Michigan Mailbag: Will the Wolverines move on from Kyle Whittingham?

Do you agree that a loss to Rutgers should result in an auto-firing, … do not reboard plane for return trip to A2!?!

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I’m going to start with a story. I was in high school when Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez. I remember the preseason buzz ahead of this flashy offensive install. Then I remember the conversations I endured with nearly every classmate about how terrible Michigan looked. That year, my dad spoiled the outcome of the 2008 Michigan vs Wisconsin game to cheer me up after my high school volleyball team got upset at Regionals. My favorite player on the team, wide receiver Greg Matthews, had four catches for 48 yards. It was an ugly win I watched all the way through, fast-forwarding past commercials on our TV with the built-in VHS player. It’s also one of the only positive memories I have from one of Michigan’s worst seasons in history.

This season feels similar to Rich Rod’s first season, except Kyle Whittingham doesn’t really have the excuse that the cupboard was left bare. While I can see the appeal in moving on from Whittingham quickly, and a loss to Rutgers certainly makes this season look a whole lot worse, I just don’t think it’s realistically an option. Who is going to fire him? The athletic department is still looking for a new athletic director. I doubt the new university president really wants to have firing a first-year head football coach at the top of the to-do list.

Is Jason Beck’s job in jeopardy? I’ve looked at the stats of the offense and I see a lot of rankings in the 100s. That’s not very good. So, my question is what changes need to be made to improve the offense?

If Beck is to stay the OC after Rutgers what changes do yoh need to see?

I say

1: no more jet sweep period

2: limit outside zone

3: limit rhino or scape

4: no more wild cat.

All things that hurt Michigan because the can’t run them successfully.

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If Jason Beck’s job isn’t in jeopardy, I’d honestly be concerned about the program. For me, there’s no rhyme or reason to Michigan’s offense. It’s tough to argue they just don’t have the right players to fit a scheme when the scheme lacks a clear identity. Michigan doesn’t have a run-first mentality, but also doesn’t throw the ball well. Their only response is sticking an extra player on the field and saying, ‘trust us, it’s productive.’

Michigan could decide to put someone else in charge of calling plays for at least a game. Don’t get your hopes up, though; I’m pretty optimistic, but I think in this case, what we see is what we get.

Is the team better off with a true freshman QB calling plays at the line of scrimmage rather than taking cues from its offensive coordinator?

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Don’t know if you’re just kidding or serious, Adamsrocks, but I bet Tommy Carr could have done a decent job calling the plays on his own. My guess is Carr would’ve just gone ahead with a conservative run play on 3rd-and-goal from the one, but maybe I’m wrong. I lost faith in Beck as a play caller after Saturday’s game. It wasn’t just one play, but that one sure did hurt to watch.

On the matchup against Rutgers

Do you think Rutgers has a chance to win this? What would it take? I get a sense we still have more bottoming out with this offense.

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Yes, I do actually think Rutgers has a chance to win this, though it’s not very high. They’ll be without their starting quarterback and star receiver KJ Duff. While Rutgers doesn’t have a good defense, Greg Schiano has been in the Big Ten for a while. If Rutgers wants to win, it will need its defense to step up and likely score on a turnover.

How can Michigan be favored by 14.5 pts when the offense is averaging just 15.0 per game (excluding UTEP)?

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I don’t have an answer other than Rutgers isn’t very good. Still, Michigan’s offense isn’t playing with much gusto; I was a bit surprised to see the Wolverines favored by more than two scores. Honestly, I think our defense has a chance at scoring more points than the offense, but that’s probably an overreaction to Michigan’s offense against Indiana.

On Michigan’s future after 2026

I’m giving you a crystal ball. What do you think next year looks like for UM Football? Staff? Transfers? Portal gets? Recruiting class?

How long will this year linger?

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This is a great question and really fun to think about, especially since this season feels like it’s already in the toilet. I’d be surprised if Whittingham wasn’t leading the season again next year, but if it still has Beck on the staff, I don’t think he’ll be around for a third season. He also risks losing running back coach Tony Alford if Michigan doesn’t better prioritize its backs. If he loses Jay Hill, I’ll spend at least one full day sobbing. If Michigan hangs on to Beck longer without making any changes to his role, I can see the negative effects of this experiment lingering for some time.

I’m worried we’ll lose some of Michigan’s best identity guys. Running back Jordan Marshall isn’t having a strong season, so it’s not like he’d go to the draft, but I’m worried he and other star players could enter the portal, but that’s any given year in college football nowadays. When it comes to players to pick up in the portal, I’d need to think more about which ones they’ll go after. If Beck’s still around, they’ll be looking for that elusive rhino that will magically make all things better.

Assuming we are ready to move on from KW, is this truly largely contingent upon having a newly appointed AD in place? From a business case, approximately 70% of the Athletic Department’s revenue comes from the football program. With this in mind, I can’t imagine a newly appointed AD is willing to bet his or her career on a hire from a processor with a spotty past. Aren’t we sort of in a quagmire? Would love to know your thoughts.

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Yes, I think that’s a fair assessment. I already said this in an answer above, but it seems unrealistic to make a change midseason when there’s no athletic director in place. Just because of where the university is at with an incoming president and an outgoing AD, there’s just not a quick way to go about things. With the lack of a spring transfer portal window and the desire for some consistency, it just doesn’t feel possible for Michigan to move on from Whittingham after one year.