Kyle Whittingham Reveals His Vision for Bryce Underwood in 2026

After taking over the program this past December, new Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham has had a lot of work to do. From recruiting to evaluating the current talent in his roster, there has now been enough time for Whittingham to settle in Ann Arbor.

One of the biggest questions heading into next season is how much improvement we will see out of quarterback Bryce Underwood. As a true freshman in 2025, the Maize and Blue faithful saw a lot of ups and downs from the former No. 1 recruit in the nation.

Bryce Underwood in the pocket against USC — Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) is pressured in the pocket in the second half against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

On Monday (June 15), Whittingham sat down with the Big Ten Network and briefly discussed the young star QB and how he plans to put Underwood in a position to succeed.

“His physical profile and his skillset is incredible,” Whittingham said. “We will play to Bryce’s skillset, there is no doubt about it. He is a dual threat without a doubt. So we will have an offense that is geared towards what he does best.”

"We will play to Bryce's skillset, there's no doubt about it."

Kyle Whittingham talks @UMichFootball dual-threat QB Bryce Underwood 👇#B1GToday pic.twitter.com/iBADp665pG
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) June 15, 2026

Underwood concluded his freshman campaign with 2,428 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, over 180 passing yards per game and 60% completion rate.

As Whittingham mentioned, we also saw his rushing threat. He added nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Against Central Michigan (Sept. 13, 2025), Underwood ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns, both marking season-bests.

Bryce Underwood runs the ball against CMU — Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) runs against Central Michigan Central Michigan linebacker Dakota Cochran (1) during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Whittingham also brought in nearly a whole new coaching staff with him, including offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who joined him from his previous staff in Utah.

“Coach Beck, our offensive coordinator, is a master at putting players in position to succeed,” Whittingham said. “Which is the essence of coaching, putting players in position to succeed.”

Beck was only in Utah with Whittingham in Utah for one season, but helped the Utes rank top-five in the FBS in both total offense (482.9) and rushing offense (266.3).

Jason Beck coaches at the UofM Spring Game — Michigan offensive coordinator Jason Beck looks on before the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Along with Beck, Whittingham also hired Koy Detmer as the team's dedicated QB coach, also joining him from Utah.

The addition of Detmer is important, as Underwood did not have a QB coach as a true freshman in 2025. This should aid his development drastically, not only this offseason, but from start to finish of his sophomore campaign.

With the way Whittingham is talking about Underwood, fans should expect not only better numbers through the air, but on the ground as well, which should open up the UofM offense,

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