The University of Michigan has hired its new head football coach the school announced Friday night. Former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham has agreed to a 5 year deal which will carry an average annual value of $8.2M per season. The pact will feature 75% of the money guaranteed in the event of an early dismissal.
According to reports, Whittingham informed his Utah players and personnel that he would not be coaching in the team’s upcoming bowl game. The Utes were preparing to take on Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
According to Utah officials, the school granted the 66 year old permission to leave the team and join Michigan immediately. Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley will take over head coaching duties moving forward.
“Kyle Whittingham is a well-respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” said athletic director Warde Manuel in a prepared statement. “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.”
Across 21 seasons with the Utes, Whittingham went 177-88 (66.8% win percentage), including a perfect 13-0 season in 2008. While few will doubt his coaching resume, the future college football hall of famer will certainly have his hands full taking over a Michigan squad that has been rocked by sign stealing scandals, as well as the Sherrone Moore affair and subsequent fallout in recent years.
Nevertheless, Michigan staffers feel confident that they’ve found a steadying hand to take the wheel of the program in Whittingham, including interim head coach Biff Poggi.
“Michigan Football is in GREAT hands under Kyle Whittingham !!!!” Poggi posted on social media. “Proven winner, true gentleman, tough nosed Michigan coach of days gone by.”
The Utes featured a winning record in 18 of Whittingham’s 21 seasons at the school, and exceeded 10 wins on 8 occasions. He sports an all-time 11-6 bowl record, and has been named coach of the year on 3 separate occasions.
“After speaking with Coach Whittingham and reviewing his record both on and off the field, I am confident he will bring dignity, integrity, and fierce competitiveness to the program, while serving as a powerful role model for our student-athletes and staff,” said Michigan president Domenico Grasso. “He also places a strong emphasis on the academic mission of college athletics, reflected in a 93 percent graduation rate, among the highest in the college football power conferences. Coach Whittingham is exactly the right fit for the University of Michigan at this time.”
Originally a graduate assistant at Brigham Young University, Whittingham also spent time at the College of Eastern Utah (1987), and Idaho State (1988-1993) before joining Utah as a defensive line coach in 1994. He was subsequently promoted to defensive coordinator in 1995, before taking over as head coach for Urban Meyer in 2005.
“We are honored to lead the outstanding student-athletes, coaches, and staff who represent Michigan Football each day,” said Whittingham. “Michigan is synonymous with tradition and excellence — both on the field and beyond — and our entire program is committed to upholding those values while striving for greatness together. My family and I are thrilled to join the University of Michigan community, and we look forward to helping our players grow, develop, and reach their highest potential — on the gridiron, in the classroom, and as leaders. It’s a privilege to be part of something that inspires pride in every Wolverine fan. Go Blue!”
Whittingham and his family are currently heading down to Orlando, Florida to join the Wolverines as they continue their preparations for their Citrus Bowl game vs. the University of Texas on New Year’s Eve.
Photo: George Wrighster’s College Football Podcast. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.