Kyle Whittingham is one of college football’s oldest hires. How have others fared?
The 66-year-old is the fourth-oldest coach to be hired at a Power Four school since 2005.
When Kyle Whittingham began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Brigham Young in 1985, the man he’d eventually replace as Michigan’s head football coach hadn’t even been born.
On Friday, the Wolverines opted for an experienced hand in the wake of Sherrone Moore’s stunning dismissal two weeks ago, locking up Whittingham with a five-year deal. The 66-year-old is the fourth-oldest coach to be hired at a Power Four school since 2005. Only Bill Belichick, 72; Bill Snyder, 70; and Mack Brown, 67, were older at the time of their hiring. Over the past 20 years, 17 coaches aged 60 or older have been hired by P4 schools, compiling a record of 404–312.
Whittingham stepped down on Dec. 12 after 21 seasons at Utah but made it clear he wanted to coach again. He found a strong fit at Michigan, which is looking to stabilize the program after firing Moore for cause on Dec. 10 due to an alleged relationship with a female staffer. Moore was arrested the same day and eventually charged with home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering.
Whittingham, who went 177-88 at Utah with eight seasons of 10 wins or more, fits the mold of a program floor-raiser. But concerns about his age were raised by Michigan fans during the process. He will be by far the oldest hire in the program’s history — the next oldest was Brady Hoke, who was 52 when hired.
In a new age of college athletics, several coaches have retired or stepped down due to the whirlwind changes in the sport. Over the last two decades, older coaches have generally experienced success, but others have struggled. Kansas’ Les Miles, Boston College’s Frank Spaziani, Illinois’ Bill Cubit and Arkansas’ John L. Smith all failed to accumulate winning records. Belichick went 4-8 in his first season with the Tar Heels — one that drew more negative headlines than positive ones.
“It beats working,” Belichick said when asked why he wanted to get back into coaching at 72. “My dad told us, ‘When you love what you do, it’s not work.’ I love what I do. I love coaching. I love the interaction with the players. I love building a team, game-planning, the game itself.”
There is a clear model of success for Whittingham and Michigan. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, who was 62 when he was hired in Bloomington, has won back-to-back Associated Press Coach of the Year awards. Steve Spurrier also had prolonged success at South Carolina despite being in his 60s during most of his tenure in Columbia. Even Brown went 44-33 during his second stint with North Carolina.
The oldest P4 coaching hires since 2005
Coach
School
Year
▼
Age when hired
Record
Kyle Whittingham
Michigan
2026
66
0-0
Bill Belichick
North Carolina
2025
72
4-8
Rich Rodriguez
West Virginia
2025
61
4-8
Willie Fritz
Houston
2024
63
13-11
Curt Cignetti
Indiana
2024
62
24-2
Brian Kelly
LSU
2022
61
34-14
Les Miles
Kansas
2019
65
3-18
Mack Brown
North Carolina
2019
67
44-33
Herm Edwards
Arizona State
2018
64
26-20
Jim Grobe
Baylor
2016
64
7-6
Bill Cubit
Illinois
2015
62
5-7
Mike Riley
Nebraska
2015
62
19-19
John L Smith
Arkansas
2012
64
4-8
Frank Spaziani
Boston College
2009
62
21-29
Bill Snyder
Kansas State
2009
70
79-49
Dennis Erickson
Arizona State
2007
60
31-31
Steve Spurrier
South Carolina
2005
60
86-49
The Wolverines will provide their new coach with more resources, a better roster and a strong recruiting hotbed in the Midwest. The second-longest-tenured coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision before he stepped down, Whittingham led Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 championships and Rose Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022. His disciplined, physical, run-first philosophy should fit well at Michigan, which won a national championship in 2023 using a similar approach under Jim Harbaugh.
But college football has changed dramatically since Whittingham took over the Utah Utes in 2005. He acknowledged as much last year when discussing the challenges of the transfer portal.
“It’s constantly in flux, and I don’t want to say it’s like you’re hiring mercenaries every year, but it’s a situation where, again, you got to collect as much talent as quickly as you can and then hope it gels and comes together and you get results,” Whittingham said last year.
How Whittingham navigates an increased NIL budget and the greater stature of Michigan’s program will be one of the most intriguing questions of his tenure.
Michigan has made four coaching hires since 2008. Two (Rich Rodriguez and Sherrone Moore) were under 45, and both were fired in fewer than three seasons. Harbaugh was the second-oldest coach in school history before Friday, and he won a national title.
Sometimes, age really is just a number.