The Sherrone Moore era at Michigan is mercifully over. With him has gone the dysfunctional nature of the locker room and all the talk of whether he could replace Jim Harbaugh.
While the record during Nooreâs tenure did not bely the chaos, having a steady coach in Kyle Whittingham will do marvels to bring Michigan back to where the administration feels they belong.
In the Pantheon of College Sports, Michigan is clearly a top 10 program. Whittingham and his new coaching staff will add to this luster starting in 2026. But there are a few questions to be answered before this happens.
The first of the important questions Whittingham will be forced to answer is directly and indirectly about Moore. With Whittingham coming in fresh, he will be asked how he plans on getting the trust of the locker room.
Being a fresh face will certainly help. But it still takes a lot to regain trust in leadership after everything the players were forced to endure in the past.
Moore aside, the tenure of Harbaugh was also chaotic and his flirtation with the NFL every year was also a factor in the tenuous nature of trust. Whittingham should be able to build this trust simply by showing the team his tenure at Utah. A place he thrived at and despite having plenty of opportunities to leave, remained at for 20 years. He can also point to his loyalty and dedication by telling the team about his impressive streak of never missing a day of working out since 1983. More than 40 yearsâ time.
The other question which will need to be answered is about the continued development of Bryce Underwood.
Underwood, who signed with his home state team for $12 million before last season, will look to make a meaningful upgrade in his play in 2026. While there were glimpses of excitement in his game during the 2025 season, the consistency which he plays needs to improve as Michigan will be taking on Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana and Penn State in-conference in 2026 and will also face a rematch in the non-conference against Oklahoma.
Bryce, playing in his first road game against Oklahoma last season finished the game 9-of-24 passing for 142 yards. He finished with 0 TD and 0 INT while rushing the ball three times for -1 yard. Being sacked once by the Oklahoma defense.
Although this game will be in Ann Arbor, if Underwood is unable to avoid an elite Oklahoma defense, Oklahoma can once again beat Michigan. And with the difficult schedule, this can lead to a disappointing first season under Whittingham.
Michigan is not in a bad place. They are going to be given anything they want financially and the roster is talented. But, if these two questions cannot be answered in the affirmative, who knows what will happen by the end of the season for the Wolverines.
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