Whittingham calls Underwood his clear QB1
Kyle Whittingham's first fall camp settled the only question that mattered — Bryce Underwood's job — while Enow Etta's decision to stay put anchors a defensive front replacing Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.
Bryce Underwood is Whittingham's guy, and it was never close
Kyle Whittingham's first fall camp as Michigan's head coach produced one unambiguous headline: the quarterback job belongs to Bryce Underwood, and it was never really in question. "Bryce is our clear number one," Whittingham said. "He's QB1, without a doubt. He has performed very well in the workouts, and not only with his athleticism but leadership-wise."
ESPN's Greg McElroy went further, reporting that Underwood "just had the best camp that anybody has reported on him," a jump from a true freshman season that produced 2,468 passing yards and an 11-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Underwood was voted a team captain heading into the year, and offensive coordinator Jason Beck has run him through 13 clean practices without a hiccup. For a program breaking in a new head coach, that is exactly the kind of calm the rest of the roster needed.
Last season ended on the road, and it ended badly
Michigan's last snap of last season came in a 41-27 loss on the road to Texas on December 31, a finish that followed a 27-9 defeat to Ohio State three weeks earlier. Before those two losses, this same team had won three straight — 21-16 over Purdue, 24-22 on the road at Northwestern, and 45-20 at Maryland — meaning last season closed with as much collapse as it did contention.
None of that carries into 2026. The record now reads 0-0, and whatever Michigan was in November belongs to last season, not this one. But it is the only form line anybody has on this roster heading into a year with an entirely new coaching staff, and it is worth remembering that this same group was two games from a very different ending.
Etta stayed, and now he's the guy up front
The best thing Michigan's own account put up this week wasn't a hype clip — it was defensive tackle Enow Etta explaining why he pulled himself out of the transfer portal in April and stayed. "We can be as good as anybody," Etta told the Detroit News, describing a defensive front that already has the chemistry other units on this roster are still trying to find. At 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, Etta is now the elder statesman inside, working alongside fellow veteran Trey Pierce and Utah transfer Jonah Lea'ea, who logged 34 tackles in 12 starts for the Utes last season.
Now a leader on the defense, Enow Etta is ready for a big year in 2026 t.co/bbrqWYtURG
It is a lot to live up to — Etta and Pierce are trying to replace the interior production of Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, two names that don't get invoked lightly in Ann Arbor. UMichFootball's own account backed up the point this week: "Now a leader on the defense, Enow Etta is ready for a big year in 2026." For a Michigan defensive line replacing that much talent, having a captain who almost left and chose to stay is a better story than anything a countdown graphic could put up.
A MAC favorite comes to the Big House to open the Whittingham era
Michigan opens the season on September 5 vs. Western Michigan, and the Broncos are not the punching bag a home opener usually promises. Western Michigan is the reigning MAC champion, picked by nine of the conference's coaches to repeat, and brings back quarterback Broc Lowry, who completed 64 percent of his passes for just over 1,800 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions behind what is arguably the deepest offensive line in the Group of Five. Ten starters return from that title team, including running back Jalen Buckley, under coach Lance Taylor.
Even so, the line opened with Michigan a 27.5-point favorite and the total set at 47.5, numbers that say the market still expects the Big House and the talent gap to matter more than the Broncos' continuity. Western Michigan is 0-0 as well, with its most recent result on record a 41-6 win over Kennesaw State last season. Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor — the first real look at what Whittingham's Michigan is going to be.