When Kyle Whittingham arrived at Michigan to rebuild the program, his first priority was keeping five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood in the fold. He led Michigan to a 9-3 record and a Citrus Bowl appearance in 2025. The new head coach succeeded in that mission, bringing offensive coordinator Jason Beck from Utah to reshape Michigan’s offense.
Beck’s resume had quite a few embellishments, as Utah’s offense averaged 41.2 points per game and 270 rushing yards. However, five games into the season, that promise has curdled into a controversy as Underwood looks to have regressed since his freshman year.
Michigan ranks 122nd in total offense, ahead of only Michigan State, and averages just 23 points per game. The offense has looked disjointed for long stretches after consecutive Big Ten losses to Iowa and Minnesota. Yet the offensive coordinator has insisted that the Rhino formation, which adds size to the field by using a sixth offensive lineman, is successful.
Beck’s recent comments on the Rhino formation ignited a firestorm. Defending the Rhino formation that he considers his legacy and brought from Utah, he claimed it grades out as “one of Michigan’s best things on offense,” as Anthony Broome reported on X.
Fans responded with blistering criticism. Commenting on Broome’s post, a fan wrote: “Probably because everything grades out extremely low and this one just happens to be a little less low.”
This cuts at the heart of Beck’s praise for Rhino formation. If the entire offense is failing, singling out one strategy as successful rings hollow. Michigan’s roster is built for physical, downhill power football and Beck’s horizontal, spread-style scheme is not fitting well. Otherwise, a coach whose rushing attack ranked No. 2 in all of football for the past two seasons wouldn’t rank No. 100, averaging 135 yards per game.
Another fan insisted, “The amount of forced grey area from coaches is pathetic. It either works or it doesn’t. Grading aside, film doesn’t lie.”
Fans are demanding accountability beyond coaching staff making excuses. Michigan’s games showed that the offense is unable to move the ball consistently, regardless of personnel groupings.
A third fan went a little further in giving a cutting assessment: “Easy to say when everything grades as an F.”
This isn’t the first time Beck was seen praising Michigan’s “Rhino” personnel package. After Michigan’s third game, Beck claimed Rhino is “real positive with getting the job done.” He said this while admitting his offense needs to improve a lot.
Michigan portrayed a more concerning image when head coach Whittingham publicly defended Beck while implicitly blaming quarterback Underwood. When asked to separate quarterback decisions from play-calling, Whittingham chose to protect his OC.
“Jason Beck’s track record has been very, very good offensively, and it’s been an offense that has been very hard for defenses to deal with when it’s functioning at the level that it needs to function at,” Whittingham asserted.
Then he pivoted to emphasize that Underwood must improve his reads, and implied Michigan’s problems stemmed from the quarterback’s decision-making rather than Beck’s scheme. His statements came after a game where the offense produced just 180 yards against Minnesota, with Underwood throwing for 101 yards and two interceptions.
The story gets interesting considering what Michigan tight end Zack Marshall wrote in leaked messages after the Minnesota loss. Beck held a meeting with all the tight ends and told none of them were truly valuable to the offense. Marshall revealed that Underwood doesn’t have as much liberty in decision-making as one would expect. The offensive coordinator calls all his plays.
The leaked messages from Marshall reflect the locker room’s frustration. Beck’s Rhino may genuinely be one of Michigan’s better tools, but defending it while presiding over one of college football’s worst offensive performances looks less like competence and more like masking failure.