A Massive Shift in the Weight Room
The Michigan Wolverines football team looks different now. For a long time, the program suffered from a bad strength and conditioning setup. Former head coach Sherrone Moore oversaw a system that made the team weaker. This was a huge mistake. The players lost their edge. But the new head coach, Kyle Whittingham, has fixed the problem fast. According to Maize n Brew, the team has seen a “huge difference” in how the players look and feel.
Running back Jordan Marshall spoke plainly about the change. He noted that the team did not bench press much under the old staff. Now, the numbers are up. Marshall said players have added 100 to 200 pounds to their squat and bench press. That is a massive jump. The team is bigger. They are stronger. They are ready to hit harder in the fourth quarter.
Whittingham Sees the Problem Early
Kyle Whittingham knew something was wrong the moment he arrived. He tested the players right away. The results were not good. “The most glaring thing that stood out to me when we first got there was that when we tested them in the strength room, the overall strength of the team was not up to par,” Whittingham said. He did not sugarcoat it. The team had tall, good-looking athletes, but they lacked real strength.
He brought in Doug Elisaia, a trusted coach from his time at Utah, to lead the change. They worked hard for seven months to fix the issue. The results came fast. Whittingham told reporters that almost every player hit a personal best in their lifts last week. “We think we’ve got that problem solved,” he said. The old talk of playing “smash” football was just noise under Moore. Now, the work matches the talk.
Depth Concerns Remain on Defense
While the strength room is full of good news, the defense still has some gaps. Whittingham admitted the team is “little thin in the secondary as far as guys that have accumulated a lot of reps,” per Maize n Brew. The same issue exists at linebacker. There are good young players, but they have not played many snaps yet. This is a real worry for the depth chart.
Despite the thin spots, the top players look strong. Safety Rod Moore is back from knee surgeries and feeling great. “He is feeling better than he’s felt in two years,” Whittingham said. With coordinator Jay Hill leading the way, the top 11 defenders should be very good. Whittingham believes the starters are “going to be very formidable” even if the backup spots are light.
Ready for the Season Kickoff
The team is now focused on the first game. The season starts on September 5 against Western Michigan. The players are hungry. They want to put the drama of the last few years behind them. Whittingham says the transition has been positive. The offense will lean on quarterback Bryce Underwood, who has a strong arm and good speed. But the real story is the physical change in the whole squad.
Michigan was weaker last year. They lacked the conditioning to win close games in the fourth quarter. That problem is gone now. The strength program is fixed. The players are bigger and stronger. If they stay healthy, this team could be a force in the Big Ten. The hard work in the gym will show on the field soon.
