Kyle Whittingham lands in top 10 of ESPN rankings

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Michigan football fell somewhat upward this offseason, with the firing of Sherrone Moore and the hiring of former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.

Whittingham has a long track record — 21 years as the head coach of the Utes — that proves his prowess as a head coach. Though he's had his share of subpar seasons, he's never had a roster like he's acquiring with the Wolverines, and though there isn't a ton of buzz for the maize and blue, national expectations are high for his upcoming tenure, even if they're not for this particular, upcoming season.

ESPN revealed its overall head coach rankings, and Whittingham came in ranked in the top 10 at No. 9 overall, with Adam Rittenberge, ranking him sixth and Mark Schlabach having him outside of teh top 10 overall.

9. Kyle Whittingham, Michigan

Record: 177-88, .668 (first year at Michigan)Points: 17Last year's ranking: 9

Numbers to know: If you can't beat him … hire him? Since the 1978 FBS/FCS split, Whittingham is the only FBS coach to face Michigan at least three times and have an undefeated record (3-0). His teams beat Michigan in 2008, 2014 and 2015. … Whittingham's 177 wins are the most in Utah history. Only one other Utah coach eclipsed 100 wins: Ike Armstrong, who had 141 wins from 1925 to 1949.All of ESPN. All in one place.Watch your favorite events in the newly enhanced ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now

In the Big Ten, Whittingham is behind No. 1 Curt Cignetti, No. 3 Ryan Day, and No. 5 Dan Lanning. He's ahead of Mario Cristobal and Kalen DeBoer, both of whom are tied for No. 10 overall.

With Whittingham inheriting the Michigan football roster, we'll know more about if he can do more with more after doing less with more. While Schlabach pointed to him having four games in four straight seasons, but he still was able to outduel Cristobal when he was at Oregon in 2021 and Lincoln Riley's USC in 2022 to win the Pac-12 championship two years in a row.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Kyle Whittingham lands in top 10 of ESPN rankings

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