12/28/25 01:00:00
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12/28 12:59 CST Kyle Whittingham confident his style will be a familiar fit as
Michigan's next football coach
Kyle Whittingham confident his style will be a familiar fit as Michigan's next
football coach
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Sports Writer
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) --- Kyle Whittingham brought plenty of energy on four-hours
sleep Sunday when he was introduced as Michigan's football coach, saying it was
one of five jobs that could bring him out of a short retirement and offering no
hesitation about joining a program in the midst of cultural chaos.
And after 21 years as the head coach of Utah, the 66-year-old Whittingham
answered perhaps the most important question: Does he dislike Ohio State or
will he have to learn?
"I do now," said Whittingham, who was defensive coordinator for two years at
Utah under Urban Meyer, who went on to win a national title at Ohio State. "I'm
on the right side of the deal now."
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 out of the way."
Bill Poggi was tabbed as the interim head coach for the game against the
14th-ranked Longhorns.
Whittingham was the second-longest tenured coach at a Power 4 school behind
Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. The Utes had eight seasons of at least 10 wins and went
177-88 during his tenure.
He steps into a Michigan program in disarray, most recently the Dec. 10 firing
of coach Sherrone Moore over an extramarital relationship with a staffer. Moore
was arrested later that day and charged with three crimes for barging into the
woman's home and threatening to kill himself.
Michigan also was involved in a signal-stealing scandal in 2023 during its run
to a national title that led to the football program being put on probation,
which athletic director Warde Manuel has said will cost the department more
than $30 million in penalties.
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 find intimate images. He was fired in January 2023.
That led Poggi, who was a candidate for the Michigan job, to say last week, "It
has been five years, let's just call it a malfunctioning organization. I know
the athletic director has made very clear he doesn't want any more of that."
Whittingham, who left Utah on Dec. 12, said none of that affected his interest
in Michigan when it called or led to questions during the interview process.
"I didn't have any hesitation," Whittingham said. "There's some issues,
missteps, that are being take care of. The key is the players here are rock
solid. None of those issues involve players. To their credit, they kept
playing. There was a lot of distraction. I've got no doubt that everything will
be handled properly.
"My culture is going to be with the players," he said. "I know the general gist
of what transpired, a series of unfortunate events. But it's not really fazed
me. I focus on coaching the team and everything else will be handled in due
time."
Manuel said the "past few weeks have not been easy," and he praised the
Michigan players for sticking together. He said Whittingham has a track record
of running a program built on toughness, discipline and respect.
"I can't tell you how many texts I received about him after the selection was
announced," Manuel said. "Everyone --- everyone --- we talked to either started
or ended their statements about him with his character."
Whittingham privately met with quarterback Bryce Underwood and "did a lot of
listening." He said his top priority was retaining players at Michigan and the
recruiting class signed earlier this month.
It was an astonishing turnaround for Whittingham, a former linebacker at BYU
who was an assistant at BYU, Eastern Utah and Idaho State before going to Utah
in 1994.
He stepped away after more than two decades as head coach --- 18 with a winning
record --- saying he didn't want to be that coach who stayed too long.
Whittingham said he wasn't done coaching because he still felt he had something
left to give. But he wasn't expecting Michigan.
"I wasn't sure if I was finished or not. I knew there was a lot left in the
tank," he said. "You can count on one hand the amount of schools that if they
called, I would listen. Michigan was one of those schools."
Whittingham built a program geared around defense and toughness, and he said
the brand he brings "will fall right in line 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've always got a chance.
That will be the trademark and identity of this football team --- physicality,
toughness and grit."
___
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