Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham couldn’t say specifically when right tackle Andrew Sprague will return.
Speaking on “Inside Michigan Football: with team color commentator Jon Jansen on Monday, Sept. 21, Whittingham discussed finding out from offensive line coach Jim Harding less than 24 hours before the Wolverines‘ game against UTEP on Saturday that Sprague would be a scratch.
Although U-M didn’t need him vs. the Miners – after a slow start, the Wolverines rolled, 52-17 – it will need him during Big Ten play.
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“My response was ‘Why, what happened between, you know, half hour ago and now?'” Whittingham said. “It was just a weird thing. But hopefully we can have him back. That’s the major concern right now, the primary concern is his health.”
The severity of Sprague’s ailment remains unknown
Sprague played all 115 offensive snaps for the Wolverines in the first two games this season and started 12 of 13 games in 2025. He was one of two offensive linemen who emerged as a starter early in fall camp, when Harding said the right tackle spot was “his to lose.”
Without Sprague, U-M had to shuffle its line, moving Evan Link back to left tackle (where he started all last season when healthy) and bounced Blake Frazier over to the right side. Whittingham said he “couldn’t be prouder” of how the unit handled the shift with no practice time as a unit.
That unit may stick together for U-M when the No. 18 Wolverines host No. 17 Iowa on Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS), given Sprague’s return timeline is uncertain.
“That’s a tough question, I think it could be anywhere from this week to several weeks, and so we just don’t know,” Whittingham said of Sprague’s timeline for a return. “That’s we’re trying to sort through … with the medical staff and making sure that we get the exact diagnosis and treat this thing the right way.
“He’s a big part of what we’re doing, so we hope to have him back sooner rather later.”
Jordan Marshall, meanwhile, is on the mend. U-M’s starting running back, Whittingham said, has dealt with “nagging” injuries for most of the season. The U-M coach said those ailments have contributed to Marshall’s slow start, which has amounted to 135 yards on 34 carries (4 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.
It has been a far cry from the rusher who had a carry of at least 19 yards in six of 11 games last year and of at least 36 yards in five. Still, Whittingham is expecting him against the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten opener this weekend.
“Jordan will be available [against Iowa] unless there’s a setback,” Whittingham said. “He came out of this game feeling much better than when he came out of last game, and so there’s been progress there.”
If he’s closer to full form, it should yield positive results.
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 football injury updates; latest on RB Jordan Marshall
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