The Michigan Wolverines are 3-0 after the blowout win over UTEP this past weekend. Next up: the Big Ten opener against the Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday at The Big House (3:30 p.m., CBS).

Head coach Kyle Whittingham met with the media on Monday morning for his weekly press conference to preview this week’s game. Here are some key things he had to say:

An emphasis on preventing turnovers

The Wolverines have put the ball on the ground six times in three games in 2026, far more than that number should be. Whittingham was asked early on during his time at the podium about that, and he said they emphasize preventing turnovers in practice every day and there’s “nothing more we can do in that regard.” Furthermore, he equated the slow start against UTEP to the fumbles lost by Bryce Underwood and Savion Hiter.

“We’ve gotta get that corrected. You can’t win a championship or even hope to be in the mix with putting the ball on the ground that often,” Whittingham said.

Asked another question about this later on in the press conference, Whittingham said a couple of the fumbles have been due to players having a loose grip on the ball. “No excuses. As I mentioned, the team that won the championship last year, Indiana, fumbled one time all year.” It sure sounds like they want to put a strong emphasis on this moving forward.

Whittingham on Tommy Carr

Whittingham was asked a very specific question about backup quarterback Tommy Carr regarding keeping a player like him engaged in this era of the transfer portal. Reading between the lines: “What are you doing to make sure Carr doesn’t hop in the portal this winter?”

In response to that, Whittingham started by saying they think highly of Carr, with that dating back to his performance in spring practices. In the UTEP game, Whittingham said he saw some “explosion” on the ground from Carr, as well as the “touch he was able to put on the ball on that touchdown pass to Moa in the end zone, so it was good to see him translate what he’s been doing in practice to a game situation.”

As far as the rest of the question goes, Whittingham mentioned they are going to begin the roster retention process towards the end of the season. “You try to keep them all engaged, and the bottom line is guys that can help you win, you wanna get on the field, and that’s where we’re at right now.”

Junior tight end Hogan Hansen returned from his injury on Saturday, playing his first live reps for the first time this season. Whittingham acknowledged that it was nice to have him back on the field and that he’s a “big catch radius guy that Bryce can go to … it’s great to have him back.” Whittingham also said Hansen “brings some things to the table that the other guys don’t,” so I wouldn’t be surprised to see even more of him as the season progresses.

Whittingham also brought up senior Zack Marshall, who “did some good things on Saturday as well. And for the second week in a row, Whittingham mentioned freshman Mason Bonner, who is continuing to progress while the coaching staff tries to “get him a little more integrated as he’s ready for it.”