Michigan football's new coach brings discipline and a 'great change'

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- While new Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham has praised the culture he inherited in Ann Arbor, there were definitely a lot of changes that needed to be made. Much of the talk surrounding spring ball was centered on Whittingham asserting some discipline, and from all accounts, that's been a major, positive change within the program.

But what's more, for a player like third-year edge rusher Lugard Edokpayi, there's just a different feeling compared to his first two years with the program. "Just, I'd say the overall vibe of the team, the locker room, the morale," Edokpayi said. "Even with the coaches, you didn't know what to expect having a new staff come in.

So, I'd say just how everybody stayed together, that's one. And just, yeah, all the players, I mean, since I'm kind of transitioning from that younger guy to older guy, you see, I kind of have to take that role of saying how you're doing to the younger guys, kind of leading them on. So, just, yeah, being closer together.

" One of the big changes was Whittingham's hiring of strength coach Doug Elisaia. Though the previous staff was comprised of the holdovers from Ben Herbert's acclaimed group, the results weren't quite the same. Now, according to Edokpayi, Elisaia's staff has made substantial improvements, and it's starting to yield early results.