ORLANDO, FL. Kyle Whittingham brought a lot of energy to his four-hour nap on Sunday when he was introduced as Michigan football coachstating that it was one of five jobs that could bring him out of his short retirement, and did not hesitate to join the program in the midst of cultural chaos.
And after 21 years as Utah's coach, Whittingham, 66, has answered perhaps the most important question: Does he dislike Ohio State or will he have to learn?
“Now I know,” said Whittingham, who was defensive coordinator at Utah for two years under Urban Meyer before winning a national title at Ohio State. “Now I'm on the right side of the deal.”
Whittingham said he met with Michigan players Saturday night and will be at the Citrus Bowl for Wednesday's game against Texas to observe, evaluate and “try to stay on the sidelines.”
Biff Poggi was named interim head coach for the game against the 13th-ranked Longhorns.
Whittingham was the second-longest tenured Power Four coach behind Iowa's Kirk Ferentz. In eight seasons, the Utes posted at least 10 wins and a 177-88 record.
He enters the Michigan program in turmoil, most recently the Dec. 10 firing of coach Sherron Moore for an extramarital affair with a staffer. Moore was arrested later that day. and charged with three crimes: breaking into a woman's home and threatening to commit suicide.
Michigan was also involved in a signal-stealing scandal in 2023 while competing for a national title that led to the football program being placed on probation, which athletic director Ward Manuel said will cost the department more than $30 million in fines.
Matt Weiss, who previously shared offensive coordinator duties with Moore at Michigan, was charged with hacking into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes to search for intimate images. He was fired in January 2023.
That prompted Poggi, who was a candidate for the Michigan job, to say last week: “It's been five years, let's just call this organization broken. I know the athletic director has made it very clear that he doesn't want that anymore.”
Whittingham, who left Utah on Dec. 12, said none of this affected his interest in Michigan when he called or asked questions during the interview process.
“I didn't have any hesitation,” Whittingham said. “There are some issues, some mistakes that have been taken care of. The key is that the players here are very reliable. None of these issues are the players' concern. To their credit, they continued to play. There were a lot of distractions. I have no doubt that everything will be dealt with properly.”
“My culture will be with the players. I know the general gist of what happened, a series of unfortunate events. But that doesn't bother me too much. I'm focused on coaching the team and everything else will be sorted out in due course.”
Manuel said “the last few weeks have not been easy” and praised Michigan's players for sticking together. He said Whittingham has a history of running a program based on toughness, discipline and respect.
“I can’t tell you how many messages I received about him after the selection was announced,” Manuel said. “Everyone—everyone—we talked to either started or ended their comments about him with his character.”
Whittingham met with quarterback Bryce Underwood in person and “listened a lot.” He said his top priority is keeping players at Michigan as well as the recruiting agreement signed earlier this month.
It was a surprising turnaround for Whittingham, a former BYU linebacker who was an assistant at BYU, Eastern Utah and Idaho State before moving to Utah in 1994.
He resigned after more than two decades as a head coach (18 years with a winning record), saying he didn't want to be the kind of coach who stayed there too long. Whittingham said he wasn't done coaching because he still felt he still had more to give. But he wasn't waiting for Michigan.
“I wasn't sure if I was done or not. I knew there was a lot left in the tank,” he said. “You can count on one hand how many schools if they called me I would listen. Michigan was one of those schools.”
Whittingham has built a program at Utah focused on defense and toughness, and he said the brand he brings “will be consistent with what Michigan is used to.”
“Physicality will be our calling card,” he said. “I believe in running the football. If you can win the line of scrimmage, you always have a chance. That will be the trademark and hallmark of this football team – physicality, toughness and tenacity.”
