Michigan has hired Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham to be the new head man for the Wolverines.
Whittingham is 66 years old and spent the last 21 seasons as head coach of the Utes, being the only head coach for the team since Urban Meyer left following the 2004 season to go to Florida. Whittingham was a linebacker for BYU and spent a handful of seasons in the NFL and USFL with the Rams, Broncos, Denver Gold, and New Orleans Breakers. He coached at BYU, Eastern Utah, Idaho State, and then Utah, and he has been in Salt Lake City since 1994 when he coached the defensive line. He would then go on to become defensive coordinator in 1995 and alternately coached safeties and linebackers until becoming head coach in 2005.
He amassed a 177-88 record with the Utes, surpassing the former wins record for Utah, held by Ike Armstrong, who had 141 wins from 1925-1949. Whittingham's accolades include winning the Bobby Dodd Trophy, AFCA Coach of the Year, Mountain West Coach of the Year, and Pac-12 Coach of the Year (twice).
Whittingham is the son of former NFL linebacker Fred "Mad Dog" Whittingham, who played college ball at Cal Poly before embarking on a career with the with Rams, Eagles, Saints, and Patriots from 1963-1971. Fred then went on to coach at BYU and Utah, also spending time with the NFL's Rams and Raiders.
Kyle Whittingham's teams have been known for having a balanced offense and playing tough, physical, well coached defense. Urban Meyer thinks Whittingham is one of the top few coaches in college football, which may be a case of bias since Whittingham coached under Meyer. The Utes are currently #5 in scoring offense (41.4 points/game) and #17 in scoring defense (tied with Michigan at 18.7 points allowed/game).
For the 2025 season, starting quarterback Devon Dampier completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,180 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions while also running 127 times for 687 yards and 7 touchdowns. Running back Wayshawn Parker ran 133 times for 931 yards and 6 touchdowns. Meanwhile, defensive end John Henry Daley has 17.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks, and the defense as a whole has 14 interceptions returned for 364 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Overall, Whittingham is an excellent football coach with a clean track record. When it comes to performance on the field, there's really not much concern. Some people point to his record, but we need to keep in mind that he was coaching at Utah, a place that doesn't have all the resources of other schools like USC, Oregon, etc. The Utes were competing in the Pac-12 from 2011-2023, so even with a great coach, they were unlikely to stomp all over the rest of the league for that entire time. He still had eight seasons with 10+ victories, including a 13-0 season in 2008 and a 10-2 record in 2025.
My biggest concerns are these:
- Kids don't know Kyle Whittingham in the Midwest. Utah never recruited in Michigan or Ohio much, preferring to get their players from Utah, California, Texas, etc. The Utes have exactly two Michigan players on the roster, one a long snapper and another who came by way of Garden City Community College in Kansas. There's only one player from Ohio, and he transferred from Oklahoma. The Wolverines are really going to need to go on a P.R. campaign to get Whittingham's name out there and show what he's done. Utah has produced four 1st round draft picks in Whittingham's tenure, including DT Star Lotulelei, OT Garrett Bolles, LB Devin Lloyd, and TE Dalton Kincaid.
- Whittingham is 66 years old. Only Bill Belichick (UNC, 73 years old), Kirk Ferentz (Iowa, 70), and K.C. Keeler (Temple, 66) are older. I get that some of Michigan's best years have been under old white guys (Lloyd Carr, Jim Harbaugh, etc.), but I don't think Whittingham brings a ton of juice on the recruiting trail except for the fact that he'll be wearing a block M on his chest. There are ways to mitigate that with putting good recruiters on the trail, but there's no fixing Whittingham's age or the fact that he's probably not going to be much of a long-term solution. I was hoping Michigan could land a coach who was 50-ish and who could legitimately spend a decade with the program, but most coaches are out of the game by the age of 70, so Whittingham has maybe three or four years until he's gone. (Even though he signed a 5-year contract, everyone knows you either retire early, get fired early, or you sign an extension. Whittingham isn't going to stay for five years and then ride into the sunset.)
We'll see how things play out. I will obviously support Michigan and Whittingham for the duration of his career in Ann Arbor, but I'm slightly disappointed that Wolverines fans will be almost guaranteed to be doing this coaching search in just a few years.
Hot take conspiracy theory: Whittingham is placeholder until DeBoer comes available from Alabama. Whittingham is on-board with this, and will happily step aside when DeBoer is ready to come over. This is all part of the plan.
