Kyle Whittingham signs 5-year deal to become Michigan's next head football coach
Whittingham, 66, stepped down Dec. 12 after 21 seasons at Utah but made it known that he wasn't done coaching.
By Austin Meek, Chris Vannini and Bruce Feldman
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Kyle Whittingham has signed a five-year deal to make him Michigan’s next head football coach, the school announced Friday.
Whittingham, 66, stepped down Dec. 12 after 21 seasons at Utah but made it known that he wasn’t done coaching. Michigan, which fired Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10, was looking for a coach who could stabilize the program. In Whittingham, who was 177-88 at Utah with eight seasons of 10 wins or more, the Wolverines found someone who could fit the part. ESPN first reported the search was targeting Whittingham.
“Kyle Whittingham is a well-respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a 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.”
A source close to the hiring process said the plan was for Whittingham to tell his Utah team in person in Las Vegas on Friday, where it’s preparing for next week’s Las Vegas Bowl. He will then travel to Orlando, Fla., on Saturday to meet with his new Michigan team as it prepares for the Citrus Bowl.
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement that the school allowed Whittingham to join the Wolverines immediately.
“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,” Whittingham said in a statement. “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.”
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. The Utes slipped to 5-7 in 2024, their first losing season in more than a decade, but rebounded with a 10-2 season in 2025. Whittingham played at BYU, joined Utah’s staff in 1994 and was promoted to head coach in 2005 after the departure of Urban Meyer.
At Michigan, he will be tasked with cleaning up a program that interim coach Biff Poggi Moore was fired for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member and arrested later that night after allegedly confronting the staffer at her apartment. He of third-degree home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering.