Michigan's Kyle Whittingham pushes shorter, high-tempo practises. Here's why

Ann Arbor — Michigan head football coach Kyle Whittingham and his staff have been busy this spring installing new schemes on offense and defense, ramping up the discipline, and building chemistry.

All of that takes time, and that’s what this spring practice has been about for the Wolverines.

More: Michigan running back Micah Ka’apana out for season with injury

“Two-thirds through, 10 down, five to go,” Whittingham said Thursday of spring practice, which culminates with the spring game on April 18. “It's been a very productive first 10 practices. A lot of positives. Offense is progressing, defense is progressing. Everything's on track to where you would hope it would be.

“There's new schemes on both sides of the ball. So that was the first order of business to get those schemes installed and up and running, which we have done. Guys are working hard. Really haven't had a bad practice. Some better than others, obviously, but nothing where you can say, hey, that was a step backwards. So it's positive in that respect.”

Returning starting offensive lineman Blake Frazier said this week that practices have been “execution based."

Michigan offensive lineman Blake Frazier appeared in 13 games last season, making eight starts.

“We’re not out there as long as we were last spring or practices in the past,” Frazier said. “There’s a lot more focus on getting more work done in less time. Less taxing on the body but still making sure we’re getting as much work done and work at the things we need during that time.”

Whittingham said execution-based practices are high tempo.

“We push the tempo from start to finish,” Whittingham said. “I don't believe in being on the practice field for hours and hours. I mean, the work is the work, and you gotta put it in. It's gotta get done.

"But if you can be more efficient and get it done in a more compressed amount of time, get the players on and off the field, I think — at least that's my feeling through the years — that works best and keeps the players fresher.

“And I think that they've really done a good job of adapting to that new mentality and new philosophy. I don't exactly know what the old one was, but they said practices were a little bit longer. But they have really done a good job. They have really done a good job responding to the high tempo and just the pace at which we're working.”

The spring game is never about pulling the curtain back and letting everyone see everything the team has been doing throughout practices.

Whittingham and his staff have a strong sense at this point which players are going to be starters this fall. And with that in mind, most of them won’t be involved in the final practice at Michigan Stadium.

“The main thrust is a great chance for us to get a good, in-depth, concentrated look at the twos and threes,” Whittingham said of the backups. “There's gonna be a lot of (starters) that don't participate. We’re not gonna put a guy in there that we know what he can do, and he's where he needs to be, and has played hundreds of snaps here.

"There's no reason for that. It’s a chance to showcase the twos and threes in as close to a game environment as we can structure and manufacture.”

This doesn’t mean returning starting quarterback Bryce Underwood won’t play. Underwood has been getting intensive work this spring, and early enrollee freshman Tommy Carr has stood out, Whittingham said, and right now is projected the backup. Both should see considerable playing time in the final scrimmage.

Whittingham hasn’t determined which of his assistants will be the head coaches of the Maize and Blue teams. He said the teams will be equally divided.

Michigan head football coach Kyle Whittingham holds a press conference at Schembechler Hall, in Ann Arbor, March 17, 2026.

“There'll probably be a dozen to 18 guys that don't participate, depending on how we feel,” Whittingham said. “We've still got four more practices before we make that final decision. And if we get low on bodies — right now we're fine — but if we have some guys that aren't able to go at that point for whatever reason, we can always revert to an offense versus defense scrimmage and have a point system for the defense.

"That's kind of our bailout if things go south. But if things continue as they are, then we should be able to be OK with a Maize and Blue team on each side.”

Whittingham announced Thursday that running back reserve Micah Ka’apana is out for the season with a lower-body injury. Two-time captain Rod Moore, a safety recovering from knee surgeries that kept him from playing in 2024 and most of 2025, has a “ways to go," so he won’t participate.

And while running back and defensive line are the strengths of the team, he said, the Wolverines need to develop depth in the secondary. That’s why what Michigan does after spring practice is just as important.

“One thing that will be critical is the players and the work that they put in on their own over the course of the summer,” Whittingham said. “We have limited access to them, but they can go out there and do their player-run practices and that type of thing.

"When you're implementing schemes on both sides of the ball, and you got a lot of young guys at certain positions, that really has to happen.

“We have to have a lot of production over the course of the summer. And really, that's up to the players to make sure that they get that done. And we've got really good leadership on this team, so that’s gonna happen over the course of the summer.”

achengelis@detroitnews.com

@chengelis

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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham makes changes at practise