Michigan left Rutgers with a 28-21 win on Saturday, but its kicking problems did not stay behind. Kyle Whittingham has now made a move to address them, and the decision could change who gets the next kick in a tight game.
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“HC Kyle Whittingham says they’re opening up the kicking competition this week,” wrote Brice Marich of CBS Sports. “He adds that whoever kicks the best in practice throughout the week will be the starter vs. Michigan State.”
That goes further than his comments after the game. In the postgame presser, Whittingham was asked whether sophomore Trey Butkowski’s spot should be reconsidered; Whittingham first said, “We may do that.” He added, “We have a couple other kickers in the program that are pretty good.” Now the competition is official.
The reason is easy to see if you look at the Rutgers games. Butkowski missed two field goals: a 48-yarder that went wide right and a 35-yarder that went wide left. Whittingham said the longer one was “fairly tough” and that “the wind was a factor.” The short miss got a different response.
“Short one was disappointing,” Whittingham said. “That’s something we need to make, and he needs to make. He knows that, and that was a big miss at the time.”
But the decision does not stem from a single bad game. In Michigan’s 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana, Butkowski missed from 53 and 32 yards, though his 26-yard make sent the game to overtime. Across the Indiana and Rutgers games, he has missed four of six field goal attempts. That stands out because he made 20 of 23 at Pittsburgh in 2025.
Freshman Jacob Baggett is the name to watch and has handled kickoffs for Michigan but has not attempted a field goal for the Wolverines. In high school in 2025, he made six of seven field goals, with a long of 48 yards. Stuart Blake is another option, though he has not played this season.
The margins in Michigan’s win show why the kicking spot matters. Quarterback Tommy Carr, who replaced Bryce Underwood, threw for 266 yards and ran for two touchdowns, including the 9-yard go-ahead score with 4:24 left.
The Wolverines ran for only 3.6 yards per carry, took seven penalties for 90 yards, and dropped two interceptions on Rutgers’ final drive. A team playing that close to the edge cannot keep leaving points on the field.
Michigan improved to 5-3, while Rutgers fell to 2-6. The Wolverines were two-touchdown favorites, and they still needed a late score to win.
Michigan State comes to Michigan Stadium on Saturday, November 7, and Whittingham has four regular-season games left. Marich reports that Whittingham has opened up the kicking job to everyone. Whoever kicks best in practice this week will start against the Spartans, so Butkowski now has to earn his spot back.