ReplyDeleteWhat if I told you Wittingham is a better football coach than Deboer.
DeleteWouldn't shock me in the slightest ... but after Whittingham, who's better than DeBoer? That's the question. Because what we're really talking about here is who follows Whittingham in three years, and get that lined up *now*.
DeleteIf DeDoer is available, it is because he got canned. I give it 50% he doesn't make it 5 years. So, you want a coach that is canned (stock is down). He is under performing at bama, even without the Saban comparisons.
DeleteI think that's a thing you'd look at more closely when you are counting down the months to the end of the Wittingham era (not the years). I'd say the OC/DC are most likely heirs at this point, but if they are successful they may be head coaches elsewhere in less time than that.
Delete"What if I told you Wittingham is a better football coach than Deboer"
DeleteI would point out the "Deboer or bust" comment from 12 days ago, while dismissing Coach Whitt
You'll have to remind me what I said two weeks ago. Seems it may have stuck with you more than me.
DeleteMore of the same: lack of consistency. Not even you believe you
Delete#selfown
If you want to insult me about evolving my position on Wittingham as I learned more about him, that's up to you.
DeleteI checked back on the thread from two weeks ago.
https://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2025/12/coaching-hot-board-10.html
Here is what I said two weeks ago when it looked like our top options were Deboer and Dillingham.
"It's deboer or bust IMO. Brohm should be your plan B. Everyone else either ain't coming or isn't qualified IMO. Dillingham seems like a reckless gamble, though I love his energy."
I did not like Dillingham as an option and still don't.
You are right that I was dismissive of Wittingham as an option at the time.
"Whittingham - I mean he's a good coach and would fit the culture but the sport has changed so much with NIL and portal stuff. I just don't see much benefit to this other than a stabilizing stop-gap."
I'll admit I hadn't put a lot of thought and research into him at that point and mostly just saw him as a guy who was headed for retirement. Why bother with that?
Less than 24 hours later I wrote this:
"iykykDecember 19, 2025 at 11:20 AM
I'm coming around on Wittingham as a reasonable option"
The more I have head Wittingham talk and the more I have learned about him the more I have "come around". When I saw what staff he was looking to put together, I was more than assured. When I saw his energy and motivation come through in comments, I was compelled. My views have evolved with more information available. I said I was "coming around" almost right away. Call that inconsistent if you like.
What Wittingham did at Utah was/is a top 10 coaching caliber performance. I thought he was done and maybe he still is done. Maybe he is just looking at MIchigan as a chance to cash in before a slightly delayed retirement. Maybe his success doesn't translate outside of Utah. Maybe he still is a "bust". But based on what I've seen an heard I think it's more likely, that he's a top 10 coach in college with some "gas left in the tank" and probably a top 5 coach for fit with Michigan. Maybe he is a guy who can set the table for a decade or more of success even if he himself is retired within 3 years. And maybe he sets up Michigan for success better even than Deboer.
I don't know if he is better than Deboer and my quote above is a question
"What if I told you Wittingham is a better football coach than Deboer."
My views on the search have changed as new information became available and my views on Wittingham have evolved as I learned more about Wittingham.
LOL - reading the comment directly below this.
Delete"After a (very) brief preference for Dillingham, this was my top choice"
Seems I'm not alone in evolving my perspective.
Nobody insulted you lank, relax
DeleteDillingham was my first (reasonable) choice, but I listed red flag concerns about him at that same time. My only concern with regard to wittingham was how the fanbase & donors might respond. I have always appreciated the Utah brand of football; no change there at all
Deboer was your guy (or bust), then tellin the board different. No need to revise your positions
GO BLUE
ACSHULLY it is insulting to tell someone they owned themselves and don't believe themselves.
DeleteYou can call out the question "did you change your mind?" about consistency or you can be combative and insulting about it. That's up to you.
Many would also say it's insulting and disrespectful to be told to "relax" when you aren't remotely upset. But YMMV.
This is expected behavior from you. You ARE being insulting. You ARE being inconsistent. That IS hypocritical.
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"I have always appreciated the Utah brand of football"?
Cool. Who hasn't?
As covered above, my quotes include:
""Whittingham - I mean he's a good coach and would fit the culture " followed shortly by "I'm coming around on Wittingham as a reasonable option"
There is no NEED to revise my position but I revised my own position. As did you.
Starting from:
je93December 17, 2025 at 3:38 PM
"Whittingham? Seems desperate"
Deboer WAS my top choice. Dillingham WAS your top choice.
We both changed our minds in favor of Willingham after learning more about his candidacy and legitimate interest.
You're accusing somebody of being "inconsistent" who from the outset said their position had evolved. Yours has as well. Do you acknowledge that?
I'd like you to know that you are being hyprocritcal. That's not an insult. It's an observation that speaks, backed by quotes above. You were initially dismissive and now you are not. So was I. There is no reason to deny it unless you are either lacking in self awareness or angling for an argument for the sake of argument.
It all makes sense if somebody just wants to argue. I'll step out of this conversation now and end my polite observations and let another person(a) respond further if that's what you'd prefer. Thunder has made his preferences knows and I'm trying to respect that. But the insults are above.
PS
Nobody is "tellin the board" that Deboer wasn't my guy. This is flat out untrue. He was my first choice and I THOUGHT the only good option before I came around on Whittingham (less than 24 hours later).
Lies, accusations, and insults are a pattern here. Putting it as nicely as I can.
Name change = white flag
Delete#tooeasy
#selfown
#essayfail
After a (very) brief preference for Dillingham, this was my top choice
ReplyDeleteI watch a bunch of CFB, and the Utes match everything we say we are: physical, fundamental, Defense & running the ball
Despite this, I am a bit concerned. MICHIGAN fans are fickle, and won't be patient as the new staff adjusts to the brutal B1G conference. Things could unravel quick
As for Thunder's concerns:
1) not too worried. Even if Whitt isn't a dominant recruiter, he has a staff - and more importantly - the MICHIGAN brand & warchest ... from there, his ability to develop is Harbaughesque
2) this depends on his staff, retention of our roster and some Portal luck. A bad start on any of those three may have him regretting this twilight move
All things considered, we got the best fit and a proven winner. Back on 1o December, I thought we were facing a mass exodus, a late hire , and someone like PJ Fleck or, Brohm or Drinkowicz
Cautiously optimistic is where I am
GO BLUE
I feel 5x better now than what I felt a month ago. I have commented we had a bottom quarter coaching staff in the B10 and while I was hoping Moore would figure it out, I didn't see any sign that was happening. That, has changed.
DeleteHow many coaches in CFB have been around longer than 10 years? Very few! It's a really rare thing. Jim Harbaugh (the ideal coach for us) didn't last 10 years even though he loves AA and loves the program and won a national title and has ownership of real estate in the middle of Ohio Stadium. Urban Meyer (the ideal coach for OSU) didn't last 10 years at OSU either. Kalen Deboer left a great situation at Washington and is supposedly open to moving on from Alabama. Mario Cristobal dipped on Oregon to come home to Miami. These "terminal jobs" don't look all that terminal to me.
ReplyDeleteI think that a best realistic case scenario is 5-10 years even for a 50 something coach. In other words, Kirk Ferentz, Lloyd Carr, or Nick Saban aren't walking through that door! Especially as the Big 10 and the SEC try to look more and more like the NFL.
I agree 100% that Wittingham will not last beyond 3 seasons in AA. And I'm very OK with that. Like 100% comfortable. As others have brought up, Curt Cignetti is 64 and I don't think Indiana fans are sweating his age even a little bit at this point. Willingham could easily outlast him.
The main thing to watch here is the staff built up around him. Seeing if there's a potential succession plan in place. You don't have to have a coaching search if the coach-in-waiting is all lined up. From the looks of things, Jay Hill or Jason Beck will be well positioned to take over as head coach if things go as well as I think they can in the next 3 seasons.
As for the recruiting geography concerns. In the Portal era does it really matter if you get your high school recruits from the midwest or outside the midwest?
Remember when people complained about Rich Rod recruiting florida and ohio too hard. Then people complained about not recruiting these places hard enough a few years later. And how about Don Brown recruiting New England too hard? Too many NFL players coming from there? LOL. None of this was actually a problem.
Say whatever you want about Sherrone but he seemed like a good recruiter. Michigan's latest class had 1 guy (Tommy Carr) from Michigan and he was a walk-on type. Only 5 other guys were midwest (OH and IL). That all seems perfectly fine to me. So this class is 6/24 guys from the midwest and the last was 7/24 from the midwest. To that I say -- who gives a dang! Michigan can, should, and will recruit nationally.
Moreover, the portal has deemphasized the importance of high school recruiting. So even if geography of high school recruits was a big concern, it would be less of one than it was before.
Right now the state my eyes are on for recruiting purposes is... Utah! There's a lot more Michigan-caliber talent sitting on the rosters of BYU and Utah right now than in the high school level at Michigan. Not sure if Wittingham would consider that tampering or not but I hope his staff is bringing along some players from the mountain west.
It's a win now sport and we have arguably a top 5 coach for winning now. Moreover, his coaching identity aligns very closely with Michigan/Bo/Harbaugh philosophy.
DeleteRecruiting is going to take care of itself if we manage NIL budget reasonably wisely and don't do some of the dumb stuff Sherrone did.
Succession planning doesn't have to start the day Wittingham announces he is retired. I think you can argue having the end in sight is a feature not a bug from this perspective, even though Warde seems to have done a great job in hiring someone on short notice, you prefer to have more time to get that kind of thing done than we had with Sherrone's very abrupt implosion.
As has been mentioned in several places, every AD should have a list of three or four names they'll try for in the event they have to, and that list is kept up to date every year. The back-channel conversations should start right now ... "If a couple of years if this job opens, would you be interested?"
DeleteOur best recruiter is Ben
DeleteBen Franklin.
Moore underperformed (slightly ) in recruiting considering our NIL, It just looks good be Harbaugh decided he recruiting was not his jam his last 2 years. We should be recruiting top 5.
I think Moore did very well at the high school level because he chose to prioritize the high school level. He was not as good in the portal, even relative to Harbaugh.
DeleteBut yeah, the money that Michigan has at it's disposal is top 10 so they should have no problem getting top 10 talent if they use it wisely. On that front it's been as much a Magee issue as a Moore issue. We'll see who Wittingham pairs up with, but I think it's reasonable to expect a shift and not expect Wittingham to recruit high school nationally like Moore did.
Yeah but ... I think you really have to like his style of play for us, our needs and rivals. I've read his teams described as "thumpers" and his guys as "disciplined". It is my sincerely held opinion that those are two excellent things to be. Remember, hitting guys in the mouth till they cry while avoiding mistakes is exactly how you win in Columbus and Happy Valley. It is also how you beat the Alabamas and Georgias of this world.
ReplyDeleteI've really liked his teams the very few times I've watched them. All of my opinions of the Utes under Whittingham were formed against good teams late in the year and I have distinctly noticed that they most always control the line of scrimmage, hit people and are where they belong. If you are wanting to win championships those things are absolute requirements .
I like his presser, he struck me as an approachable man. I think he can get kids to like him and moms to love him. And then, there's the money cannon. He's not had one of those before. Hell, he's recruited some big time kids away from us recently. It ain't like he's been winning with scrubs, and to whatever extent that he has ... that's even better for us because ... money cannon.
Then, remember we now have a no kidding grownup coaching a 9-3 football team. And not just any 9-3 football team, but rather a 9-3 football team with what I believe was the youngest starting roster anywhere to be found in all of college football. Which roster was being coached by in the opinion of many of the Wolverine faithful an inept head coach. I happen to not share that opinion, but what the hell do I know I liked Rich Rod as a head coach too.
I truthfully think the guy can win a Natty here. After watching his presser, I'm pretty damn sure he thinks so too. I'm thinking that's exactly why he came here.
I'm really delighted with this hire. I'm pumped over our chances here.
"I truthfully think the guy can win a Natty here. After watching his presser, I'm pretty damn sure he thinks so too. I'm thinking that's exactly why he came here."
DeleteExactly ... I think Whittingham wants to go out with a ring. The only other schools in this age where that might be possible already have coaches. I think that's why Kiffen went to LSU.
Has anyone data to backup the comment about youngest starting lineup/roster?
DeleteThe offense was pretty young with a lot of underclassmen but also some very old guys in Crippen, McCulley, Klein, El Hadi. The defense seemed pretty veteran to me with a lot of seniors, 5th and even 6th year guys. although it did get a bit younger as injuries took hold, you'd expect that.
Regardless what matters is how old it is next year and my hope is it gets even older and that most of the young pieces (at QB, OL, WR) are back.
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I think one thing Wittingham has going for him is universal respect. That should help him hit the ground running and open a lot of doors. The man can handle himself.
I share your enthusiasm Roanman
https://www.facebook.com/DiehardsportMichigan/posts/michigan-has-the-youngest-group-of-starters-in-the-big-ten-and-one-of-the-younge/1411115734356855/
DeleteNice!
DeleteBryce doing a lot of the heavy lifting on that number since he barely turned 18.