Can Michigan’s Offense Finally Adapt? The Breakdown

[Michigan’s offense doesn’t need to become something it’s never been. It doesn’t need to abandon a run game. It doesn’t need to throw the ball 50 times a game. And it doesn’t need Bryce Underwood to play Superman every Saturday. But it does need to evolve because last season showed us just how quickly a strength can become a weakness when injuries hit.

The passing game becomes predictable and the offense can’t consistently create explosive plays. Now with Jason Beck directing the offense, Bryce Underwood another year older, one of the deepest running back rooms in the country, and an offensive line expected to take another step forward, Michigan has the pieces. The question is whether those pieces can finally come together. Because if Michigan wants to get back into the national championship conversation, this offense can’t simply be better than it was a year ago. It has to become an offense opponents actually fear.

I’m Chris Howard and this is the breakdown. Let’s get it.

What’s going on Michigan fans? Welcome back to another episode of The Breakdown with Chris Howard. And on today’s episode, I want to talk about Michigan’s offense. When we talk about what Michigan’s offense has to become in 2026, I think it’s only fair we talk about what it was in 2025. Because Michigan’s offense wasn’t terrible last season.

It was just incomplete. Michigan averaged almost 397 yards of offense per game. They rushed for more than 210 yards per game. They averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored 33 rushing touchdowns. Those are good numbers.

But then you look at the other side of the equation. Michigan averaged just 186.8 yards passing per game. They scored 33 touchdowns on the ground and only 11 through the air. That tells you everything. Michigan could run the football, but when defenses put Michigan in situations where they had to throw the football, the offense became much easier to defend.

And that to me is the biggest difference between the offense we saw in 2025 and what this offense has the potential to become in 2026 under Kyle Whittingham and under offensive coordinator Jason Beck. They don’t have to abandon their identity. They just have to expand on it.

And as a wise coach always told me, it all starts up front. I think one of the most interesting things Kyle Whittingham said after taking over this program had nothing to do with formations, play calling, or quarterback mechanics. It was about the weight room. Whittingham said one of the first things that jumped out to him when his staff tested the team was overall strength numbers simply weren’t where he believed they needed to be. And quite honestly, when I heard that statement, I really couldn’t believe it.

I heard that the team wasn’t doing bench presses, which, you know, in this modern age of football, isn’t surprising. But the bench press is a key metric to understanding how strong your team is. And that’s important because sometimes we watch offensive line play and we immediately blame technique. Sometimes you’re getting beat because your pad level is wrong. And sometimes the guy across from you is just simply stronger than you.

Blake Frazier has actually talked about it himself. He said gaining weight and getting stronger became one of his biggest offseason priorities because there were plays last season where he felt like he was doing everything technically right, but he was still getting overpowered. And that’s exactly what this new strength program has been trying to address since day one. And now we’re starting to hear some encouraging things coming from camp like guys’ impressive weight gain, their impressive numbers on the bench press, and their overall strength numbers going up. Whittingham has said that the pass protection is on the upward trajectory and that the passing game looks a lot cleaner than it did during spring practices.

But the offensive line is still very much a competition. At left tackle, Andrew Babalola, Evan Link, Blake Frazier all getting significant work. Jake Guarnera at center and Andrew Sprague at right tackle look like the closest things Michigan has to established anchors. But this staff has consistently talked about finding the best five, even if that means moving guys around. Nathan Efobi and Brady Norton are part of that interior competition.

Evan Link has position flexibility. Frasier could potentially give you some flexibility as well. And Jason Beck has another wrinkle available. The six-offensive-lineman package he used in Utah. So Michigan can still get big.

They can still line up and say we’re going to run the football no matter what. But here’s the difference. When Michigan puts that sixth offensive lineman on the field, it doesn’t automatically tell you that they’re going to run the football. That unpredictability is going to matter in the long run.

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Back to the episode.

Now, let’s transition and talk about my favorite position, of course, the running backs. Because Michigan should still be a very good running football team. In fact, I think they’ll be better than they were last year. Jordan Marshall is coming off a season where he almost rushed for 1,000 yards, scored 10 touchdowns, and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. And remember, he didn’t even begin the season as the primary running back.

Now, he’s the guy. He’s bigger. He’s experienced. He’s more explosive. And I think this offense is going to run through Jordan early in the season.

But then you add Savion Hiter, and I think everything we’ve heard about Hiter since he arrived on campus has been positive. And based on his film that I’ve personally watched, I mean, the kid is definitely next level. He’s 210 lbs now. He’s explosive. He’s physical.

And Jason Beck has talked about how the kid basically knows one speed, full speed. Then you still have Bryson Kuzdzal who gives you an entirely different type of runner. So I don’t look at Michigan’s running back room and ask whether they can replace last year’s production. I think the better question is how can Jason Beck get creative with these guys? Can Marshall and Hiter be on the field together?

Can you motion one out? Can you force a defense into a personnel decision and then attack whatever answer they give you? Because having good running backs is one thing. Making a defense account for all of them is something entirely different.

As good as I think this Michigan running back room can be with Jordan, Savion, and Bryson, I also think it’s extremely important for Michigan to identify that fourth running back. And we saw exactly why last season. Michigan went from having what looked like one of the deepest and most talented running back rooms in the country to suddenly being without Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall. Now you’re asking Bryson to carry a much bigger workload. And I thought Bryson was more than adequate.

There were several runs where he was literally one tackle away from breaking something big. But that’s not really the point. The point is how quickly one of the strengths of your football team can become a potential liability once the injuries start piling up. Running back is a physical position. Guys are going to get banged up.

And if Michigan plans on running the football the way I expect them to under Jason Beck, you can’t go into a season thinking three backs is enough. Coach Tony Alford came on the podcast and said this himself. One of the things he has to figure out is who that fourth guy is. And I completely agree with him because Jordan Marshall can be your lead back. Savion Hiter may be talented enough that you have to get him touches immediately.

And of course, Bryson has already shown that he can step up and give you good, meaningful snaps, but who’s next? Because you don’t want to start looking for your fourth running back in October when everybody’s hurt. You want to know who that guy is right now. You want him getting meaningful reps in camp. You want him understanding protections.

You want him comfortable in the offense because if last season taught Michigan anything, it’s that running back depth can disappear very quickly.

All right, now let’s talk about the wide receivers. Andrew Marsh has already proven he belongs. As a freshman, he led Michigan with 45 catches for 651 yards and four touchdowns. Now he enters year two stronger, more experienced, and understanding exactly what Big Ten football looks like. But Michigan cannot go into the season asking Andrew Marsh to solve the passing game by himself.

That’s why JJ Buchanan became one of the most important additions on this entire offense. At 6-foot-3, around 215 pounds, he already understands Jason Beck’s offense from Utah. And Kyle Whittingham has gone as far as saying he has been completely unguardable at points during camp. That’s significant because Michigan needed somebody who can consistently win those contested situations. After Marsh and Buchanan, the competition gets interesting.

Jaime Ffrench Jr., Salesi Moa, Travis Johnson, Channing Goodwin, Kendrick Bell, The staff has specifically mentioned Moa, Ffrench, and Goodwin as guys who have emerged while Travis Johnson continues to generate buzz around his athleticism and explosiveness. And wide receivers coach Micah Simon has said that he would like to see seven wide receivers that he can trust to play on day one. Right now, they’re not quite there yet. And there’s another part of this competition Michigan fans need to understand. At Michigan, if you’re a wide receiver, you don’t block, you’re going to have a difficult time getting on the field.

Coach Simon said, “No block, no rock.” That’s Michigan football. This wide receiver room also has to become more dangerous. Being physical is great. Blocking is important, but eventually somebody has to separate on third and eight. Somebody besides Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan has to make a defense pay for putting an extra safety near the line of scrimmage.

That’s the next step for this group.

And ultimately, of course, this all leads back to Bryce Underwood. Everybody wants to talk about Bryce’s mechanics, his feet, his throwing motion, his base, his release. And yes, not saying that doesn’t matter. Of course, that’s all part of it. But I’m going to tell you what I care about a whole lot more than his mechanics.

Does Bryce know where to go with the football? That’s quarterbacking. Bryce completed 60% of his passes last season for 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. But the season tells two different stories. Early in the year, Bryce threw just two interceptions through his first seven games.

Then things got more difficult. He threw seven interceptions over Michigan’s final five games. That’s the part of the development I’m watching. Not whether or not his elbow is 3 inches higher, not whether somebody changed his throwing motion by five degrees. And listen to Jason Beck, it sounds like that’s where his focus is.

Also, when Beck was asked this spring about working on Bryce’s footwork, he made it pretty clear that they’re not coming in here trying to tear Bryce down and rebuild him mechanically. Beck said, “We don’t need to like reinvent the wheel and try to do some whole new mechanics or anything.” And that stood out to me because Bryce Underwood didn’t become the No. 1 quarterback in the country because he didn’t know how to throw a football. The kid can throw it. The arm talent is without question. What Beck wants to do is take what Bryce already does naturally and connect his feet to what he’s seeing.

