very blessed, player-wise, up front.”

Guys who have increased their stock during fall camp

Whittingham said that wide receiver Channing Goodwin (“he’s really brought himself in the mix”), sophomore edge rusher Nate Marshall and sophomore linebacker Chase Taylor (“functioning like a big time linebacker”) have all upped their stock this fall camp. Whittingham mentioned that Marshall had some off-field problems in the spring that he wasn’t happy about, but he has grown a lot since then and is among the best pass rushers on the team.

The most consistent safety is…

Memphis transfer Chris Bracy has been the most consistent player in the safety room, per Whittingham, and has been “rock solid from start to finish” this offseason. Sixth-year senior Rod Moore is also set to play “quite a bit” on Saturday, but he’s “not quite where he was prior to the setback.”

What Michigan has that will make it a conference title contender

Whittingham mentioned one of the goals this season is to win the Big Ten championship. When asked a follow up question about what gives him confidence that the Wolverines will be competing for that this year, Whittingham said the “outstanding leadership” on the team. He also pointed out Underwood’s development, which in his words has been “very encouraging.” Finally, he brought up being stout up front on defense.

This player has been a “tackling machine”

Whittingham really talked up North Dakota State linebacker transfer Nathaniel Staehling on Monday. Whittingham called him “a tackling machine” and a “productive guy, and that’s the thing that’s the most impressive is how often he is around the football or making a tackle.” He also said he “runs really well” and has “great instincts.” Sounds like he’ll be a focal point of the middle of the defense to start the year.

JHD is “100%” back

To round out the press conference, Whittingham said that Utah transfer edge rusher John Henry Daley is “100 percent” healthy and ready to go for the upcoming season. “He’s probably more explosive and quicker than he’s ever been,” per Whittingham. Dom Nichols, who has also missed some practice time recently due to an injury, is also back and good to go for Saturday.

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