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ANN ARBOR, MI - APRIL 18: Michigan Wolverines kicker Stuart Blake (35) kicks a field goal during the Michigan spring football game on April 18, 2026 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, MI. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
For the past few seasons, Michigan’s kicker position hasn’t really been in question. Now, there could be a battle to find out who’s starting for Michigan’s special teams unit. While we’re all rooting for more touchdowns, it’s critical to have a solid and reliable special teams unit. Let’s look ahead at the under-the-radar battle that could have a major impact on how Michigan’s 2026 season goes.
Stuart Blake
Stuart Blake definitely had the better spring game of the two kickers, as the junior was the only reason the Blue Team put any points on the board. He made field goals from 23 and 40 yards out to give the Blue Team the lead for most of the game.
While he doesn’t have experience in games over his past two seasons, he could be the answer for Michigan’s special teams this season. He posted a video on social media hitting a 73-yarder, and even though it’s very unlikely that he won’t be converting from that distance in a game, knowing he’s able to kick from a far distance is reassuring and could help Michigan out in close games.
Trey Butkowski
Meanwhile, sophomore Trey Butkowski didn’t have the best spring game. He missed his only field goal attempt — a 29-yard kick — for the Maize Team in the second quarter. The thing is, he was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist last season after going 19-of-22 in the regular season with Pitt. His career long is a 47-yarder, and he recently posted a video of him kicking a 72-yard kick.
While it may have seemed like there wasn’t much of a battle ahead of Michigan’s spring game, now it looks like there’s one heating up. Blake’s ability to hit his field goals in the spring game while Butkowski missed his, at least gives him an argument that he’s worth considering heading into the season. They’re both clearly working with some impressive leg strength, and while Butkowski was a consistent option at Pitt last year, Blake is trying to prove he’s worth getting on the field.
We know special teams is critical. Michigan’s success in that area helped lead it to one of the most unlikely wins over Ohio State in 2024. Dominic Zvada went from automatic to sporadic last season, and that meant Michigan occasionally walked away with no points.
Now these two kickers are battling it out this offseason. One thing’s for sure, special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs knows what he’s doing. Every aspect of Michigan’s special teams looked better in the Citrus Bowl and he was only with the team for a few weeks at that point. He’s got the ability to help Blake and Butkowski take their games to the next level.
While it’s nice to have starters locked in at positions, the competition is only going to make these guys better. It could have been easy for Butkowski to transfer in and assume he’ll be the starter, but he’s now getting pushed by Blake to be at his best. As with everything right now in the offseason, we’ll just have to wait until the first week of the season to see how things go on the field.
For now, which kicker do you think will start for the Wolverines in 2026? Let us know down in the comments!
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