Alex Whittingham weighs in on veteran Michigan linebackers: ‘Everything we hoped’

ANN ARBOR – Michigan Wolverines linebackers coach Alex Whittingham joined the program this offseason, coaching under his father, and took over a completely revamped room with a ton of questions. Two veterans, though, have been leading the way throughout and have set a tone early on in the season: senior Troy Bowles and grad transfer Nathaniel Staehling, who have 21 and 16 tackles, respectively, early on in 2026. FLASH SALE: Join The Wolverine for $1 for your first week with us for the latest Michigan intel, analysis and more! Staehling was a diamond-in-the-rough find out of the transfer portal, coming over from North Dakota State. The Brainerd, Minnesota native had just one season of starting experience, but flashed potential on film that Whittingham saw early in the process. RELATED: ‘Wouldn’t trade it for anything’: Alex Whittingham has enjoyed a life in football — just like his father “That was, shoot, my second or third day on the job,” Whittingham said Wednesday. “Evaluating him once he got into the portal, kind of picking out what we needed and what we wanted out of the portal. He was a guy that definitely stood out. One thing that stood out to me was there were a lot of similarities between him and a linebacker [defensive coordinator Jay Hill] had at BYU, Jack Kelly. “They’re about identical size-wise, movement skills, all that — very similar, so I thought he’d be a great fit scheme-wise. Talent-wise, he looked like a lot of the guys I had just been working with in the NFL — good-sized kid, smart, does everything right. The previous school he was at did a great job developing him. It was like we were getting an NFL-ready linebacker to plug in and play for us. He’s been everything we hoped he would be and more, and he’s just gonna continue to get better.” Bowles spent last season at Michigan after transferring in from Georgia and played mostly in a special teams and depth role. Now, the son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles leads the team in tackles, and a shared understanding of Whittingham’s coaching style coming from the NFL has led to a streamlined process. “I think we have a lot of similarities — he and I, coaches’ sons and NFL backgrounds,” Whittingham said. “What I’ve tried to bring here to Michigan is like an NFL teaching style adapted to the college scheme and the things we’re doing defensively. “But as far as drills go and vernacular that we use, I think he’s heard a lot of it before from his dad and me. His dad has been at some of our games — it’s been great to talk to him. Troy has done a fantastic job for us. He’s been huge as far as leadership in the room. He’s really made the most out of what he has, and I think we got him in a good role right now in this defense.” Bowles’ impact has been notable, and a play he made against Oklahoma helped change the game for Michigan. On Jyaire Hill’s interception of John Mateer that led to the game-winning touchdown, Bowles was in perfect position and got a fingertip on the football to alter its trajectory. “He was in spy technique,” Whittingham said. “We employed that technique quite a bit in the game last week, spying John Mateer — that quarterback specifically was always a threat to tuck and run on the scrambles, so we wanted a good athlete like Troy on that. That’s one of the strengths he’s been showing all through training camp doing that spy role — he has a great feel for getting in the windows, seeing the quarterback’s eyes. “There was one play where he took a shot as a spy and the quarterback got out, but overall he’s done a great job being patient with that, and he has a good feel for getting his hands up at the right time and being in the window.” Whittingham, who was part of three Super Bowl Championships with the Kansas City Chiefs as a defensive assistant, says a lot of the teaching has been the same at Michigan. But the responsibilities in molding young men is a bit different. “I have make sure they’re going to class, not being late, little things like that,” Whittingham said. “In the NFL, you’re just fining them if they don’t do what they’re supposed to be doing, so it’s a little different in college — there’s more for them to be accountable for. As a coach, I have to make sure they’re on the right track. “Here at Michigan, as far as the type of player you’re working with, there’s really not a big difference. The players here, from the first day I set foot on campus, they’ve just been so mature. They want to know what the coaches are looking for so they can execute — very diligent, very on the ball. There are a lot of similarities between the types of guys, and then it’s just getting them playing hard every week.” Michigan wraps up its non-conference slate on Saturday against UTEP, set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kick on Big Ten Network.