What's next for Michigan? Bryce Underwood future in focus as Kyle Whittingham era begins

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A late entry into the coaching carousel, Michigan exits the 2025 season hoping Kyle Whittingham's arrival in Ann Arbor can get the Wolverines back into the conversation as a national title contender.

A 41-27 loss to Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Wednesday saw the Wolverines finish the year at 9-4. While their season ended on a sour note, there is optimism for the future as they shift their attention to 2026. Still, while Whittingham's arrival breeds confidence, Michigan must address some major questions if they're going to return to the upper echelon of the Big Ten.

The winning streak over Ohio State got snapped this year, ridding the Wolverines of bragging rights over their hated rivals who are now seeking back-to-back national titles. Indiana and Oregon have jumped them in the conference hierarchy, and Michigan is in need of a jolt to get out of the second tier of Big Ten programs.

Whittingham's track record of success at Utah provides optimism that he can prevent any slippage from the Wolverines after the sudden firing of Sherrone Moore. He figures to keep them at an elite level defensively and can help re-establish a culture of physicality and toughness in Ann Arbor.

However, for Michigan to get where it wants to be, it needs to take strides offensively. After a disastrous 2024 offensively, the Wolverines took some strides in 2025 but were still 11th in the Big Ten in scoring offense. Whittingham's Utah teams weren't known for explosive offensive play, and if there is a question about him being the hire, it's the concern that he won't help facilitate the kind of offensive improvement needed to catch the Buckeyes, Hoosiers and Ducks at the top of the conference.

So what does the offseason focus look like in Ann Arbor as they gear up for the Whittingham era? It all starts with keeping their talented young quarterback in town.

Full-court press to keep Bryce Underwood

There is no bigger question for Michigan than the future of Bryce Underwood. After poaching him late in his recruitment process from LSU, Underwood had a solid freshman season in Ann Arbor and has immense potential.

Underwood said he'd decide on his future after the Citrus Bowl and will have a couple days as the calendar flips to 2026 to think on his future before the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2.

Michigan's boosters opened their wallets to keep him in the state out of high school, but Underwood's calculus at this point might be less concerned with money and more about his development into a top NFL prospect. He can get plenty of from just about any school that wants him, although perhaps not quite as much as Michigan is willing to provide, and he will need to believe in the vision Whittingham has for the program and that his development will be a priority.

That's a genuine question given Whittingham's track record at Utah. His Utes teams were incredibly competitive, but they were almost always led by the defense and he never had a quarterback get picked in the NFL Draft -- although Tyler Huntley has gone on to be a successful backup as an undrafted player. Underwood surely has visions of being the No. 1 overall pick in 2028, and he'll need to believe Whittingham and his staff -- another question mark at present -- will be able to help him get there.

There isn't a program that can out-spend Michigan for Underwood, but after a season where he wasn't exactly showcased on a defensive-minded team, the question is whether he wants to continue doing that. Whittingham's tenure at Utah would indicate he'll want Michigan to continue leaning on the running game to help keep his defense fresh. That's been a winning formula, and given Michigan's built to succeed in that style elsewhere on the roster, it's hard to see him deviating from that identity.

Michigan's pitch will be that there's still a pathway to being a top NFL Draft pick while playing for a team that leans on its defense. NFL scouts will still drool over Underwood's arm strength and athleticism, even if he's not asked to throw it 40 times per game. They can point to J.J. McCarthy's selection at No. 11 overall in 2024 as proof he can end up where he wants if Michigan reaches its full potential, as McCarthy put up pedestrian passing numbers en route to Michigan's national title but still got plenty of interest from the NFL as a less-heralded prospect than Underwood.

We'll find out soon enough whether Michigan can successfully make that pitch to Underwood. The financial element won't hurt their cause, but you can be sure Underwood will hear overtures from others who will sell him on being the top dog in a high-powered offense -- including Lane Kiffin, who takes over at the LSU program to which Underwood was once committed.

Kyle Whittingham's all-important courting of Bryce Underwood underway at Michigan: 'His ceiling is very high'

Brad Crawford

Add a dynamic receiver (or two)

Part of the sales pitch to Underwood will likely need to include a promise to invest in some upgrades around him at the receiver position. Michigan ran the ball extremely well this season, but they lacked juice in the passing game.

