The offense that turned Bryce Underwood’s starting year into a nightmare is finally turning a corner under Kyle Whittingham. After getting his Utah-dominating staff into Michigan, Whittingham is working to fix Underwood’s issues, which is already gaining praise from their running back coach.

Fans expect to see a cultural shift, and Kyle Whittingham is trying to build it on their existing identity rather than on a complete change. However, one of the major changes he is bringing on offense with offensive coordinator Jason Beck is to maintain a run-heavy, physical offense to protect and support Bryce Underwood better.

“It’s wild because the way they call it, I’ve never seen it,” Michigan’s running back coach Tony Alford said. “I’m like, wait a minute, what are you doing here, right? But the more I’ve studied it in constant conversation with the staff, I love it. The way it pieces together, I think it’s very user-friendly to learn, especially since it allows young players to get up and play fast.”

Well, this comes as a major relief since Bryce Underwood’s performance took a major hit last season because of offensive inconsistency. Both of Michigan’s running backs, Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, were out because of injury, which was a massive blow to the offensive balance. Against teams like Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern, Maryland, and Ohio State, Underwood just recorded four touchdowns. All of these specific issues were direct symptoms of the flawed offensive system.

The offense was completely one-dimensional, as evidenced by a passing attack that ranked a dismal 100th nationally and failed to crack even 200 yards per game, which is a clear sign the scheme offered no support through the air. Last year, the offensive line consistently failed to protect him, allowing 20 sacks.

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Even he was leaving the pocket too early, missing open receivers due to poor accuracy or not seeing the coverage properly. In short, former OC Chip Lindsey’s system was just making things worse for him.

To fix these systemic problems, Whittingham brought in a new architect for the offense, Jason Beck, whose track record at Utah speaks for itself. In 2025, his team ranked fourth in the nation in both total yards and points scored. They finished the season with the number two rushing offense in the country despite gaining 45% of their total yards through the air.

On top of that, Kyle Whittingham also made sure that Bryce Underwood gets proper mentorship, as he hired new quarterback coach Koy Detmer Jr. to focus specifically on developing him. All this is adding up to Alford’s belief.

“I think it’s a dynamic offense because we’ve got enough playmakers here that you can put guys in spots and match up issues, and it’s very easily adjusted where multiple guys are going to touch the ball and can touch the ball,” Alford said. “I think, Bryce Underwood, I think with his skill set. So I think this leads to all the different weapons that we have; we can use them, and they’re at our disposal in a lot of different ways.”

With that, Kyle Whittingham also retained Alford, who’s the only Michigan coach from Sherrone Moore’s team yet on the team.

Kyle Whittingham’s main reason for retaining Tony Alford

Kyle Whittingham is taking major steps to make sure his first season at Michigan doesn’t fall apart quickly. And one of the major steps to do that was also getting Tony Alford back on the team. Alford has coached strong running backs like Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall at Michigan, which makes him a perfect eye candy for the team.

Then, with his developing abilities, his recruiting pipeline is also very strong. He added five-star running back Savion Hiter to the 2026 class, giving Michigan a major boost.

His experience working under coaches like Urban Meyer at Ohio State, just as Whittingham once did at Utah, also adds to his retention. With a new scheme, a trusted running backs coach, and a renewed focus on his development, Michigan is betting that these changes will be the key to unlocking the potential they’ve always seen in Bryce Underwood.