Kyle Whittingham claims Michigan could have the best running back room in America

Kyle Whittingham has high hopes for what the Michigan running backs room can be in his inaugural season. His faith in running backs coach Tony Alford is a major reason why.

Alford was one of three Wolverines assistants from the previous staff who were retained by Whittingham. He has been with Michigan for the past two seasons after spending nine seasons as the RB coach at Ohio State.

During a recent appearance on The Triple Option, Whittingham spoke on how impressed he has been with Alford since arriving to take the job last month. He also made a bold claim about the talent that Michigan has in its running backs room.

“I thought it was important to have a bridge between the last staff and our staff,” Whittingham said. “Tony Alford, the running backs coach, terrific coach. Outstanding recruiter. He’s put together maybe the best running back room in the country. He’s a guy that is a proven commodity.”

The Wolverines are set to return Jordan Marshall, who led the team with 932 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns this past season, in 2026. However, they lost Justice Haynes to the transfer portal. Haynes was right behind Marshall with 857 yards and 10 touchdowns despite playing in only seven games due to injury.

Michigan also lost Bryson Kuzdzal to the transfer portal, but brought in Oklahoma transfer Taylor Tatum. He should compete witth redshirt freshman Micah Ka’apana for carries behind Marshall next season. That should helping the Wolverines maintain their status as one of the top rushing attacks in the Big Ten after ranking second in the conference with 210.2 rushing yards per game this past season.

In addition to Alford, Whittingham also retained defensive tackles coach Lou Esposito as well as special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs. That gives him a group that will make his transition to Michigan easier, but he also has a lot of his former guys from his Utah staff as well.

“So those three guys, I really leaned on them to navigate things and figure things out along the way,” Whittingham said. “By the same token, I surround myself with guys I know and trust that I’ve worked with, for a lot of them, 20+ years.”

Michigan is coming off of a 9-4 finish this past season and isn’t looking to skip a beat under Whittingham. The ground game will be a big part of that as Whittingham believes it can be one of the best in the country.