Urban Meyer explains why Kyle Whittingham faces bigger test at Michigan
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
One of the biggest surprises of the college football head coaching carousel came when Utah’s Kyle Whittingham left for the Michigan job. The opening followed a major scandal that sent Michigan administrators scrambling to find their next head coach.
Whittingham became Utah’s head coach in 2005 after his boss, Urban Meyer, left for Florida. He spent the next 20 seasons leading the Utes.
Now, Meyer is eager to see his former assistant take on the challenge at Michigan, though he is also curious to see how Whittingham handles the heightened expectations. Meyer discussed the move on The Triple Option podcast.
MORE: Joey McGuire confirms Brendan Sorsby will remain around Texas Tech program
When asked to name the five head coaches he is most excited to watch in 2026, Meyer immediately chose “Coach Whitt.”
Apr 18, 2026; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham gives remarks following the spring game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
“It’s [Michigan head coach Kyle] Whittingham. But it’s also, what in the hell happened up there?” Meyer said. “That’s very un-Wolverine like, what’s taken place there the last few years. I grew up in the Bo Schembechler era. Kyle loves his team. He loves his players. The quarterback’s got to get much better. But how he performs, and I’m going to say this, Coach Whitt has been at Utah. And I love Utah. Utah doesn’t have the same pressures that other place has up north.”
Pressure can burst pipes, but it can also make diamonds. Whittingham’s move is far from an easy one. He served as either an assistant coach or head coach at Utah beginning in 1994, spending more than three decades with the program before taking over a Michigan team that has fallen from its recent peak.
Just three years ago, Michigan sat atop the college football world. Then the first of multiple scandals rocked the program.
MORE: Georgia Bulldogs officially named college football’s team of the 2020s
Jim Harbaugh left to become head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers while Michigan faced punishment for its sign-stealing scandal during its national championship run. His successor, Sherrone Moore, was then fired in 2025 after an affair with a staff member came to light.
Michigan remains in the middle of probation, a situation Whittingham must now navigate. Still, he arrives in Ann Arbor with one of the strongest résumés in college football. He compiled a 177-88 record at Utah, including an 11-6 mark in bowl games.
One of the signature moments of his tenure came in 2008, when Utah defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to complete a perfect season. The victory helped fuel calls for the creation of a college football playoff.
Now, Whittingham faces the pressure of returning Michigan to the College Football Playoff—and competing for national championships once again.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos