Why Michigan Football’s run game could look like 2010s Ohio State

Over the last several seasons, the Michigan football program has been synonymous with a strong rushing attack to fuel its offense. It was largely why the Wolverines were able to make the College Football Playoff for three straight seasons, culminating with a national championship in 2023 thanks in part to Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards and elite offensive line play.

Even over the last two years, as Michigan’s offense sputtered week in and week out, the run game was never in question. In fact, it single-handedly dragged the Wolverines to wins in which they wouldn’t even attempt to throw the ball, with Kalel Mullings’ performances against USC and Ohio State in 2024 standing out as the biggest examples. At times, though, the offense’s predictability made it easy for defenses to adjust and limit the run game’s overall impact.

In 2026, Michigan’s offensive philosophy is set to shift under Kyle Whittingham and Jason Beck, with spread formations likely becoming more commonplace. cricket-ipl.co.za

Urban Meyer’s Ohio State teams thrived on this philosophy in the 2010’s, spreading the field despite not having prolific passers under center or the caliber of wide receiver that we’ve seen in the Ryan Day era. Instead, players like Ezekiel Elliott, Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett, and J.K. Dobbins were able to make names for themselves in an offense that was explosive on the ground and lit up the scoreboard seemingly every week.

In 2026, Michigan is similarly poised for success with two great running backs and a dual-threat quarterback to lead the charge — not to mention an offensive line that returns six players that started games last season.

Looking at the running back room, Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter will likely share more than 80 percent of the team’s carries from that position. Marshall, in particular, showed last year that he’s not only physical but also has great straight-line speed that helped him rip off a handful of long runs. With lighter boxes in 2026, he should be able to do that even more, even on carries designed to go straight through the middle of the opposing defense.

Additionally, Marshall chipped in a few times in the passing game last season with nine receptions for 92 yards. Look for that to continue to be a part of his game this season.

As for Hiter, the former five-star recruit has plenty of expectations on his shoulders coming into his freshman year, and there is a big role awaiting him this fall. He plays a similar style as Marshall in terms of speed and physicality, but Hiter might be a better runner when it comes to moving laterally at the line of scrimmage and picking his way through traffic. This should make him more of an asset in short-yardage situations when the formations don’t span the width of the field, but expect to see him used in a multitude of downs and distances this year.

In addition to what the running backs can do, the quarterback run game was a staple of those Ohio State teams we mentioned previously, but it was also a big part of Beck’s offense last season at Utah. This is why it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bryce Underwood more heavily involved as a runner.

Last season, Underwood showed in a limited sample size he can be effective as a runner with his combination of size, speed and elusiveness, making him hard to bring down in the open field. He finished the year with 88 carries for 392 yards and six touchdowns, which does include the 20 times he was sacked. By making a more intentional effort to utilize this part of Underwood’s game on zone reads, midline options and even draw plays, we could see his overall stock jump while helping the offense as a whole take a step forward.

There will undoubtedly be some hope and urgency for Underwood to take a step forward as a passer this year as well. But by utilizing his dual-threat abilities more often, it should only serve him more as a passer, with defenses needing to use a spy on him more instead of dropping an additional defender in coverage.

In 2026, there’s a clear need for the Wolverines to make sweeping changes when it comes to how they operate during games. And even with a new brain trust pulling the strings for the offense, the ability to run the ball likely won’t be something that’s a question mark. The way they go about it and how it looks on the field might be different from what we’ve seen recently, but it will all be in the hope of making sure they are able to score with some of the best offenses in the country.

Climbing is the biggest winner among a number of sports benefiting from millions of pounds of additional funding as UK Sport bids to boost Britain's medal hopes at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

In recognition of its medal potential, the sport has been handed an extra £1.4m, an increase of more than 60%.

It will enable eight athletes to be added to an expanded performance programme and preparation for new events before the next Paralympics and Olympics, which will feature three climbing medal categories for the first time.

Toby Roberts won gold - Great Britain's first medal in sport climbing at an Olympics - in the boulder and lead event at Paris 2024, at the age of 19.

Since the triumph, there has been a surge in participation in the sport in Britain, with the Pro Climbing League launched earlier this year.

Climbing is one of 16 sports benefiting from £4m of additional funding that UK Sport is distributing after an annual review.

The agency says the money will play "a critical part in enabling British athletes to deliver their best performances in the USA in two years' time…[and is] essential to ensuring Britain can continue to compete at the top table of Olympic and Paralympic sport".

It is investing a total of almost £334m for the whole LA 2028 cycle, across both Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Canoeing (£163,825) and Para-canoeing (£112,000) will also receive uplifts to support adaptation to changes in qualification rules.

Lacrosse, which will make its Olympic debut at LA 2028, will receive a £201,600 uplift as it prepares for inclusion on the programme.

Other sports to benefit include visually impaired judo, table tennis, surfing and wheelchair fencing.

Dr Laura Needham, performance director at the British Mountaineering Council, said: "As the sport continues to evolve towards LA 2028, this funding also allows us to expand the wider support services around our athletes, including psychology, nutrition, physiotherapy and medical provision.

"Bringing these elements together is vital to ensuring the GB Climbing team can maximise their potential and continue to progress on the world stage."

