Michigan had already lost two straight. Then the group chat leaked. Zach Marshall’s private messages criticizing offensive coordinator Jason Beck are now public, and the Wolverines have a new problem sitting on top of a 3-2 record. On Monday, Kyle Whittingham finally addressed it, explaining how he handled Marshall and why the team needs to move forward.
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The controversy started after Michigan’s 20-14 loss to Minnesota, when screenshots of messages linked to Marshall began spreading on social media. The senior tight end was clearly frustrated with how the offense was playing and did not hold back when talking about Beck. He questioned the offensive scheme, criticized the team’s lack of answers against blitzes, and suggested that the play-calling was holding quarterback Bryce Underwood back.
Whittingham addressed the situation during Monday’s press conference, making it clear that Marshall regretted his actions and understood the mistake he had made.
“First of all, Zach Marshall was a great young man. He’s a team guy, and we obviously had a conversation. He issued a public apology, and nobody felt worse about it than him,” Whittingham said during his sit-down with 7 News Detroit.
One of the biggest talking points was Marshall’s claim that Beck had told the tight ends they were not valuable to the offense. In the leaked messages, Marshall reportedly wrote that Beck had met with the tight end group and told them, “None of us are valuable to this offense.”
The Wolverines have barely used their tight ends in the passing game this season. Michigan’s tight ends had only nine receptions for 65 yards among the team’s first 69 catches, and Marshall had not recorded a reception all season, despite recording 16 catches for 199 yards and a touchdown previously.
He also defended Underwood, suggesting the quarterback was not the main problem and that Beck’s play-calling was holding him back. Marshall even compared Beck unfavorably to former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore.
Marshall also appeared to know that his comments could cause problems if they ever got out. According to the leaked screenshots, he warned that he had never said those things and that they should never leave the group chat.
Whittingham explained that Marshall believed he was protecting someone else when he sent the messages but admitted that he went about it the wrong way. The coach made it clear that Marshall had failed to protect the team, which was the bigger issue.
Whittingham spoke about how he understands that players get frustrated after tough losses, but they also have to think about how their actions affect everyone around them. Still, Whittingham wants to put the incident behind them rather than let it become a bigger distraction.
Whittingham addressed the Wolverines’ biggest flaw
The Michigan coach also acknowledged that losing can lead to frustration throughout the locker room. After a couple of defeats, players naturally start questioning the offense, the coaching staff, and the team’s preparation.
Still, the head coach believes panicking and trying to change everything is the wrong approach. Instead, he pointed to one major problem that has hurt Michigan this season: turnovers.
“So, again, if you boil it down, the turnover margin has been our big Achilles’ heel. That’s been the thing that’s kept us from being the team that we’re capable of becoming,” Whittingham explained to Tina Nguyen.
Turnovers are not Michigan’s only problem, though. The offense managed just 180 total yards against Minnesota, while Underwood finished with 101 passing yards and two interceptions.
The Michigan offense is statistically one of the worst in the entire country, ranking 122nd out of 138 teams and managing just 315.8 yards per game. Under Beck, who had Utah ranked in the top 10, the Wolverines are struggling to score points, averaging a measly 23 points per game, and the unit looks completely stuck in the mud compared to the powerhouse teams of their recent past.
The new offensive coordinator brought in an “east-west” style of play that just doesn’t fit a roster built for old-school, smash-mouth football.
That pretty much explains why frustration has been building, even if leaking private messages was not the right way to express it.
For now, Whittingham wants his players to leave the controversy behind and focus on fixing the problems on the field. Marshall has apologized, and the coaching staff has addressed the situation with him.
But Michigan still has plenty of work cut out for them after its rough start to Big Ten play.