Kyle Whittingham admits Ohio State comments should have been 'worded differently'
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After a turbulent few years defined by sign-stealing, NCAA recruiting violations and an inappropriate intra-office relationship, Michigan football finds itself in a different, far more benign kind of tiff ahead of the 2026 college football season.
While speaking at Big Ten media day in late July, first-year Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham drew ire from a segment of Michigan fans for seemingly downplaying the weighty emotions that come with the program’s longstanding, iconic rivalry with Ohio State.
"Hate's a strong word," Whittingham said at the time. "But I want to win that game as badly as anybody in Ann Arbor … I just think that a rivalry can be intense and emotional without the hatred factor. I don't think there's a place for that. Personally, I think Ryan Day is a good person. To sit here and say I hate Ryan Day, I'd be making crap up because that's not true."
During a media availability on Monday, Aug. 10, about two weeks after his initial comments, Whittingham offered a clarification when asked about what he said in Chicago and the stir it caused.
"Would we have a better chance to win if I hated them? I mean, I don't understand," Whittingham said. "I want to beat them worse than anybody around. So I don't know how that got to be such a hot topic. There's periods, practice segments and things in the weight room where that's talked about. I'm not trying to downplay that at all. It's a huge game, gigantic. It's something we all have in the back of our mind 24/7."
Though Whittingham is a California native and BYU graduate who had previously never coached east of Utah, he has some indirect connections to the rivalry. At Utah, he coached for two seasons under future Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, who Whittingham has said can visit Michigan practice whenever he wants — except during the week of the game against the Buckeyes.
The 66-year-old Whittingham also grew up following the rivalry during its fiercest chapter, when Bo Schembechler was coaching Michigan and Woody Hayes was leading Ohio State.
Whittingham was hired as the Wolverines’ coach in December 2025 after a decorated 21-year run as the head coach at Utah, where he went 177-88 before stepping down after the 2025 season. He replaced Sherrone Moore, who was fired after just two seasons after a university investigation found "credible evidence" he was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Whittingham also noted that he "probably should've worded it differently" but added that there's no question "that game is of the utmost importance.”
"Don't confuse (not hating Ohio State) with a lack of desire to win the game," he said. "We obviously understand that is The Game."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Kyle Whittingham admits Ohio State comments should have been 'worded differently'
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