Grading Michigan's Coaches Through Five Games

With Michigan heading into their bye week at 3-2, a lot of things have gone wrong for this team already. They do have ample time to turn things around, but if they don't do it quickly things can snowball on them. They have a very tough remaining schedule, with Indiana, Oregon, UCLA, and Ohio State all still coming up.

In recent days I've graded both the offensive and defensive position groups, and now it's time to take a look at the coaches. Let's dive into how the head coach, both coordinators, and the special teams coach grade out below.

Head Coach Kyle Whittingham: D+

In ESPN's returning production metric, Michigan was 20th in the country coming into this season. This was a team last year that returned a majority of the roster, including a lot of the key players off a 9-3 team. This included the majority of the offensive line, and the quarterback which are usually seen as the most important players to return. The reason I start with this is because this cupboard that Kyle Whittingham inherited is far from a bare one.

So far Kyle Whittingham looks like he's in over his head here at Michigan. Whether it's on the sidelines or when he's at the podium, he does not appear to have the answers to help get things back on track. He should also be held responsible for letting things fall off the track in the first place and that's why I grade him the way that I do.

He helped put together a good roster with what he inherited plus who he brought over from Utah, but in terms of actually coaching this team he's done a pretty lousy job so far. His in game coaching mechanics in terms of timeouts and 4th down decisions have been good for the most part, but that's about all he's done well in my opinion. He has a lot to figure out and it's past time he does so or else people will start to question how long his tenure in Ann Arbor will ultimately last.

Offensive Coordinator Jason Beck: D

Michigan offensive coordinator Jason Beck looks on before the spring game at Michigan Stadium | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Through five games, Michigan is 106th in scoring offense, 101st in rushing offense, 112th in passing offense, and 114th in turnovers. In short, this unit has been one of the worst offenses in the country. There's really no other way to look at it.

These issues in my opinion are not a result of a lack of talent. Jason Beck inherited a lot of talent to work with, because Michigan as a team was 14th in the country in rushing offense last season, and this season with virtually the same players they are 101st in the country. Clearly the players didn't suddenly forget how to play football, and the reason they're not having any success falls on Jason Beck ultimately.

Along with the run game issues, the passing game has been just as bad if not even worse. Part of the issue is certainly Bryce Underwood, but a lot of the blame for the offense's lack of production should be placed on the offensive coordinator.

The crux of my issues with Jason Beck is that he took a team that had a smash mouth identity and turned it into an east/west run game that is just not working with these players. To be frank, it's alarming that we're now five weeks into the season the there appears to be virtually no changes to the scheme despite a complete lack of success in 60% of their games so far this season.

Jason Beck may be a good coach. He's certainly had a lot of success in his last two stops, but he needs to adjust and it's past time to do so. You just can't be this poor on offense on continue to smash your head into a brick wall. He needs to figure it out during this bye week or he should not be back in Ann Arbor next season.

Defensive Coordinator Jay Hill: A-

Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill watches warms up ahead of the Iowa game | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Jay Hill on the other hand has been really good as Michigan's defensive coordinator this season. He mixes coverage, he brings pressure when the offense doesn't expect it, and all in all he's allowed the talent on his unit to shine through.

That's a very positive reflection of good coaching, is that you highlight what your team is good at, and hide the things your team isn't as good at. He does have a lot of talent at his disposal, and that shouldn't be glossed over, but he's also done a really good job of maximizing the results of this defensive unit.

Now, he hasn't been perfect. The Iowa game in particular on the very last play obviously jumps out. I don't understand why you'd even put your defensive back near the line of scrimmage on a play like that at the 16-yard line with two seconds left.

This defense also had times where they haven't done a great job of getting off the field. I think of the Minnesota game, as well as the Western Michigan game where they allowed multiple long drives in the second half that kept their offense off the field for longer periods of time.

Besides those two things, he's been nearly perfect. This defense is 23rd in scoring defense, 20th in rushing defense, and 6th in total defense. It's been a very good unit through these first five games and is bordering on an elite one, which is why I gave him an A- for the job he's done thus far.

Special Teams Coordinator Kerry Coombs: C+

Michigan special teams coach Kerry Coombs watches practice ahead of the game between Michigan and Western Michigan | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The special team Kerry Coombs inherited was quite poor. Michigan's punters haven't been good since Jim Harbaugh left, and the kickers have been all over the place as well in the same time frame. Not to mention major issues on the kickoff team, kickoff return team, punt return team. All of this was present before Kerry Coombs arrived.

I say that to preface the grading because the situation Kerry Coombs walked into is very different from the situation the rest of the coaching staff walked into. Comparing the special teams results from 2025 to 2026, and Michigan is much better at punting and kicking the football. They also blocked a punt against Minnesota and looked to have nearly gotten a second one.

The other issues remain though, as Michigan has already given up a kickoff return touchdown that swung the Iowa game, and Andrew Marsh has muffed two punts on the punt return team. So for the grading of Kerry Coombs it's a bit of a mixed bag, because he walked into a bad situation with the special teams units he inherited and we've seen real progress in the punt and field goal units, but the large scale mistakes the special teams units have made through five games are glaring.

However; it's only been three major mistakes when you look at it in totality, and that's why I gave him a C+ here for the special teams grade.

Sign up for the Michigan Wolverines on SI newsletter for more free coverage

Add us as a preferred source on Google