Analysis: Kyle Whittingham named Michigan’s head coach

A whirlwind two weeks has resulted in Kyle Whittingham accepting a five-year deal to coach the Michigan Wolverines.

After stepping down as Utah’s head football coach on Dec. 12, Whittingham kept his coaching options open and made it no secret that he was considering other jobs.

“I’m a free agent. I’m in the transfer portal,” Whittingham said Dec, 18. “So yeah, it’s a different feel, but like I said, I’m at peace and I did not want to be that guy that overstayed his welcome and people just saying, ‘Hey, when’s this guy going to leave?’

“That was not my intention ever and I hope I didn’t do that. I’m sure with some people I did do that, but to me the timing is right.”

Asked that day what the process of deciding whether to pursue other opportunities or move into his special assistant role at Utah looked like, Whittingham replied, “If my phone rings, I answer it, I like who’s calling? Then we’ll see. Yeah, that’s pretty much the process.”

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel called Whittingham, and Whittingham liked what he heard. After wearing red for 21 years as Utah’s head coach, the next time we see Whittingham, he will be wearing Michigan blue.

Whittingham’s contract with Michigan is a five-year deal with an average salary of $8.2 million per year, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, who says the contract is 75% guaranteed.

What could have been a seamless transition for the Utes from Whittingham to coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley has turned into a tug of war that could have wide-ranging effects on college football in the state of Utah.

With the transfer portal opening on Jan. 2, Whittingham has to quickly fill his staff, and while he will search nationally, some of his best options could be in his home state.

Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck and BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill are already targets for Whittingham’s coaching staff at Michigan, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Beck turned around Utah’s offense in one offseason, leading the Utes to 40.9 points per game (No. 5 in the nation) and 269.8 yards rushing yards per game (No. 2 in the nation).

Hill, meanwhile, has transformed BYU’s defense, boosting it from 29.5 points allowed per game in 2022 to 19.6 points per game in 2024 and 19 points per game in 2025.

Utah tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, Kyle’s brother, seems like a lock to also move to Ann Arbor.

Other potential targets include Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding, who just completed perhaps his best coaching job yet, and defensive ends coach Lewis Powell.

Scalley, whose first game as Utah’s head coach will be in the Dec. 31 Las Vegas Bowl vs. Nebraska, could have a wildly busy first few weeks as the Utes’ head coach.

Depending on what happens with Whittingham’s staff, Scalley could now potentially be looking for an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator, an offensive line coach, a defensive ends coach and more for his first year at Utah.

Which players could follow those coaches if they were to leave to Michigan? Which current Utah players would be an upgrade over the caliber of athletes that Michigan has and will be able to attract?

There are a lot of unknowns, but one thing is for sure: Scalley is going to have his hands full while also preparing the Utes for their bowl game.

Utah has enjoyed relative stability for 21 years under Whittingham’s leadership in an increasingly unstable college football world. Now, Scalley and the Utes are in the midst of one of the most important moments for the program since late 2004, when Whittingham decided to take the Utah job over BYU after Urban Meyer left for Florida.

If the coaching staff and much of the roster had remained mostly intact, as was the plan, Utah would have been seen as one of the contenders for the Big 12 title in 2026.

Instead, depending on which coaches and players follow Whittingham to Michigan, it could be an uphill battle for Scalley in his first season as Utah’s head coach.

Yes it’s easier than ever to rebuild a program in the portal era, and Utah has historically had to deal with about 50% roster turnover each season, but it won’t be the smooth transition that the school originally planned for Scalley.

Instead, he’ll have to assemble a staff at a fast pace and try to get enough key pieces retained or hired before the transfer portal officially opens.

For Michigan, Whittingham’s hire is a home run considering the limited options that the Wolverines had after Christmas.

Michigan had been looking for a new coach since the school fired Sherrone Moore for having ”an inappropriate relationship with a staff member" on Dec. 10.

Shortly after Moore was fired, he was arrested on charges of third-degree home invasion, breaking and entering and stalking after allegedly confronting a Michigan female staffer in her home.

Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer were the reported top targets of Michigan’s coaching search, but after the two decided to stay put at their schools, Michigan’s focus turned toward Whittingham.

Following retirement, Whittingham’s contract called for him to move into a “Special Assistant to the Athletics Director” role at Utah for two years following retirement at a salary of $3.45 million per year.

Whittingham, however, still had the desire to coach.

“I don’t know if it’s ever out of your system. I mean it’s in your blood and so I don’t know about that,” Whittingham said last Thursday.

“That being said, I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but when you got the coaching in your blood, it just doesn’t go away.”

For Whittingham, it’s an opportunity to extend his career and chase the one thing that has eluded him during his storied run — a College Football Playoff appearance.

At Michigan, he’ll have the resources necessary to compete for a spot in the CFP, and more. After turning down offers from schools like Tennessee while he was at Utah, Whittingham will now have the opportunity to show what he can do at a blue-blood school.

After Michigan struck out on its top choices, Whittingham could prove to be a great hire for the Wolverines. The 66-year-old ran a pretty clean program at Utah and was never personally involved in any scandals. Whittingham will provide a culture reset to a program that badly needs it.

Aside from the benefit of keeping Michigan away from any further controversy, Whittingham is a proven winner. He holds a 177-88 record as Utah’s head coach and has won three conference titles, including two Pac-12 championships and had an undefeated season in the Mountain West Conference in 2008, which included a Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama.

Whittingham transformed Utah from a Mountain West school to a consistent winner in a power conference. In his 21 seasons at Utah, Whittingham posted winning records in 18 years, including eight seasons with 10 or more wins.

With a 10-2 record this season, rebounding from a 5-7 2024 campaign, Whittingham proved that he still has good coaching years left in him.

With Utah turning the page to the Scalley era, however, the twilight of Whittingham’s coaching career will come in Ann Arbor.