THE BLUE PRINT: A podcast on the Michigan Wolverines

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...

The Blue Print is back — and there’s a LOT to talk about. With an entirely new coaching staff in Ann Arbor, we break down what Michigan Football should look like this season. What changes schematically? What happens to the culture? And how quickly can this new staff put its stamp on the program? We dive into expectations, identity, recruiting impact, and what fans should realistically expect in ye...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt recap Super Bowl LX and all of its Michigan ties.  Jake shares his memories of what it was like playing for Seahawks Special Team Coordinator Jay Harbaugh back when he was the Wolverine’s Tight End’s Coach.  And both guys reminisce on how quickly impressed they were by Seattle Head Coach Mike Macdonald during his time as Michigan...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt talk about the new culture that Kyle Whittingham is instilling within the Michigan football program, most notably at the QB position.  Devin shares his insight on incoming quarterback Colin Hurley and how he could potentially push Bryce Underwood for the starting job while Jake looks back on how internal competition brought out t...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt share their thoughts on Indiana’s 27-21 win over Miami in the College Football National Championship. How’d the Hoosiers manage to pull this off with such a low percentage of “Blue Chip” talent?  And did we just witness the final chapter in the greatest sports story ever seen?  Devin and Jake share their thoughts. Then, one of th...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt share their thoughts on Indiana’s incredible rise and why accusations of “cheating” might just be the biggest compliment that you could pay them.  The guys also discuss the need for Bryce Underwood to take a page from Curt Cignetti’s book and begin emphasizing process over results. Then, as the Wolverines welcome a new coaching s...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt share their thoughts on Michigan’s 41-27 loss to Texas in the Citrus Bowl.  While the country cooled on Arch Manning, he went to work and got better; unfortunately, the Wolverines wound up bearing the brunt of that. Then, Devin and Jake dive into Bryce Underwood and break down the areas in which he needs to improve. Devin also in...

On this episode of The Blue Print, we react to the stunning news out of Ann Arbor as Michigan hires longtime Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham to lead the Wolverines. We break down why Michigan targeted Whittingham, what he brings to the program, and how his physical, disciplined, defense-first brand of football fits perfectly with Michigan’s identity and the demands of the Big Ten. The conversatio...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt share their thoughts on Michigan’s ongoing search for their next head coach.  From Biff to Brohm, from Dillingham to Whittingham, the guys break down all of the options and explain why the right man for the job is the guy currently under your own roof. Plus, we’ll begin looking ahead to the Wolverines and Longhorns in this year’s...

On the latest episode of The Blue Print, Devin Gardner and Jake Butt are joined by legendary head coach and current co-host of the Stampede podcast, Mack Brown. Coach Brown shares some of his comparisons between Bryce Underwood and Vince Young and explains how he would coach a high-profile QB in the NIL era.  Coach also reveals some of his gripes with today’s college football climate from rampant...