Michigan have fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck, less than 24 hours after a dismal 15-6 home defeat to rivals Michigan State exposed the full scale of the Wolverines' attacking problems.

Beck's tenure in Ann Arbor is over after just nine games. The decision was first reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel on Sunday evening and was then confirmed by the university, with head coach Kyle Whittingham announcing that Beck had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.

"The results have not matched our desired outcome, and I felt that a change in leadership was required for our offense," Whittingham said in a statement. "We need to put our offensive players and the entire team in the best possible position to be successful."

Whittingham also thanked Beck for his work, adding: "We appreciate the hard work and effort that Jason has dedicated to the program. Jason is a great man and coach, and unfortunately, it did not work out the way that we wanted it to at Michigan."

The move is a sharp about-turn from Whittingham, who said after Saturday's loss that he did not plan to make any coaching changes until after the season. One day later, he changed his mind, and Beck became the first person to pay the price for a season that has gone badly wrong.

The numbers make grim reading for Michigan. The Wolverines average just 302.6 yards per game, ranking 132nd out of 138 teams in the top division of college football, and 19.6 points per game. They have been held under 20 points in six of their nine games this season, and scored no more than six points in two of their last three outings.

Saturday's defeat to Michigan State was the low point. The Wolverines managed only six points and turned the ball over four times against a Spartans side that arrived in Ann Arbor with a 2-6 record, and they did not score a single point until after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter.

Beck arrived in Michigan alongside Whittingham after one season as Utah's offensive coordinator, where his attack ranked fourth in the country in both points and yards per game in 2025, averaging 41.3 points and 428.9 yards. Michigan made him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the country, at an average salary of 3 million dollars a year.

The contrast could hardly be greater. The Wolverines' quarterback play has been poor under Beck, with former five-star recruit Bryce Underwood throwing five touchdowns and six interceptions before being replaced by true freshman Tommy Carr, who has thrown three interceptions against two touchdown passes. Whittingham admitted after Saturday's game that the staff had seriously considered a change at quarterback during the defeat.

Beck is set to be owed up to 10.1 million dollars under the terms of his contract, nearly 7 million in remaining salary and around 3.1 million in retention bonuses, although the deal is subject to offset and mitigation, meaning the final figure will fall if he takes another job. It is believed to be the biggest buyout ever paid to a college assistant coach.

Offensive line coach Jim Harding will serve as interim offensive coordinator for the rest of the season. Harding, who also followed Whittingham from Utah after 12 years coaching the Utes' offensive line, has never been more than a co-offensive coordinator at college level. Whittingham will conduct a national search for the next full-time coordinator.

Michigan fell to 5-4 with the loss to Michigan State, and the road ahead is daunting. The Wolverines finish the season with three straight games against ranked opponents, Oregon, UCLA and Ohio State, starting with a trip to Oregon on Saturday. They will need to win one of those three to become bowl-eligible, and they must now try to do it with a new man calling the plays.