What did Michigan's Citrus Bowl loss to Texas say about the future for Kyle Whittingham?
Whittingham had to be encouraged by much of what he saw on the field from Michigan vs. Texas. Other parts probably made him grind his teeth.
ORLANDO, Fla. — After the month Michigan just had, it would have been hard to blame the Wolverines for not showing up to a four-hour Cheez-It commercial on New Year’s Eve.
Teams have opted out of snack-themed bowl games for lesser reasons than the firing and arrest of the head coach. But Michigan did show up for the Citrus Bowl, if only to try to be the foil for Arch Manning’s 2026 Heisman Trophy launch.
A month that felt like a lifetime for Michigan ended Wednesday with Bryce Underwood throwing passes into the teeth of the Texas defense and the Longhorns running away with a 41-27 win. The Wolverines gave a better effort than anyone had a right to expect, considering all that has transpired since Sherrone Moore’s firing and arrest three weeks ago. They even had a lead in the fourth quarter before the wheels came off. Still, the best part of this season is that it’s now over and the Kyle Whittingham era can begin in earnest.
Michigan’s new coach kept a low profile this week in Orlando. Instead of coaching Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, he was meeting individually with every player on Michigan’s roster, trying to get to know the personnel and the personalities that make up his new program. He watched the game from a suite inside Camping World Stadium and popped into the ESPN booth in the third quarter.
“We’ll be locking ourselves in the film room this weekend,” Whittingham said on the broadcast. “Job 1, 2 and 3 is to get to know the personnel here, find out what we’ve got, find out what we need.”
Whittingham had to be encouraged by much of what he saw on the field. Other parts probably made him grind his teeth. That’s what Michigan signed up for when it put this season in the hands of a freshman quarterback. Once the coaching staff is in place, the next big domino will be Underwood’s decision: Stay at Michigan and play for Whittingham, or test what should be an active market in the transfer portal?
If Michigan can finish 9-4 with a freshman quarterback and a head coach who was clearly in over his head, imagine what the Wolverines might be able to do with Whittingham and a more polished Underwood. That’s the optimistic pitch for next season. The more sober-minded take is that Underwood is a long way from being a finished product, as his three second-half interceptions showed.
Underwood’s freshman year wasn’t a total loss, but he didn’t develop as hoped for a player ranked No. 1 in his recruiting class. Moore and Michigan’s offensive staff didn’t do him many favors. If Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck is the choice to run Michigan’s offense, he should bring a scheme that can accentuate Underwood’s strengths as a runner and a passer — strengths that weren’t fully utilized this season.