Longtime Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham to Become Michigan’s Next Head Coach

Kyle Whittingham, the former coach of the Utah Utes, has agreed to become the new head coach of the Michigan Wolverines.

The move comes two weeks after Whittingham announced that he was stepping down from his post at Utah, where he had coached for the last 22 years.

Whittingham had initially planned to coach the Utes in their December 31 Las Vegas Bowl game against Nebraska. However, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that the longtime Utes coach is telling his team he will not coach in the game.

Michigan has a Citrus Bowl matchup against Texas on December 31. However, it is highly unlikely that Whittingham will coach the Wolverines in that game, given that he has less than a week to prepare. Instead, interim coach Biff Poggi, who took over for the recently fired and arrested Sherrone Moore, will coach the game.

Whittingham has 265 career wins and a bowl record of 11-6. He is also planning on taking Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck with him to Ann Arbor.

While Whittingham’s credentials as a coach are unsurpassed, the hire is equally beneficial for Michigan, given he is free of scandal.

The Wolverines have been plagued by scandal over the last decade. Including recruiting violations, sign-stealing violations, and, of course, the recent firing of Sherrone Moore after he was discovered to have had an affair with a staffer, and then, immediately after being fired, allegedly broke into her home and threatened to kill himself with her own kitchen cutlery while she watched.

Whittingham’s contract with the Wolverines is reportedly a 5-year deal worth $41 million, with 75% guaranteed.