Michigan hired a winner — literally and figuratively in Kyle Whittingham, with whom the Wolverines reportedly finalized a five-year deal on Friday.
Most importantly, he’s a clean name, with no ties to the Jim Harbaugh regime, who can stabilize the program at a moment of great tumult.
“Someone better tell [Ohio State coach] Ryan Day there’s an actual ball coach at Michigan now,” an SEC assistant coach advised me.
Whittingham brings greater than twenty years of teaching expertise to one of many largest manufacturers and best-known applications within the sport. After succeeding City Meyer — who’s broadly considered among the finest school soccer coaches of all-time — at Utah, Whittingham put collectively a powerful 21-year run as this system’s head coach.
Whereas Whittingham was touring Friday with the Utes to the Las Vegas Bowl, the place Utah performs towards Nebraska on Dec. 31., he’s anticipated to hitch Michigan on the Citrus Bowl, the place the Wolverines will tackle Texas, additionally on New 12 months’s Eve.
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Final season, Whittingham capped off a 177-88 report in Salt Lake Metropolis with a 10-win season and a No. 15 rating. He’s proven he can win on the most important levels the game can supply, too. Alongside two Pac-12 Convention titles and one Mountain West Convention title, he led the Utes to a 2005 Fiesta Bowl win and, within the 2009 Sugar Bowl, a dominant 31-17 win towards Nick Saban’s Alabama to cap an undefeated 2008-09 season.
Whittingham is without doubt one of the most highly-regarded head coaches within the sport and greater than prepared for the alternatives and challenges the Wolverines face.
“They fell into an ideal rent for his or her state of affairs,” an business supply advised me.
Now, at 66, Whittingham will convey that have to a Michigan program in turmoil following the stunning however needed choice to hearth former Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore. What’s subsequent are the three most necessary motion objects on a listing of to-dos for the Wolverines and their new head coach.
1. Retain Michigan QB Bryce Underwood
(Photograph by Luke Hales/Getty Photographs)
This one hasn’t modified since I wrote about Michigan’s to-do listing again on Dec. 11. Since Moore’s firing for trigger, Underwood is an important particular person to retain in your entire Michigan program.
“If he enters the portal, that might put them again additional than dropping the top coach,” a Huge Ten assistant coach advised me.
As a real freshman, Underwood accounted for greater than 2,500 whole yards, 14 touchdowns and eight giveaways via this season. Retaining QB1 in Ann Arbor, no matter who the following head coach is, provides the Wolverines one of the best likelihood to compete for convention and nationwide championships in 2026.
Together with Underwood, operating again Jordan Marshall, broad receiver Andrew Marsh, cornerback Jyaire Hill and offensive sort out Andrew Sprague loved breakout years for the Wolverines and, as core gamers, are anticipated to be integral to their success in 2026.
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2. Rent a workers that improves the roster instantly
(Photograph by Steven Branscombe/Getty Photographs)
Michigan is within the midst of a making an attempt time for itself, its followers and its alumni.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel moved swiftly to put in Biff Poggi as interim head coach, and one cause was to offer the workforce one of the best likelihood to remain intact whereas it recognized its subsequent everlasting head coach. Amid the teaching search, the No. 18 Wolverines are additionally making an attempt to complete this season with 10 wins and a victory towards No. 13 Texas within the Citrus Bowl.
“In the event that they get via the bowl recreation, beat Texas and rent the best man, it’s one of the best save they’ll hope for,” a Huge Ten assistant coach lately advised me.
Since then, Poggi has been candid in regards to the dire state of affairs the Wolverines are in simply days earlier than this system’s recreation towards the Longhorns.
“We despatched them house for Christmas [Monday], and I believe there’s a very good likelihood that we’re going to have many extra opt-outs for the sport sadly,” Poggi advised a latest episode of The Stampede, a Texas Longhorns podcast.
“As a result of we’re in such a state of flux, and once they get to this enterprise of it, they assume, ‘We don’t have a coach, we’ve had this example with our former coach, there’s investigations, all these items. I don’t know who’s going to educate me. Why do I wish to play in that recreation?’ I can see a few of that occuring.”
Poggi revealed no Michigan gamers presently are in ongoing negotiations for agreements for the upcoming season.
“We’re not in a position to give anyone a monetary settlement as a result of we don’t have a everlasting coach,” he stated on The Stampede.
That moratorium might want to come to an finish — quick. The Wolverines have to not solely rent a common supervisor to retain the present roster but additionally to hit the portal laborious when it opens from Jan. 2 to 16.
3. Layer your profitable traits excessive of the Wolverines
(Photograph by Chris Gardner/Getty Photographs)
The Wolverines rank No. 12 within the 2026 recruiting cycle within the On3 Business Comparability, a composite of the three main recruiting providers. Gamers like five-star Savion Hiter, a two-time MaxPreps All-American tail again, are signed to this system.
Shifting to rent offensive coordinator at Utah Jason Beck will assist with that. Beck, who joined Utah final yr, vastly improved the Utes offense. Utah averaged the second-most factors (41.1) and yards per recreation (478.6) in 2025, and quarterback Devon Dampier threw for two,867 whole yards, 29 whole touchdowns and three simply 5 interceptions final season.
With Underwood at quarterback, Beck would have a passer in Ann Arbor with a comparable skillset to Dampier however who’s youthful and, arguably, extra proficient.
The offense, although, gained’t be constructed across the quarterback’s skill to throw the ball, however moderately the offense’s skill to run it. Whittingham’s groups have, like Michigan, prided themselves on being dominant within the trenches.
“I can say with confidence we needs to be one of the best offensive line since I have been on the College of Utah, which has been perpetually,” Whittingham stated final July at Huge 12 Media Days.
In 2025, Utah produced the Outland Trophy winner, awarded to the nation’s finest inside lineman, in offensive sort out Spencer Fano, who expects to be a first-round choice within the 2026 NFL Draft. Given the assets that will probably be offered to him at Michigan, there’s no cause to imagine he can not outdo his 2025 offensive line and produce the form of unit upfront that’s able to profitable the nationwide title.
RJ Younger is a nationwide school soccer author and analyst for FOX Sports activities. Comply with him @RJ_Young.
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