Junior offensive lineman Andrew Sprague has dropped 20 pounds of fat since last season. He credits Doug Elisaia, Michigan football's new strength and conditioning coach, and a simple idea: when your body feels ready to quit, you still have 40 percent left.

Elisaia followed head coach Kyle Whittingham from Utah to Ann Arbor after 20 years with the Utes, where he built a reputation for turning raw athletes into physical, durable players. He inherited what Whittingham described as a team whose "overall strength … was not up to par," according to MLive reporting from Big Ten Media Days on July 30.

The results have come fast. Whittingham said 97 percent of players hit a new personal best in at least one strength metric before preseason camp opened. Running back Jordan Marshall benched 375 pounds. And Sprague, speaking to the Michigan Daily on Thursday, Aug. 13, said Elisaia has physically transformed the offensive line.

"When the fourth quarter comes, don't break down, you just gotta keep pushing through," Sprague said. "One thing (Elisaia and his staff) always talk about is when you feel like your body's about to shut down, you still have 40% left, so that's one thing we like to emphasize."

The method is blunt. After heavy lifts, Elisaia sends players straight into gassers and wind sprints at high intensity. Sophomore wide receiver Jamie Ffrench described the post-lift sprints as mental preparation for returning to the field after halftime, training the mind to override exhaustion signals.

Elisaia leads a four-member strength staff that reintegrated the bench press and squat rack after testing every player on the roster upon arrival. Whittingham recounted at Big Ten Media Days on July 30 the moment Elisaia walked into his office with the initial results: "Coach, you're not going to like this." Seven months later, the numbers tell a different story.

Beyond raw strength, junior center Jake Guarnera said the program emphasizes injury prevention through accessory lifting, foam rolling, targeted muscle work and speed training. Guarnera, speaking Friday, Aug. 7, said those methods help limit soft tissue injuries involving tendons, muscles and ligaments.

Elisaia spent two decades at Utah, starting as an assistant strength coach in 2005 before becoming director of sports performance in 2006. His arrival filled a gap left by the departure of former Michigan strength coach Ben Herbert; MLive reported that Herbert's exit had been seen as a critical missing piece in the program's physical decline under the previous coaching staff.

Michigan opens its 2026 season against Western Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 5, with six of its 12 opponents entering the year ranked, including No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Oregon.