Kate Baker, director of performance at UK Sport, said: "This uplift comes at a crucial point in the LA 2028 cycle and is critical to our collective efforts to help British athletes perform at their best when it matters most.

"By investing early, whether backing emerging medal opportunities, responding to changes in competition structures or preparing for new Olympic sports, we are strengthening our competitive edge on the world stage."

Which sports have received funding boost?

Canoeing - £163,825

Cycling - £369,000

Equestrian - £207,000

Fencing - £150,000

Goalball - £32,434

Lacrosse - £201,600

Para-badminton - £193,600

Para-canoe - £112,000

Para-swimming - £45,000

Rowing - £192,000

Sport climbing - £1,406,044

Surfing - £150,000

Table tennis - £206,000

VI Judo - £202,500

Volleyball - £120,000

Wheelchair Fencing - £32,000

Arsenal and Liverpool are both keen on signing FC Porto midfielder Victor Froholdt, according to veteran Danish journalist Mads Glenn Wehlast. Wehlast was the first to report that the Gunners wanted Christian Norgaard last summer and has now claimed the Emirates Stadium are eyeing Froholdt as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen in the middle of the park. However, Liverpool will rival the North Londoners for the 20-year-old as Reds manager Arne Slot is desperate to turn things around at the Anfield club.

Newcastle United also want the Denmark international midfielder, and it remains to be seen whether Porto will sell him if his €75 million release clause is activated. Froholdt played a huge role to help the Portuguese top-flight club clinch their league title last week, weighing in with six goals and six assists in 32 games. His passing, dribbling and versatility have impressed suitors, but he is unlikely to get a starting spot at either Arsenal or Liverpool given their current options in the middle of the park.

Froholdt won the Danish Superliga and Danish Cup with Copenhagen last term and was named in the Danish Superliga Team of the Year and emerged as the Danish Superliga Young Player of the Year. He also emerged as the Danish Football Player of the Year following the brilliant campaign and many back home believe he has what it takes to impress in the Premier League.

However, a move to England could come too soon for him as he needs to keep playing regularly for his progress and development to continue.

Thursday’s reports confirm that Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo is ready to return to Antonio Conte’s starting line-up in Serie A this weekend as the Italy international marks 100 days since his most recent injury.

Di Lorenzo finally set for Napoli return

Di Lorenzo has been out of action for exactly 100 days, dating back to his side’s 2-1 victory against Fiorentina in Serie A on January 31. The Partenopei captain was taken off with a knee injury during that game with fears that he might have damaged his cruciate ligament (ACL).

Fortunately for Di Lorenzo, the issue was diagnosed as a hyperextension, significantly less severe than an ACL tear, but, the right-back decided to have surgery anyway in order to fix a foot injury which had been causing him pain for much of the 2025-26 season.

UDINE, ITALY – DECEMBER 14: Giovanni Di Lorenzo of Napoli on the pitch ahead of the Serie A match between Udinese Calcio and SSC Napoli at Stadio Friuli on December 14, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

The knee injury and surgery on Di Lorenzo’s foot have kept him out of action for the last 12 Serie A matches. He returned to the matchday squad for Napoli’s 0-0 draw against Como this weekend, but remained an unused substitute.

Now, according to updates from Corriere dello Sport, Di Lorenzo is now in line to return to the Napoli starting line-up for this weekend’s match against Bologna. The 32-year-old had played for the full 90 minutes in all 22 of Napoli’s Serie A matches prior to his injury.

ESPN's Aaron Schatz identified one roster hole that the Jacksonville Jaguars should still be attempting to address after the NFL draft -- edge rusher.

In short, there is a lack of experienced depth behind Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.

Along with identifying that need, Schatz also provided some free agent options that would make sense for the Jaguars.

As Schatz was discussing the Houston Texans' biggest need, which is also edge rusher depth, he highlighted Haason Reddick, Joey Bosa, Leonard Floyd, Derek Barnett, and Denico Autry as options for them. Schatz then said that the Jaguars should consider these same options as well.

Haason Reddick

Reddick's best seasons came in 2022 and 2023 with Philadelphia, when he recorded 155 total pressures. Last season with the Bucs, Reddick generated 34 pressures and three sacks, per PFF.

Joey Bosa

In his one season with Buffalo, Bosa put together his most productive season over the last several years, recording 54 pressures and five sacks.

Leonard Floyd

Floyd has had steady production throughout his career, logging at least 44 pressures each season from 2020 through 2024, including a career high of 73 in 2021. Last season, he remained in that ballpark, tallying 36 pressures.

Derek Barnett

Barnett hasn't had the same level of production as the other three, totaling 77 pressures over the last three seasons, but he would add experience to the Jaguars' defensive end position, playing over 4,000 career snaps.

Denico Autry

After three consecutive 50-plus pressure seasons from 2021 through 2023, Autry has totaled 45 pressures over the last two years in a rotational role with Houston.

The Jaguars don't have a ton of available cap space, but at this time of the year, that shouldn't be an issue -- it's not as if any of these contracts will break the bank.

Also worth noting, no free agent signings at this stage of the offseason count towards the 2027 compensatory pick formula.

We saw last year that GM James Gladstone is willing to make post-draft additions through free agency, signing Emmanuel Ogbah and Dennis Gardeck prior to training camp.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: List of 5 free agent edge rushers for Jaguars to consider signing