Sherrone Moore served as the head coach for the University of Michigan for two years before he was fired, and Kyle Whittingham took over. The fallout from Moore's sudden firing at the end of the season put the entire program directly in the crosshairs.

NBC analyst Todd Blackledge offered a glimpse behind the scenes following his springtime visit to Ann Arbor.

"I don't know how well-coached he was last year. I think his development, from a footwork standpoint, and all the fundamentals and basics of playing the position, I just think that that didn't get treated and taken care of the way it needs to. And I think that will happen this year," Blackledge said on the Y-Option Podcast.

Michigan Wolverines QB Bryce Underwood signed a four-year NIL deal worth up to $12 million to flip from LSU in December 2024. He was the number one overall recruit in the 2025 class and was handed the starting job as a true freshman under head coach Sherrone Moore.

That was a direct indictment of Moore's staff. For a program that invested up to $12 million to land their franchise quarterback, leaving him without a dedicated position coach for an entire season was a decision that fell on Moore. He was fired in December 2025 following an internal investigation.

Whittingham appeared on The Triple Option podcast with Urban Meyer on January 12 and revealed something that stopped Meyer cold.

Underwood, a 17-year-old true freshman carrying Michigan's entire offensive future, had no dedicated quarterbacks coach working with him under Moore's staff.

"First of all, from what I understand, there was no dedicated quarterback coach working with him on a daily basis, which has to happen," Whittingham told Meyer, per Yahoo Sports. "He didn't turn 18 until like midseason. He's a guy that really could have been in high school last year."

The basics had gone untouched all season. Whittingham made clear that the fundamentals were left unaddressed throughout Underwood's entire freshman year.

"There's some things in throwing mechanics and just things to smooth out in his fundamentals and technique," Whittingham said, per Yahoo Sports. "We've already got a good start on that."

Whittingham Has Already Started Fixing What Moore Left Behind

Whittingham hired quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr. and brought offensive coordinator Jason Beck from Utah to work directly with Underwood. The pair had already been in the film room with him since January, months before spring practice began.

Whittingham confirmed that Underwood is Michigan's starter heading into 2026 without question. He was voted one of four team captains by his teammates during spring practice. The early signs have been positive.

"He has made progress. Still got a long ways to go, but he's on the right path," Whittingham said.

Whether the $12 million investment pays off will depend entirely on what happens this fall.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore