NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
Fall camp opens next week, and the countdown to a season opener against Western Michigan is on. But Thursday in Chicago belonged to Big Ten Media Day, the unofficial kickoff to the 2026 college football season, and for Michigan, it was a chance to introduce a new era under first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham.
A New Voice, A Clear Message
Whittingham didn’t mince words when it came to where this Michigan program stands. He believes he has a good team and, just as important, a top-notch staff around him. The message to his players has been simple: the hunger is there, and it’s time to get after it. Move on from the drama. Play ball.
That “drama” line was what every true Wolverine fan wants to see and hear. When reporters pressed him on the program’s past scandals, Whittingham made clear he sees no benefit in relitigating it. The team is past that chapter, he said, and it’s not really his place to speak on it. His focus, seven months into the job, is building forward, not looking back.
Bryce Underwood: Lowering the Noise, Raising the Floor
The biggest storyline at Michigan is the development of quarterback Bryce Underwood, and coach Whittingham addressed it head-on. In his view, the expectations placed on Bryce last season were simply too much for where the young quarterback actually was. Underwood has all the physical gifts you want in a top quarterback; that was never the question. What Whittingham wanted to make clear is that a shaky spring game doesn’t define the work Underwood has put in since PERIOD.
According to his head coach, Underwood’s pocket footwork and his ability to read defenses have both taken strides forward. And Underwood backed that up in his own media day appearance, talking about using this offseason specifically to grow into more of a leader for this team. His approach going forward is refreshingly simple: be 1-0 every day. Who is making the T-shirts?
Building the Staff and the Foundation
Part of Whittingham’s opening pitch to Michigan was the caliber of the staff he’s assembled, and that extends well beyond the coaches on the headset. A major offseason emphasis has been strength and conditioning; the new staff identified that as an area where the team was lacking, and it’s become one of the most important parts of the entire offseason program. Players are breaking personal records in the weight room daily, so expect to see the lines on offense and defense move bodies all season.
The roster overhaul has been just as notable. Michigan brought in 18 transfers this cycle, four of them following Whittingham from Utah a sign of the trust he’s built with players over the years and a head start on installing his culture in Ann Arbor. Of course, we have to see it ON the field, but it is a new vibe and feeling around this program.
Ohio State, Realistically
Seven months into living the rivalry from the inside, coach said he now understands exactly what Ohio State week means to this program. He even referred to the rival by the nickname long used around Michigan: “the other place.” In a perfect world, Whittingham said, that game would be for the Big Ten Championship, not just bragging rights, but the actual title on the line.
Whittingham on NIL: “It Can’t Continue Like This”
Whittingham didn’t hold back when the conversation turned to NIL and the state of roster building in college football. In his eyes, the sport has become something closer to a minor league system than traditional college football, and without real guardrails or rules, he doesn’t believe the current model is sustainable. It’s a sentiment that’s been echoed by coaches across the country, but it carries extra weight coming from someone who just spent the offseason rebuilding a roster from scratch under that very system. As a long-time fan of the game myself, I have to agree with him; rules are needed before we have a bad crash landing in the sport.
The Big Ten’s Moment
Big Ten Media Day represents something bigger than any one program’s press conference; it’s the real kickoff to the conference’s season. And if this year’s field is any indication, the case for the Big Ten as the best league in college football, top to bottom, is as strong as ever. 3 national championships in the conference, excellent QB play. Along with players on the defense getting drafted left and right year after year. This conference is a problem and has more to showcase.
For Michigan, though, the story next week shifts from podiums to practice fields. Fall camp begins, the countdown to Western Michigan starts, and Whittingham’s first season in Ann Arbor moves from talk to action. Every day, all day its #GOBLUE