Underwood's arm talent is too good to not take advantage of more often, and while he has room to grow in his decision-making (as happens with most freshmen), he also needs some help to reach his full potential in Ann Arbor. Andrew Marsh had a strong freshman campaign as Michigan's leading receiver, but the Wolverines just need more from their wide receiver room overall.

There are some extremely good receivers in the transfer portal, and if Underwood is committed to staying, perhaps that coupled with Michigan's resources can lure in a star pass catcher. Cam Coleman is the ultimate prize, but there are plenty of other intriguing names in the portal -- including Michigan State's Nick Marsh -- that would provide Underwood with an upgrade on the outside.

When you look at the other top teams in the Big Ten, all of them have the ability to stretch the field in the passing game. Michigan needs to do better than 80th in the country in long pass plays (20+ yards) with a talent like Underwood, and to do so they might need to hit the portal to go receiver shopping.

Whittingham brings some familiar faces from Utah

Every time a coach changes programs in the portal era, there's always the question of what players will follow him. There's plenty of discussion about how Whittingham will build his staff in Ann Arbor, but one also wonders what players he can bring with him from Salt Lake City to ease the transition with some familiar faces to set the tone.

Whittingham's Utes were once again one of the nation's best on defense, and while it'd be a surprise to see a mass exodus given Utah promoted well-regarded defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley to head coach, there still could be a few players intrigued by the prospect of following Whittingham to Ann Arbor.

Star defensive end John Henry Daley has already hit the portal, and Michigan became the immediate favorite to land him. It always helps to have a star level player who is familiar with your system, and if Whittingham can get Daley and a couple other former Utes in the building, it can help speed up the process of establishing his preferred culture in Ann Arbor.

Continue dominating on the line of scrimmage

As important as Underwood is to Michigan being a contender next year and the Wolverines need to find ways to be more dynamic as a passing attack, their identity won't change all that dramatically under Whittingham.

He built his Utah teams on having strong line play, and that should make for a rather seamless transition to Michigan, where line play has long been a focal point. Michigan was among the nation's leaders in rushing this past season, and Whittingham will look to keep that rolling, while the Wolverines' defensive front has churned out elite talent for years.

If Whittingham is going to find the kind of success Michigan fans hope for in his first year, it'll be in large part because they are dominant up front on both sides of the ball.

They have to replace some of their top producers on defense like Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham, which is why the addition of Daley would be such a help in bolstering their pass rush. On offense, they'll need a replacement at center for Greg Crippen, but expect them to invest heavily in both lines this offseason.

Final prognosis

If Michigan can keep Underwood, the Wolverines will be a popular pick to make the College Football Playoff next season.

If Underwood opts to leave -- which would be a surprise, but not a complete shock -- then things get interesting. There are some big names in the portal market, and Michigan would become an immediate top landing spot for any of those names given the resources they have, but none of them have the upside of their ultra-talented freshman.

Either way, Michigan's floor seems to be what they were the last two seasons under Moore -- and what Whittingham's Utah teams were at their worst in his tenure. A solid team built on a defensive identity but with a fatal flaw of an offense that lacks the explosiveness to challenge the nation's elite.

Their ceiling as a title contender seems largely dependent on keeping Underwood and seeing him develop into one of the nation's best quarterbacks. If he can take the next step as a quarterback -- and that is incumbent on Michigan putting him in the right offense with the right talent around him -- they can certainly contend in the Big Ten and be a threat in the playoff.

Whittingham is an upgrade over Moore in game management and showed this year in Salt Lake City that he's willing to open things up a bit offensively when he has the talent to do so. The defense should remain one of the best in the Big Ten (and in the country), and Underwood should continue developing into a more complete quarterback, provided they put the right structure and talent around him.

They should try to get in the mix for one of the top portal receivers and will also likely be a player for a center and some more defensive depth. Whittingham may not be the flashiest hire of the coaching carousel, but his track record of success, coupled with Michigan's resources, should make them a serious threat for top talent in the portal.