THE BLUE PRINT: A podcast on the Michigan Wolverines

How did Michigan lose to Iowa? Former Michigan captains Jake Butt and Devin Gardner break down a devastating loss to the Hawkeyes, decided on a back-shoulder touchdown with two seconds left. Michigan outgained Iowa 429 yards of total offense, won the ground game 153-58, and got the best game of Bryce Underwood's young career.  So what went wrong? Devin charted every pass play Coach Beck calle...

Michigan beat UTEP 52-17 after trailing 14-7 — but the film tells a bigger story. Bryce Underwood's progress, Andrew Marsh's 10-catch breakout, and what MUST be fixed before Iowa's No.1 defense. Jake Butt and Devin Gardner break down every snap from Victory Sunday: Bryce Underwood 19-of-25 for 223 yards and 2 TDs, Marsh (10-105-1TD) and JJ Buchanan (7-92-1TD) exploding, the dominant defensive line...

Michigan beat Oklahoma 17-10 — and for the first time this season, the offense looked like it had a real plan.  Jake Butt and Devin Gardner break down every snap of Bryce Underwood's best game as a Wolverine, plus the run-game details up front that turned good plays into what should have been touchdowns. Bryce threw for 111 yards with ZERO interceptions and led Michigan in rushing — 18 carrie...

Michigan survived Western Michigan — but the film is UGLY.  Jake Butt & Devin Gardner break down the 3 turnovers, 9 penalties, and why Bryce Underwood's decision-making has Michigan fans worried before Oklahoma. Former Michigan captains go inside the film room: first down production, why the run game stalled vs stacked boxes, the sight-adjust misses that handcuff the play caller, and the OL c...

Michigan football is BACK.   Jake Butt and Devin Gardner break down the 5 things they need to see from the Wolverines against Western Michigan — and why Week 1 is really a joint practice for Oklahoma. Later, they dive into the mailbag and answer some of the questions that YOU have been asking.

Jake Butt and Devin Gardner rank the Top 10 quarterbacks in the Big Ten for the 2026 college football season — and they don't agree at the top. Is it Oregon's Dante Moore or Ohio State's Julian Sayin at No. 1? Where does Michigan's Bryce Underwood land, and can Nico Iamaleava, Josh Hoover, and Rocco Becht crash the top five? Plus the Blue Print Mailbag: what a locker room really feels like during...

Jake Butt was inside Michigan's practice — and he came away convinced. He breaks down what he saw from newly-named captain Bryce Underwood, the offense, and why he's "almost willing to bet the house" that Michigan has a top-three rushing attack in the country. Then Jake and Devin Gardner rank the five hardest games on Michigan's 2026 schedule — including a real debate over Oregon vs. Ohio State at...

