Michigan has found its next head coach, as the Wolverines are hiring former Utah Utes coach Kyle Whittingham to a five-year deal, per Yahoo Sports and ESPN.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel later confirmed the move in a statement announcing the hire of Whittingham as the school’s 22nd head football coach.
“Kyle Whittingham is a well-respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” Manuel said Friday. “Throughout our search, he consistently demonstrated the qualities we value at Michigan: vision, resilience, and the ability to build and sustain championship-caliber teams. Kyle brings not only a proven track record of success, but also a commitment to creating a program rooted in toughness, physicality, discipline and respect — where student-athletes and coaches represent the university with distinction both on and off the field. We are excited to welcome Kyle to the University of Michigan family as he takes the helm of our football program.”
The new pact is 75% guaranteed and includes an average of $8.2 million per year, with Whittingham expected to make an $8 million salary in 2026, according to ESPN.
Whittingham announced earlier this month his plans to step down after Utah’s bow game vs. Nebraska – the Las Vegas Bowl is set for Dec. 31 – following his multi-decade tenure with the program. But he joked at the time that he wasn’t retiring and instead merely entering the transfer portal. With the actual transfer portal opening up on Jan. 2 and Michigan still without a head coach, the timing of the hiring worked out for both parties.
Whittingham will be leaving Utah to be at the Citrus Bowl, where Michigan will play against Texas, according to FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman.
[What’s Next: 3 Priorities for Kyle Whittingham, Reportedly Michigan’s New Coach]
“I’m grateful to our administration, employees, gamers, and coaches for his or her dedication, belief, and arduous work all through the years,” he wrote in a press release. “This college and soccer program imply an important deal to me, and I’m pleased with what now we have constructed collectively. I recognize the assist from the College of Utah permitting me to step away at the moment.
I additionally need to thank our followers. Your loyalty, ardour, and assist have been second to none. Whether or not at Rice-Eccles Stadium or representing Utah throughout the nation, you could have made this time particular and created recollections that may final a lifetime.
Utah will all the time maintain a particular place in my coronary heart, and I want Coach [Morgan] Scalley and this system a clean transition and continued success transferring ahead. Thanks for the whole lot.”
The 66-year-old Whittingham started his teaching profession as a graduate assistant at BYU in 1985 after enjoying as a linebacker in faculty for BYU earlier than a quick cease within the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams in 1987. He additionally performed in america Soccer League and Canadian Soccer League earlier than devoting himself fully to teaching. He served because the defensive coordinator for Japanese Utah, the particular groups and linebackers coach for Idaho State earlier than changing into the defensive coordinator in 1992. He then joined Utah’s teaching employees because the defensive position coach in 1994 and moved on to defensive coordinator earlier than changing into the top coach in 2005.
Whittingham has a 177-88 lifetime file within the NCAA, and the Utes have been 11-6 in bowl video games throughout his time main them. He introduced Utah the Mountain West Convention championship in 2008, back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022 and 4 Pac-12 division championships in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021. Whittingham obtained Coach of the 12 months honors in each the Mountain West and the Pac-12 and is the all-time chief in wins for Utah.
Utah’s athletic director Mark Harlan later praised Whittingham’s run and acknowledged this system is “absolutely ready” to transition to Morgan Scalley, who was promoted on Dec. 13 after 10 seasons as defensive coordinator.
“The College of Utah is grateful for Coach Whittingham’s unimaginable contributions over his lengthy tenure on the college, and we want him and his household all the most effective with this subsequent step in his profession. After discussions with Coach Whittingham, his representatives and the College of Michigan, now we have granted their request to permit him to hitch the Michigan program instantly.
Morgan Scalley is absolutely ready to take over management of the Utah soccer program, and we be a part of him in protecting our give attention to our staff, and supporting our student-athletes via this remaining recreation of the 2025 season on the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31.”
“Kyle Whittingham is strictly what Michigan wants as a program proper now,” FOX Sports activities School Soccer Analyst Robert Griffin III posted to X in reponse to the information. “Runs a disciplined program with an edge to it. Is a protection first coach who will play complimentary soccer. Desperate to show he isn’t completed successful. Appears like what Michigan itself wants.”
The Wolverines – who’ve had 9 completely different head coaches, together with interim coaches throughout Whittingham’s tenure with Utah – had been focusing on Whittingham certainly due to his continued success with Utah, whether or not within the Mountain West, Pac-12 or Massive 12. There’s additionally his potential to construct Utah into a robust program, regardless of an absence of relative assets in contrast with larger soccer faculties, just like the one he is now taking on.
Michigan’s earlier coach, Sherrone Moore, was fired for trigger on Dec. 10 following an investigation about an inappropriate relationship with a employees member. Following his firing, Moore was charged with three crimes, together with dwelling invasion.
“U-M head soccer coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with trigger, efficient instantly,” Manuel mentioned in a press release. “Following a College investigation, credible proof was discovered that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a employees member. This conduct constitutes a transparent violation of College coverage, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such habits.”
Moore, who was in his second season with Michigan, was suspended for 2 video games in 2025 as a part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations associated to a sophisticated scouting scandal. The NCAA added a 3rd recreation to the suspension, which was to maintain Moore off the sideline for subsequent yr’s opener in opposition to Western Michigan. Moore beforehand deleted his complete 52-message textual content thread on his private telephone with former staffer Connor Stallions, who led the staff’s sign-stealing operation for this system. The texts have been later recovered and shared with the NCAA.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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