Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham details key to offensive success with Wolverines
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Head coach Kyle Whittingham’s first public comments after leaving Utah made it clear he felt he mishandled the retirement conversation, and that slip helped set the stage for his exit. He said he signed a five-year deal with the Michigan football team, called it a “mistake” that he started answering retirement questions in Utah, and insisted he still has the energy to take on a new build at age 66.
Whittingham also acknowledged the scale change, saying the resources and surroundings in the Big Ten are simply bigger.
That bigger stage now comes with a clear offensive blueprint. When asked by Alejandro Zuñiga what style he plans to run at Michigan, Whittingham said it will be spread-based with 11 personnel as the foundational grouping.
“We’re going to base it out of the spread. Eleven personnel will be our base personnel group,” Whittingham said, adding that the priority is running the ball efficiently because “everything happens off of that” once you can consistently move people up front.
He also pointed to what Utah leaned on statistically, noting the only programs “in the same category” in terms of run commitment were the service academies like Air Force and Navy.
The takeaway for Michigan is basic: he wants an offense that forces defenses to honor the run first, then builds the rest of the passing menu off that leverage.
While Whittingham’s offense is taking shape, his staff tree is already creating ripples. Bruce Feldman reported that BYU could be facing a defensive coordinator vacancy with Jay Hill expected to become Whittingham’s defensive coordinator at Michigan, and that USC defensive line coach Shaun Nua, a former BYU player who began his coaching career there, is a name to watch if that opening materializes.
For Michigan, offense, defensive hires, and roster decisions are moving in parallel.
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