Kyle Whittingham made it clear that recruiting players from the state of Michigan will be a major focus for the Wolverines, while still casting a national net:
Kyle Whittingham made it clear at his introductory press conference on Sunday that recruiting at Michigan will start in the state of Michigan. While his résumé is built largely on success out west, his message about the state of Michigan was direct and familiar to anyone who has followed his career at Utah: you protect home first.
“Well, you always want to take care of your own backyard,” Whittingham said. “No doubt about that. There will be a priority and emphasis on in-state recruiting in the state of Michigan.”
That approach mirrors what Whittingham did for years at Utah, where locking down in-state talent was a cornerstone of the Utes’ rise to national relevance. Utah rarely let its best prospects get away without a fight, and Whittingham built deep, long-term relationships with high school coaches in the state to make that happen. He indicated the same blueprint will be applied in Michigan.
“We’ll put a lot of manpower in the state of Michigan, divide the state up and get plenty of coverage,” Whittingham said. “That’s really just the key — to make sure that we don’t miss anybody from the state of Michigan, and that we take care of that job No. 1, and then branch out from there.”
Despite acknowledging that in-state recruiting will be a priority, Whittingham pushed back on the idea that his West Coast background could limit his ability at Michigan to recruit local players. He said geography is often overstated in modern recruiting, especially at a program with Michigan’s brand power.
“I think that might be overrated a little bit, as far as geographically where you come from,” Whittingham said. “We will have a staff that is very diverse and has roots in many different places in the country.”
Whittingham made it clear Michigan will still recruit nationally and aggressively. He referenced his existing connections in regions such as the West Coast, Florida and Texas, and noted his future staff hires will also include coaches with a diverse footprint.
“Michigan is going to cast a wide net recruiting coast-to-coast,” Whittingham said. “A school like Michigan is going to be able to recruit top athletes from the East Coast to the West Coast, so we have to be able to do it all.”
That balance is especially notable given Michigan’s current recruiting makeup. Whittingham is inheriting the No. 11 recruiting class nationally, with talent spread across multiple regions of the country. In the 2026 cycle, only one commit currently hails from Michigan — meaning there’s nowhere to go but up as far as strengthening the local pipeline is concerned.
Category: General Sports
