When the Michigan Wolverines saw their college football program implode in the wake of former head coach Sherrone Moore’s indiscretions, they needed someone like Kyle Whittingham, who has a strong resume, to take over.
Michigan’s decision to bring in someone of Whittington’s stature let the program’s boosters and fans know that the Wolverines were serious about changing the narrative around the football program.
Michigan Needed a Leader, Found It in Kyle Whittingham
Interim head coach Biff Poggi led the Wolverines into a Citrus Bowl showdown against Arch Manning and the No. 13-ranked Texas Longhorns, with No. 18-ranked Michigan losing 41-27. Before the bowl game, though, Michigan had hired Whittingham, who had just wrapped up a lengthy tenure as Utah’s head football coach.
The Wolverines’ football program has been led by the likes of Bo Schembechler and Jim Harbaugh, but Harbaugh’s history with the program was stained, too.
It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that Michigan needed a full-scale reset at the top of the football team. PFSN Analyst James Fragoza eloquently stated what Michigan might have just found in Whittingham.
“Michigan was in dire need of a true leader at the helm, and they found just that in Kyle Whittingham,” Fragoza stated. “He didn’t just save their coaching search; he might have saved the program.”
Whittingham was co-head coach with Urban Meyer for the Utes back in 2004, when the team won the Fiesta Bowl and finished at No. 4 in the Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll. He took over for good in 2005 and stayed as Utah’s head coach for the next 21 seasons. Whittingham’s overall winning percentage, including the Fiesta Bowl win in 2004, was 66.8%.
He put together a 177-88 record, including 11-6 in bowl games. Whittingham only had three losing seasons at Utah. He led the Utes to three conference championships and earned three national Coach of the Year awards. In 2008, Whittingham led Utah to an undefeated season, including a win in the Sugar Bowl over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Whittingham was an assistant coach at Utah for 11 seasons before becoming head coach. What about the types of players Whittingham had at Utah? During his tenure, 35 players earned All-America recognition.
Behind quarterback Bryce Underwood, the Michigan offense, according to the PFSN CFB Offense Impact metrics, had an impact score last season of 82.1 and graded out to B-.
That’s going to probably change a whole lot under Whittingham. He’s the type of coach that is coming into a Michigan program in need of a strong leader. Should Whittingham come into the Wolverines’ program and change the culture, then Michigan football fans are probably going to see things both on and off the field get much, much better.
