The Michigan Wolverines’ roster was full of talent under former head coach Sherrone Moore, but it wasn’t strong enough to use it, as new head coach Kyle Whittingham noted. Whittingham believes the team overlooked one key issue that has held its players back compared to their peers.

The Wolverines' running back Jordan Marshall echoed Whittingham's assessment, as the team did not focus on strength training, which included bench press, under the former staff.

"Even from a conditioning standpoint, I think we’re going to win a lot of games just because of how much we condition and how much we run," Marshall said during the team's Big Ten media day presser, according to Trevor Woods of MaizeNBrew.com. "I think that’s the biggest difference: We’re going to be more conditioned than teams in the fourth quarter. And I think we lacked that last season.”

Marshall believes the renewed emphasis on bench press and squats has made the roster "a lot bigger and stronger."

After taking over the head coach position in January, Whittingham noticed that the glaring issue was the numbers in the weight room, as the team did not bench press under Moore's regime.

“The most glaring thing that stood out to me when we first got there was that when we tested them in the strength room, the overall strength of the team was not up to par,” Whittingham said, according to Trevor Woods of MaizeNBrew.com on August 1. “We’ve worked hard the last seven months to correct that.” 

Whittingham said during the Big Ten media days presser on July 30 that the team lacked “overall muscle mass and raw strength” because former HC Moore cut the bench press from their training regimen, citing shoulder-injury concerns.

“We tested last week, and I think every player on the team with the exception of just a handful did all their personal best in the lifts,” Whittingham said. "...Because we had all these real tall, long, good-looking athletes, but the sheer strength wasn’t there. So, we’ve addressed that.” 

Whittingham, along with new strength coach Doug Elisaia, believes many players on the roster can now squat and bench press up to 100–200 pounds. 

With Michigan coming off a 9-4 season in 2025, Whittingham believes the Wolverines have addressed a key weakness that could help them compete at a higher level in 2026.

Kyle Whittingham reveals two-part plan to help Bryce Underwood

Whittingham believes the Wolverines' offense will improve by strengthening both the offensive line and the running game, creating a less pressuring environment for quarterback Bryce Underwood.

"A strong run game is a quarterback's best friend," Whittingham said, according to Isaiah Hole of Wolverines Wire. "If he can just turn and hand the ball and just get chunk yards up the field, that really takes a lot of pressure off of him. Having an outstanding running back room and an offensive line that's highly efficient is going to make him a much better player, just that in and of itself."

If Michigan's offensive line takes a step forward and the rushing attack performs as expected, Whittingham believes Underwood could have the stability and confidence needed to unlock his full potential in his second season.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi