Earlier this month when Kyle Whittingham stepped down as the head coach at Utah, he said that it was not a retirement but that he was uncertain what his coaching future held. We now know what Whittingham’s future holds. The 66-year old is taking over as the new head at Michigan, Pete Thamel first reported Friday.
Whittingham spent 21 years as the head coach at Utah, guiding the Utes to national prominence from the Mountain West to the Pac 12 and then to the Big 12. Taking over after Urban Meyer left for Florida, Whittingham led Utah to its greatest run in program history with a 177-88 record.
Utah won the Mountain West in 2008 and the Pac 12 in both 2021 and 2022 under Whittingham. The Utes lost in the 2022 Rose Bowl to Ohio State and the 2023 Rose Bowl to Penn State. Whittingham’s Utah program won 10 games eight times under Whittingham including in 2025. They made a New Years Six bowl games three times including a victory over Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
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Whittingham now takes over a Michigan program that’s in turmoil following Sherrone Moore’s termination. Michigan fired Moore two weeks ago due to an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. Things spiraled out of control even more when Moore was arrested after breaking into the staffer’s home and threatening to kill himself.
Scandal has followed Michigan football in recent years after a sign stealing scandal tarnished Jim Harbaugh’s tenure and led to a multi-game suspension for both Harbaugh and Moore. Michigan winning the 2023 National Championship was more than enough to save Harbaugh’s legacy despite the off the field scandal. But Moore did not win enough for the Wolverines to sweep his misconduct under the rug.
While Whittingham is 66-years old, it’s still a near home run hire for Utah. The Wolverines get an experienced winner who should provide stability to a Michigan program that badly needs it. It’s unclear how much longer Whittingham will coach, but he will almost certainly leave the Michigan program better than he found it.
