Everything you need to know about new Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham

After more than two weeks of searching, the Michigan football program has its 22nd ever head coach with Kyle Whittingham set to take over. At 66 years old, Whittingham has been the head coach at Utah since 2005 and has been considered one of the best coaches in all of college football the last several years.

Here’s a look his background and what he’ll be bringing to Michigan in 2026 and beyond.

Whittingham’s path to Michigan

Whittingham attended BYU and played linebacker for the Cougars from 1978-81. He got his start in coaching there as well as a graduate assistant in 1985. After that, he worked on defensive staffs at Eastern Utah and Idaho State before eventually being hired as Utah’s defensive line coach in 1994. He was quickly named the Ute’s defensive coordinator, serving that role for 10 seasons. Two of those years (2003-04) were under Urban Meyer.

After Meyer left to take the head coaching job at Florida, Whittingham was promoted and has done nothing but win over the last 21 seasons. In total, he’s compiled a 177-88 record, including a mark of 10-2 this year and an undefeated 13-0 season in 2008 that culminated in a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Whittingham stepped down shortly after the regular season ended, with his longtime defensive coordinator and head coach in waiting Morgan Scalley taking over. While many initially viewed it as a retirement for him, he made it clear he wasn’t retiring and even quipped he was, “in the transfer portal,” and will now get a chance to continue competing at the highest level as Michigan’s head coach.

Why he’s a good fit for Michigan

Although folks might be initially turned away by him being 66 years old, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about this next era for Michigan.

For starters, Whittingham wins. As previously mentioned, he’s won 177 games over the last 20+ seasons, which is something none of the other candidates could say. Not only has he won, but he’s a perfect example of a coach that’s done “more with less,” going up against the likes of Oregon, USC and Washington in the Pac-12 for years.

By coming to Michigan and having a wealth of financial resources, he’ll have the chance to do more in recruiting and the transfer portal than he ever would have been able to at Utah. Additionally, he might have the chance to hire a pretty expensive coaching staff around him, which would be all the more important considering the potential need for a succession plan when he does choose to retire for good.

In addition to the fact that he wins, Michigan fans might be a big fan of how he wins. His teams have been a mirror image of how Michigan has won over the past several years, with a dominant defense and strong rushing attacks contributing to a boa constrictor-like identity the Wolverines had lost under Sherrone Moore. Whittingham’s teams are also known for being highly disciplined and physical, something that should go over well with fans.

And last but not least, Whittingham’s experience in the game and clean record should bode well for Michigan as it tries to restore itself from the scandals and “malfunctioning” that interim head coach Biff Poggi talked about.

Of course, there’s risk in any hire. Even though Whittingham has been one of the best and winningest head coaches in college football the last two decades, it’s fair to wonder how he’ll perform outside the environment he’s been in for his entire career. Furthermore, his teams have never recruited at a high level, but he’s always been a great developer of talent and has been able to get players to the NFL.

On the surface, it seems like Whittingham and Michigan could be great fits for one another, even if it’s only for a few years. While many fans might have been hoping to find the football version of Dusty May, the Wolverines might have ended up with the football version of John Beilein instead — something that should still go over well.