Michigan Mailbag: Citrus Bowl Edition

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After a few uneventful weeks, we finally get some Michigan Football on Wednesday. Thank goodness.

While there are obviously some questions about the football to be played on Wednesday, we all have a ton of questions about new head coach Kyle Whittingham’s future with the program. Thanks for submitting questions to our post on The Feed. Here’s this week’s Michigan Mailbag.

SonicsAaron: Bryce Underwood. Is he a go for this game?

From what we’ve seen, Bryce Underwood is talking with the media and will be good to go come game time. We learned Sunday that Underwood was top of mind for Whittingham, as the two spoke on Sunday to try and get to know each other. It certainly sounds like Whittingham is already working to keep a lot of the roster intact.

BlueTriDoc: If the Whittingham deal goes through before the bowl game, will that change any of the coaching staff responsibilities?

Whittingham said at his news conference that his goal ahead of the game was to focus on player retention. While he plans to meet with the players 1-on-1, he said he won’t have a role when it comes to the game and plans to let the current staff and players prepare like they’ve been doing the past few weeks.

Gibby2281: When does Whittingham address team?! And does he have plans to do 1-1 interactions with players?!

I alluded to it in an earlier answer, but we learned over the weekend that Whittingham addressed the team on Saturday, before starting to meet with players 1-on-1. We know Underwood was at the top of the list, and Whittingham is focused on retaining players on the roster as well.

As to your other questions, at the time of writing this, we’re still waiting on which current coaches Whittingham will keep at Michigan. We know he has familiarity with running backs coach Tony Alford, and he also said he planned to bring in some guys he trusts and that he has worked with in the past, saying he’ll have about 7-8 new hires and 2-3 holdovers from Michigan’s current staff.

Von Lozon: Who are some players you think would excel next season under Kyle Whittingham if they stick around?

If Whittingham does bring the coordinators we’re hearing rumors about, I can’t wait to see what happens to Michigan’s secondary. BYU has one of the top defenses in the country, and we know Michigan has a ton of talented young players. I’d be excited to see Mason Curtis take another leap forward, and to see what happens with the young safeties and corners under a new coordinator.

On offense, Underwood, Andrew Marsh and Jordan Marshall. The Utes led the Big 12 in rushing yards, and had multiple quarterbacks who could pick up yards on the ground. That’s good news for Underwood if he sticks around. The Utes may not have led the conference in passing, but they were very efficient. For me, that’s good news for Marsh and the wide receivers. Those are the three offensive players I’m really hoping stick around and could have huge years in 2026.

Jl84: Who has opted out?

We have been told that Jaishawn Barham, Derrick Moore and Giovani El-Hadi have opted out of the Citrus Bowl, and those are going to be the only three healthy players that will not be suiting up in this game. According to the Detroit Free Press, Justice Haynes and Ernest Hausmann were not with the team as they practiced for the bowl game, but it sounds like Haynes will be in Orlando at some point, if he isn’t already there.

paulcdevine: I will ask again, what has happened to Jadyn Davis?? What is that kids story? 

There is not much to say about Jadyn Davis. He has entered the transfer portal, which many expected him to do after Michigan signed Underwood last year. Instead, Davis stuck around for the 2025 season, but just wasn’t able to win the starting job. As with any of the transfers, we wish him the best as he looks for a new team!

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