Looking back at the list of shortcomings for Michigan football in 2025, special teams was high on the list.
The Wolverines were near the bottom of the 134 teams across Division I football in yards per punt return (No. 122, 4.17 yards), yards per kick return (No. 124, 18.43) and net punt yards per attempt (No. 87, 38.43). The punt return defense (No. 51, 7.00 yards) was slightly better, but far from elite.
If the first performance with Kerry Coombs at the helm was any indication − where the Wolverines had 175 yards on seven total kickoff and punt returns in the Citrus Cheez-It Bowl against Texas − the future outlook appears much brighter.
Then there’s new coach Kyle Whittingham, who is intricately involved in the unit’s decisions.
“You got a guy who’s going to go in the Hall of Fame, sitting in the front row,” Coombs said of Whittingham earlier this month. “He takes a laser pointer and he says, ‘Hey, we got to make sure we get this done. Everybody’s listening, right?’ So, absolutely, it’s fantastic to have great feedback.”
Whittingham spent a dozen years coaching special teams when he was at Utah, which is where he built his philosophy on the unit. Sometimes, coaches won’t want to put star players in the third phase of the game for fear of exposing them to additional injuries and that’s something he’s found a balance with.
In his programs, “anybody is available” to play on punt team, which he calls the “No. 1 priority” of the unit. He looks to have six guys who are core special teamers and then any other starters that may see the field in the third phase of the game will only be in one phase: punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return, field goals and extra points.
In U-M’s first week of practice, Coombs said there were a handful of players rotating on punt when they were catching off the machines and they will use the next few weeks to narrow in a starter for the job. From Whittingham’s perspective, if that’s someone like Andrew Marsh, who’s expected to be the No. 1 wide receiver, that option is fully on the table.
“If we get a guy like Andrew Marsh and he has the desire to do it, he’ll get the ball in his hands another three to six times a game, whatever the case may be, and I’m all for it,” he said.
Michigan’s special teams units will look very different this season. U-M brought in Trey Butkowski from Pittsburgh after he finished as a Lou Groza semifinalist as a freshman. He converted 19 of 22 field goals (86.3%) in his first collegiate season, which included a stretch of 16 in a row and made 41 of 42 extra points.
He hasn’t shown the range someone like Dominic Zvada did in the past two seasons − Butkowski’s longest career kick is 47 yards − but had the consistency the Wolverines desired out of the position and the potential to expand his length.
“One of the hardest stadiums in the country to kick in,” Coombs said of Pittsburgh. “The wind blows there at all times. I’ve learned that our we get some wind here too, but he [kicked in] a lot of wind, a lot of tough situations. Kicked really well in that environment − I’m excited about Trey.”
Michigan also brought in Pitt’s long-snapper, Nico Crawford, and he will compete for the job with Marshall transfer Gavin Magorien, who was recently named to The Athletic’s “Freak’s List” as a standout athlete.
Cam Brown, a sophomore who just spent his first season at UNLV, is expected to be the starter over U-M’s returner Hudson Hollenbeck. He punted 22 times for 943 yards (42.9-yard average) with a long of 71 yards and four of 50 yards or more while forcing eight fair catches and landing eight punts inside the 20-yard line.
As excited as U-M is about its talent, the staff also feels it’s paramount to highlight the importance of a unit that often flies under-the-radar and can be the difference between winning and losing.
“Special teams has always been something that has been a priority for me,” Whittingham said. “If the head coach puts an emphasis on it, players really buy in. I think that’s really critical, and our guys are doing that.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan’s special teams will look very different. That’s a good thing
Reporting by Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
