“Fired Yet?”: $250M Michigan Donor Demands Answers from Michigan After Kyle Whittingham & Co. Botch Game vs. Indiana

Michigan’s offense has been a problem for weeks, and Saturday made it impossible to ignore. No. 6 Indiana beat the Wolverines 13-6 in overtime at Michigan Stadium, and the offense once again collapsed. One of the team’s loudest supporters had a very short question about it.

“Has Jason Beck been fired yet?” Barstool founder Dave Portnoy posted on X. Portnoy is a Michigan alum, and the post is clearly aimed at an offensive coordinator in his first season with the Wolverines.

Portnoy’s net worth is $250 million, and in September 2024 he pledged up to $3 million to help Michigan land a top QB. Two months later, in November 2024, the Wolverines landed five-star recruit Bryce Underwood on a reported eight-figure NIL deal. When someone with that kind of history asks about a coach’s job, people notice.

The frustration comes from the numbers. Since scoring against Iowa on September 26, Michigan has put up just three points on 27 offensive drives that did not begin with a turnover, across three games. Those drives had 17 punts, five interceptions and one fumble. That is four weeks without a touchdown on that kind of possession.

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In the Indiana game, Michigan started Tommy Carr and kept freshman Bryce Underwood on the bench. Carr finished 20-of-32 for 167 yards, threw an interception and lost a fumble, and he accepted responsibility for both turnovers.

Michigan also reached the Indiana 1-yard line, but Carr was sacked and a 32-yard field goal was missed. On the final drive of regulation, the Wolverines reached the 3-yard line but had to settle for a 26-yard field goal as time ended. In overtime, Michigan got to the Indiana 13, but Carr’s pass for Salesi Moa fell incomplete.

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover, who was dealing with injuries, went 8-of-18 for 81 yards and an interception, and coach Curt Cignetti thought about going to backup Grant Wilson before sticking with him. Hoover then scored the winning touchdown on a four-yard run in overtime. The Hoosiers moved to 7-1, while Michigan dropped to 4-3.

Now, blaming Beck for the game’s offense and letting him go are two separate things. According to his contract, per the Detroit Free Press, firing him without cause could cost Michigan more than $9 million. He is earning $2.8 million in 2026 along with a $1.74 million signing bonus, and his salary rises to $3.05 million in 2027-28 and $3.3 million in 2028-29.

If Michigan fires Beck, the base salary left on his deal comes to about $6.35 million. The final number depends on whether he gets another job and how much he earns there.

Michigan already has other big bills. It’s set to pay athletic director Warde Manuel nearly $10 million in buyout money at the end of 2026, and it is still paying a $30 million fine to the NCAA from the 2021-23 sign-stealing scandal.

This is Beck’s first season with the team, and he arrived with a strong record. At Utah in 2025, under head coach Kyle Whittingham, who now leads Michigan, his offense ranked second nationally in rushing at 266.3 yards a game, fourth in total offense at 482.9 and fourth in scoring at 41.3 points. Even before that, in 2024 at New Mexico, his offense averaged 253.6 rushing yards and 484.3 total yards per game.

Whittingham has stood by him: the head coach said the offense needs to improve across the board, but he also pointed to Beck’s season at Utah and said the staff is working to find rhythm and continuity.

For now, the answer to Portnoy’s question remains unclear, especially when the OC is backed by Whittingham. But the question will resurface louder if Michigan does not improve, with its next game against Rutgers in New Jersey on October 31.

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