Michigan football coaching search pivots to Kyle Whittingham ESPN says

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The Michigan football coaching search has assuredly been with quite a few twists and turns. Initially, the belief was that the Wolverines were going after Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, but the timing had to work out with the Crimson Tide still being the College Football Playoff. After Alabama beat Oklahoma, it stood to reason that Michigan would have to move on. The thought was behind DeBoer would be Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, but interest appeared to wane there, and he re-signed with the Sun Devils.

Then names like Jeff Brohm and Todd Monken were floated. However, it looks like the Wolverines may be going in a different direction.

As first reported by Chris Balas on The Wolverine, ESPN’s Dan Wetzel and Pete Thamel are reporting that the top target now appears to be former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has emerged as the focus of Michigan's coaching search, sources told ESPN.

Whittingham's candidacy is expected to be shared with top Michigan officials on Friday, sources said, and a deal could come together in the near future if they approve.

At 66 years old, Whittingham has been at Utah since 1994, starting as a defensive line coach before becoming the defensive coordinator from 1999-2004. Those final two years, he coached under Urban Meyer, who went on to win national championships at Florida and Ohio State. When Meyer departed for Gainesville, Whittingham took over the program as head coach in 2005, and he was thought to be stepping back into a lesser role in a quasi retirement. However, he later stated he was ‘in the transfer portal’ and made himself available for any high-end opportunities that could arise.

Whittingham originally played linebacker at BYU before having one NFL season with the Denver Broncos, and later, the Los Angeles Rams.

This season, Utah had the No. 7 offense, the No. 91 passing offense, the No. 2 rushing offense, and the No. 60 defense. A defensive-minded coach, Whittingham had the No. 29 defense in 2024, No. 13 in 2023, No. 27 in 2022, and No. 28 in 2021.

Recruiting-wise, per 247Sports, Utah had the No. 37 class in 2026 and No. 39 in 2025, thus showing he’s had the ability to do more with less.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: ESPN: Michigan football shifts coaching search toward Kyle Whittingham

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