Posts under: Blog

Ex-Wolverine Coach Updates: 2025 Post-season

Joe Bolden, Defensive Coordinator (Southern Mississippi): Bolden finished his first season at Southern Miss as the special teams coordinator and then was promoted to defensive coordinator in December.

Adam Braithwaite, Safeties Coach (Cincinnati): Braithwaite finished his first season as the safeties coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Anthony Campanile, Defensive Coordinator (Jacksonville Jaguars): Campanile is in his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator. The Jaguars are 13-4 and in the playoffs, and they finished the regular season #11 in yards allowed per game (303.6).

Hit the jump for more.

Freddie Whittingham, Wolverine

Kyle Whittingham has hired his brother Freddie to coach the tight ends. There will be a lot of family dinners with Kyle, Freddie, and Kyle’s son Alex all on the staff.

Freddie was a starting running back for BYU back in the 1980s and started in the same backfield as Ty Detmer, the uncle of new quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer, Jr. Whittingham ran 351 times for 1,580 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career, adding 97 catches for 1,015 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air.

Freddie was the director of player personnel at Utah from 2012-2015 before becoming the tight ends coach in 2016, a position he held through this past season. He was also Utah’s recruiting coordinator. Among his charges at tight end was 1st round pick Dalton Kincaid, now a Buffalo Bill who has 1,692 yards and 9 touchdowns in his three-year NFL career.

Utah tight end Dallen Bentley was Utah’s #2 receiver this past season (48 catches, 620 yards, 6 TD), and in five of the past six seasons, Utah has had a tight end finish as the #1 or #2 receiver on the team.

While Freddie’s role might change coming to Michigan and his recruiting responsibilities might be a little more limited, he should be a solid recruiter and position coach for the Wolverines. I maintain that tight end is the easiest position to coach on the team and that’s where staffs often stash good recruiters who don’t have a ton of X’s and O’s responsibilities, so it’s good to know that he can bring some added value as a recruiter and program guy.

Way Too Early 2026 Depth Chart: January 2026

The following depth chart is intended to show what players exist at what positions, which also shows the needs from the transfer portal and perhaps the February signing day for the 2026 class.

• QB Jadyn Davis (transfer portal)
• QB Mikey Keene (transfer portal)
• QB Davis Warren (transfer portal)
• RB C.J. Hester (transfer portal)
• RB Bryson Kuzdzal (transfer portal)
• RB Jasper Parker (transfer portal)
• RB John Volker (graduation)
• WR C.J. Charleston (graduation)
• WR Donaven McCulley (graduation)
• WR Fredrick Moore (transfer portal)
• WR Semaj Morgan (transfer portal)
• WR Peyton O’Leary (graduation)
• WR Anthony Simpson (graduation)
• TE Max Bredeson (graduation)
• TE Marlin Klein (NFL draft)
• TE Brady Prieskorn (transfer portal)
• OL Greg Crippen (graduation)
• OL Giovanni El-Hadi (graduation)
• OL Jake Guarnera (transfer portal)
• OL Connor Jones (transfer portal)
• OL Ben Roebuck (transfer portal)
• OL Andrew Sprague (transfer portal)
• OL Kaden Strayhorn (transfer portal)
• EDGE Devon Baxter (transfer portal)
• EDGE T.J. Guy (graduation)
• EDGE Tyler McLaurin (graduation)
• EDGE Derrick Moore (graduation)
• DT Rayshaun Benny (graduation)
• DT Enow Etta (transfer portal)
• DT Ike Iwunnah (graduation)
• DT Damon Payne (graduation)
• DT Tre Williams (graduation)
• LB Jaishawn Barham (graduation)
• LB Ernest Hausmann (graduation/medical retirement))
• LB Jaydon Hood (graduation)
• LB Cole Sullivan (transfer portal)
• DB Caleb Anderson (graduation)
• DB Elijah Dotson (transfer portal)
• DB Jaden Mangham (transfer portal)
• DB Rod Moore (graduation)
• K Beckham Sunderland (transfer portal)
• K Dominic Zvada (graduation)

It assumes that every currently rostered player and every currently committed prospect will be here in the fall of 2026, which is obviously not true.

Hit the jump for the depth chart.

Koy Detmer, Jr., Wolverine

Koy Detmer, Jr. has been hired as Michigan’s quarterbacks coach under Kyle Whittingham.

Detmer is the son of former Colorado and NFL quarterback Koy Detmer and the nephew of former BYU Heisman-winning quarterback Ty Detmer. Koy, Jr. played at BYU and Texas A&M-Kingsville, where he was a record-setting quarterback (records set: 37 completions and 65 attempts in one game) and once threw for 450 yards in a game. Koy, Sr. is now a high school head coach at Somerset (TX) Somerset.

Detmer the Younger became a running backs coach at Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2020-2021 and then moved on to Syracuse as a graduate assistant in 2022-2023. He followed offensive coordinator Jason Beck from Syracuse to New Mexico in 2024 and then to Utah in 2025.

I know some people have wanted a big name as a QB coach for Michigan, but if we’re being honest, most “big names” who work with quarterbacks are going to be offensive coordinators or passing game coordinator and not just QB coaches. Detmer is an up-and-comer who has worked with high-powered offenses and who has a couple former NFL quarterbacks in the family, so just on its surface, this seems to be a pretty solid hire. And as far as names go, there really aren’t many bigger family names than “Detmer” in the quarterback world.

Jim Harding, Wolverine

Kyle Whittingham is bringing Utah’s offensive line coach, Jim Harding, with him from Salt Lake City. Reports broke on New Year’s Day that Harding is headed to Ann Arbor to coach the Wolverines’ offensive line and retain his assistant head coach title.

Harding, who is from Maumee, OH, was a four-year starting offensive tackle at Toledo (1997-2000), setting a school record with 46 consecutive starts and earning first-team All-MAC honors as a senior captain on a 10-1 Rockets team. Early in his coaching career, he spent four seasons (2005-08) at Troy High School in Michigan, serving as defensive coordinator before becoming head coach. He moved on to Wyoming as a co-offensive line coach, then the offensive line coach, and finally the offensive coordinator before moving on to Utah as the offensive line coach in 2014.

Over the last twelve seasons as the Utes’ offensive line coach (adding assistant head coach duties in 2017), he’s built one of the most consistent units in college football:

• Nation-leading 12 first-team all-conference offensive linemen since 2015
• Seven NFL Draft picks, including 1st rounder Garett Bolles (Denver Broncos)
• Projected 1st rounders in the 2026 draft: Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu
• Blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher in 11 of the last 12 years (2025 was the lone exception, with Wayshawn Parker finishing at 981 yards)

Harding is widely regarded as one of the top position coaches in the country. Bringing that recruiting prowess to the Midwest – where he already has ties – could be huge for developing Michigan’s talented young players.

Utah has done well on the recruiting trail over the years, landing several players Michigan wanted, such as Fano, Lomu, Jackson Barton, Lander Barton, and Kelvin Obot. Furthermore, the players have been developed. Watching Utah over the last several years, even before Whittingham was a candidate for Michigan, I’ve been impressed by Utah’s offensive line, especially taking into account how stiff some of Utah’s players are. If Michigan can consistently recruit talented players and pair that with Harding’s development, it should be an excellent unit moving forward.