Connect the footwork to the read, connect the read to the decision, and then get the football out. Beck has actually drawn a distinction between the work Bryce does with private quarterback trainers and the work he does inside Michigan’s offense. He said, “When quarterbacks are doing individual training, that’s a great environment to concentrate on mechanics. But when they’re on the field with Michigan, it’s all about reads and decisions.” Now, that’s what I’m talking about. I don’t need Jason Beck to reinvent Bryce Underwood’s throwing motion.

And apparently Jason Beck doesn’t either. I need him to develop Bryce into a quarterback. When it’s third and seven and the defense rotates after the snap, does he know where the answer is? When they bring the pressure, does he know who’s hot? When the corner has outside leverage, does he and the receiver see the same thing?

Can he get from one to two quickly? Can he take the check down instead of trying to make the $12 million throw? Those are the improvements that turn a talented quarterback into a great quarterback.

And that’s where the current reports coming out of camp are encouraging because I’m hearing Bryce is making better decisions. His pocket presence has improved. He’s getting the football out faster. The passing game looks cleaner. And Bryce appears more comfortable operating in this offense.

That’s what I want to hear. I don’t care about whether or not his elbow is down because I’ve never questioned Bryce Underwood’s ability to throw the football. What we’re waiting to see is whether or not the game is starting to slow down for him. And that’s why I believe the person who may ultimately have the greatest impact on Bryce Underwood this season isn’t Bryce Underwood, it’s Jason Beck. Because play callers matter.

Good offensive coordinators don’t just call successful plays. They make the game easier for their quarterback. Look what Beck’s Utah offense did last season. More than 482 yards per game, more than 41 points per game and ranked second nationally in rushing offense at 266.3 yards per game. And maybe the number I like the most, they converted over 52% of their third downs.

That’s winning football. But what interests me about Beck isn’t simply Utah statistics. It’s the philosophy behind his offense. Different personnel groups, different formations, motions, tempo, changing tendencies, making identical looks produce different answers. And Beck has already explained that his receivers aren’t always running static routes regardless of what the defense does. Routes can adjust based on coverage and leverage.

Now, think about what that requires. The quarterback and the receiver have to see the defense the same way. That is Bryce Underwood’s development. If Bryce begins understanding leverage before the ball is snapped, if he recognizes rotation, if he knows his answers against pressure, if the ball comes out on time, suddenly the offense looks a lot better, the offensive line looks better, the receivers look better, the play caller looks better, and Bryce looks like the quarterback everybody expected him to become.

That’s why Beck cannot spend this season simply showcasing Bryce’s talent. His responsibility is to develop Bryce’s quarterbacking. Give him easy completions, create favorable matchups, use the running game to manipulate coverage, use Bryce’s legs enough so that defenses have to account for him, but don’t turn him into your franchise running back. And on third down, give Bryce answers because eventually Michigan is going to play someone that’s going to take Jordan and Savon and the running game away. Eventually, Michigan is going to be on the road.

It’s going to be third and eight. 105,000 people are screaming and everybody in the stadium knows Michigan is going to run the football. That’s where the 2026 offense has to be different.

I don’t think Michigan needs Bryce Underwood to be Superman this season. I think they just need him to become a quarterback. That’s the difference. The offensive line appears stronger. Jordan Marshall may be one of the best running backs in the Big Ten.

Savion Hiter gives Michigan another potential difference-maker. Andrew Marsh has already established himself as wide receiver one. And JJ Buchanan gives the passing game something it didn’t have a year ago. And Jason Beck has already shown that he can coordinate one of the most productive offenses in college football. So the pieces are there.

Now Michigan has to become an offense that can go out and win games in multiple different ways because last year when Michigan could dictate the game with the run, they were dangerous. In 2026, they have to become dangerous when the defense dictates the terms to them. So when you’re watching Bryce Underwood this season, don’t obsess over his throwing motion. Watch his eyes. Watch how quickly the football comes out.

Watch what happens when his first read isn’t there. Watch what happens when it’s third and seven. Watch whether or not he knows where to go with the football. Because if Bryce Underwood has the answer and Jason Beck consistently gives him one, Michigan’s offense should look entirely different in 2026.

All right, Michigan fans. Thanks for rocking with me on this episode. Don’t forget to like, share, comment, subscribe, all those good things. I’ll see you on the next one. If you like this kind of content, please like, share, follow, and subscribe.]