Kyle Whittingham won’t call it “hatred”? On this week's episode of the Blue Print, Jake Butt and Devin Gardner share their thoughts on Coach's comments about the Michigan–Ohio State rivalry. Does a Wolverines head coach need to embrace the hate? And could those words could come back to bite him if Michigan doesn’t beat the Buckeyes? Then the gloves come off in the growing Big Ten–SEC feud! Jake ca...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Jake Butt and Devin Gardner react to the news that Warde Manuel will be stepping down as University of Michigan Athletic Director come the end of the year.  The guys share their thoughts on the decision, the process by how it was reached and where the athletic department goes from here. Then, we head back onto  the field and give you our preseason...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Jake Butt and Devin Gardner have some thoughts on Bryce Underwood’s claim that he’s “the best player ever to come out of Michigan.” Are we sure it’s a good idea for him to be saying things like this?  Is he putting an even greater target on himself coming into the season?  And which NBA player does Devin see as the guy Bryce should try to emulate when it co...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Jake Butt and Devin Gardner rank the top five defenses in the Big Ten heading into the season. Where does Michigan stack up against the conference’s best? And which teams could challenge the Wolverines on the defensive side of the ball? Plus, Jake and Devin take you inside the offseason grind for Michigan football, breaking down what summer really looks lik...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Jake Butt and Devin Gardner are giving you their top 5 Big 10 offenses for the upcoming 2026 season.  Does Michigan have enough to make cut?  Or are their questions at quarterback a little too prominent to beat out some of the elite competition? Plus, we open up the Michigan mailbag to answer your questions on other programs that may have “Brady Hoke-esque”...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, former 2x All-Pro Safety Eric Weddle had some harsh criticism of Michigan QB Bryce Underwood after watching him at practice and our own Jake Butt and Devin Gardner are weighing in on those comments. The guys discuss what could have driven Weddle to speak out in the way that he did and if his perspective actually does have some validity. Then, in an effort t...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, former Michigan stars Jake Butt and Devin Gardner are opening up the mailbag and answering your questions on all things Michigan football! We’ll discuss whether or not the Wolverines and Buckeyes should consider changing their timing of their annual game. We’ll discuss the difference between our rivalry with Ohio State and Michigan State.  And we’ll reminis...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, former Michigan stars Jake Butt and Devin Gardner are discussing Kyle Whittingham’s ability to attract top notch talent.  Are we currently experiencing the early days of a great era in Ann Arbor?  And when evaluating potential recruits, how do you weigh ability vs character?  Jake and Dev share their thoughts. Then, can a program as big as Michigan be consi...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner is joined by his former teammate AND roommate, Denard Robinson!  The guys reflect on some of their old stories including the time they showed up late to a Brady Hoke workout, the time Denard had to prove who he was to a 7-year-old kid and the time they battled one-on-one to try and determine who the better athlete was. Plus: Denard shares his...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Jake Butt and Devin Gardner are giving you some of their final thoughts on Michigan’s Spring Game and then, we’ve got the new head coach of Michigan football, Kyle Whittingham on the show! Kyle talks about how he ended up in Ann Arbor, what it was like getting that initial phone call, and why Michigan has always been a program he’s respected. He also shares...

The Spring Game isn’t everything… but it’s something. On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Jake Butt and Devin Gardner break down what they saw over the weekend in Michigan’s annual Spring Football Game, primarily at the quarterback position. The guys talk about the uplifting positives they saw from Tommy Carr but perhaps more concerningly, they discuss the discouraging negatives they saw from...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Jake Butt and Devin Gardner are getting you ready for Michigan’s spring football game!  Jake’s got all the details on which quarterbacks we’ll be seeing, how much the starters will go and how much live hitting will actually take place.  Then, Devin shares his thoughts on the importance of putting your QBs in situations that might make them uncomfortable and...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print… HAIL! TO THE VICTORS VALIANT. HAIL! TO THE CONQUERING HEROES. HAIL! HAIL! TO MICHIGAN, THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WEST! That’s right! We’re paying homage to Michigan hoops following their 2nd ever College Basketball National Championship - this one, a 69-63 win over UConn. Former Big 10 Coach of the Year Tom Crean joins to share his thoughts on what made this Mic...

On this episode of The Blue Print, Jake Butt and Devin Gardner kick things off with a lighter moment as Jake somehow earns a 96 speed rating in NCAAF—deserved or completely out of line? From there, the conversation shifts to real Michigan football news, as the guys react to Colin Hurley and Michigan mutually parting ways and what it means for the quarterback room moving forward. They also dive int...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print with Devin Gardner and Jake Butt, the guys are getting pumped about Michigan dancing their way into the Sweet 16!  Jake explains why he’d bet his life savings on Dusty May winning a title at some point and Devin contemplates the Big 10 becoming the nation’s preeminent basketball conference. Then, we’re talking football as Jake brings back his intel from Wolv...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt are getting excited about the dawn of the Kyle Whittingham era!  The guys discuss the start of spring practices and praise the incoming coach for entering Ann Arbor with a plan to succeed.  Devin and Jake also share their thoughts on how important Whittingham will be to the development of Bryce Underwood; because once Bryce is fi...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt show some love to the Michigan men’s basketball team on winning the Big 10 regular season title!  How has Dusty May managed to get this level of buy-in from such a star-laden team?  And while conquering the regular season crown is nice, is this only step 1 to securing a much BIGGER crown? Then, we’re breaking down last week’s NFL...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt may technically be the hosts, but this show is all about you!  The guys comb through your questions and answer everything from what it was like getting run over by Frank Clark in practice to what it was like storming the field as a fan after beating the Buckeyes in 2021. Devin also takes us through the brutality of Michigan’s 4 O...