Michigan Football: Kyle Whittingham named head coach of Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines have finalized the hire of Kyle Whittingham to be the 22nd head coach in program history. Whittingham and Wolverines agreed to a 5-year contract that will pay him an average of $8.2 million annually. Whittingham stepped down as the Utah Football head coach in early December; while many thought was stepping down to retire, he made it clear that he was still open to coaching by jokingly saying, “I’m stepping down, step away and reevaluate things … I’m a free agent, I’m in the transfer portal … It’s a different feel, but I’m at peace. And I did not want to be that guy who overstayed his welcome with people saying, ‘Hey, when’s this guy gonna leave?’ That was not my intention – ever. I hope I didn’t do that. I’m sure with some people I did do that. To me, the timing was right.”

After the messy firing of Sherrone Moore, Whittingham brings a clear picture of stability and an “adult in the room” for a program that was clearly seeking stability.

Michigan Football: Who is Kyle Whittingham?

Kyle Whittingham is 66 years old. He has been with the Utah Utes’ football program for over 30 years, spending 20 as the head coach. Whittingham joined the Utah staff in 1994 and worked his way up from the defensive line coach to the defensive coordinator in just one season. He then spent 10 years as the defensive coordinator, coaching various defensive groups. He was mentored under Urban Meyer during his time at Utah, and when Meyer left for the Florida head coaching job, he endorsed Whittingham for the Utah head coaching job. Since then, Meyer has continually praised Whittingham as one of the best and toughest head coaches in the nation. 

During Whittingham’s tenure as the Utah head coach, he recorded a 177-88 record, becoming the winningest coach in Utah football program history. He won one Mountain West championship in 2008 before moving to the Pac-12, winning the Pac-12 South Division four times, and the Pac-12 championship twice in 2021 and 2022. Under Whittingham, Utah won 10+ games eight times, and only finished with a sub-.500 record three times in 20 years.

Whittingham consistently elevated the talent on Utah’s roster to compete with the best of the best and win big games versus good teams for 20 years. While he often never fielded the most talented roster in the Pac-12, he always had one of the toughest teams in the conference who could compete with anyone. According the 247Sports, he never fielded a top-10 roster by talent (or “stars”), but recorded 10-straight winning seasons from 2014-2023, winning 9+ games in seven of those seasons. In fact, Kyle Whittingham has a 3-0 record versus Michigan, winning in 2008, 2014, and 2015, all seasons where the finished top-20 in the AP poll. 

What Kyle Whittingham Brings to the Wolverines

Kyle Whittingham is one of the most respected coaches in the sport. While his age is a concern, he brings clear stability to a Michigan program that has been caught in scandals year after year for most of the decade. He may only be a short-term higher, but he has the opportunity to bring consistency and the chance to build back a program that won a national championship just two years ago. Whittingham brings toughness and physicality, while also bringing an element of maturity the program has been missing since the departure of Jim Harbaugh. 

Whittingham is expected to bring offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck with him from Utah. This would be a phenomenal hire for Michigan, as Utah finished with fifth-highest points per game in the FBS last season. While Michigan has been a ground and pound team for the last five years, an offensive identity shift to create a balanced offensive attack would greatly benefit the current personnel on the team. 

Whittingham’s first priority needs to be ensuring the high-level young talent stick around. This includes Bryce Underwood, Jordan Marshall, and Andrew Marsh on the offensive side of the ball and Nate Marshall, Mason Curtis, and Shamari Earls on the defensive side. He also needs to ensure they are able to keep their high-end recruits. Ensuring both edge rusher Carter Meadows and running back Savion Hiter stay at Michigan will be key to replenishing the roster for the Wolverines’.

Final Thoughts

Whittingham has his work cut out for him at Michigan. He’ll be expected to win right out the gate. And, not only that, he will need to rebuild the culture of a program that has fallen flat on its face. Whittingham may be 66 years old, but he will be tasked with rebuilding one of the most storied programs in college football, and he will be expected to get results in his first year. He has shown the ability to build a culture capable of winning at the highest level, while also elevating the talent on his roster. Yet, whether he can do the same at a more high-end program has yet to be seen.