Kyle Whittingham Doubles Down on 'Recruiting' Fixing Michigan's Offensive Woes

Michigan is 5-4 and on the brink of missing a bowl game for the first time in over a decade. But with games against Oregon, UCLA, and Ohio State left on the schedule, the Wolverines would need to show major life on the offensive side of the ball to make a bowl game.

Following Michigan's 15-6 loss to Michigan State, Kyle Whittingham went against what he had originally said about former offensive coordinator Jason Beck on Saturday night and opted to fire him on Sunday. It was time and something the fanbase had wanted done a few weeks ago. Michigan has the 132nd-ranked offense in the country and Beck was brought in as the highest-paid offensive coordinator.

In his place, Jim Harding will step in on an interim level, while Whittingham conducts a national search. And in a recent sitdown with WXYZ Detroit's Tina Nguyen, Whittingham said things will get better because of recruiting.

With coming into the fold back in January, the recruiting cycle was done for Michigan. Whittingham and Co. spent time retaining the Wolverines' roster, and now he wants to put his stamp on Michigan's roster with the 2027 recruiting class.

"Yeah, well recruiting is the top fix for everything," Whittingham said. "That's the number one thing in college football that leads to your success or lack thereof is your recruiting. We're excited to have a recruiting cycle because we got here in January and the recruiting cycle was essentially over.

"Half the team was in the portal, seemingly half the team, and so we were trying to scramble and retrieve guys out of the portal that were already in the program and so we're excited that we've had an opportunity now to have a complete cycle. We've done the evaluations on the players. We've handpicked who we want to target and get them in the program and get going with them."

Michigan recently lost offensive lineman Sidney Rouleau, who committed to Syracuse. And despite the Wolverines moving on from Beck, the Wolverines feel confident they can retain their 2027 class. Michigan is on the cusp of having a top-10 class, and Whittingham said after talks with position coaches, nobody is panicking.

"Well, those were conversations with their position coaches and we had a meeting this morning, a staff meeting, and the feedback is that they're very positive and the players are still excited about the program and becoming a Michigan Wolverine and being a part of what we're doing," Whittingham said.

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Better days ahead?

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham walks — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan had a 9-4 record last season under Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines lost their bowl game to Texas, but Michigan's offense was much better last year than it is this season. Michigan brought over JJ Buchanan on the offensive side of the ball, along with five-star Savion Hiter, who has seen plenty of carries.

But the facts are that Michigan has the 132nd-ranked offense and the Wolverines' offensive line is having a lot of trouble blocking. The only major changes from last season are the coaches. Beck's scheme never clicked in Ann Arbor and Michigan's line has been noticeably worse under Jim Harding, who is regarded as a top line coach in the country.

But Whittingham believes better days are ahead with the recruiting cycle, transfer portal, and being retaining key players from the team.

"Well, there's better days ahead and like I said, you can only do so much until you have recruiting cycles," said Whittingham. "Once you have your recruiting cycles, then you have the opportunity to get your type of players that you believe in in the program and that's not to say I don't believe in the guys we have here but we haven't had an opportunity yet to bring in a class and put our stamp on it and so that's what we're looking forward to and we've also got some really good players in the program we need to retain.

"You not only recruit new players, you recruit your own roster because with the portal, retention is huge and particularly the key guys, you've got to hang on to your key guys. Nobody hangs on to all their key guys but you need to really do your best job and best efforts to retain your best players and the guys that are the best fits in your program and so recruiting is more now than just bringing in new guys, it's retention as we said."

Whittingham said the biggest challenge and most important facet of college football is recruiting. That goes with retaining the roster they are currently coaching. While Whittingham has faith in their ability to recruit and get their players in the program, the only real question remaining is if he will get that chance.

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