Kyle Whittingham Sends Clear Message on Age Concerns at Michigan Press Conference
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The Michigan Wolverines brought Kyle Whittingham aboard to be their next head coach earlier this week, finishing off a tense and slow-developing search that caused many fans to lose their patience with athletic director Warde Manuel.
The culmination of the search brought in the former Utah Utes head coach who led his team to an undefeated 13-0 record in 2008 and back-to-back Pac 12 titles earlier this decade.
Whittingham’s age, 66, has become a topic of concern among Wolverines and college football fans nationwide causing many to question whether Michigan added the right man to compete for and win championships in the same way that former coach Jim Harbaugh did.
Whittingham attempted to put those concerns to rest at a press conference Sunday, sending a clear message his energy levels going heading into the most high profile job of his career.
Whittingham Sends Clear Message
The new Michigan head coach sounded refreshed by the process of becoming Michigan’s leader at the press conference.
He stepped down on Dec. 12 after leading his Utes to a 10-2 record, sparking concerns that he attempted to put to rest Sunday.
“Whittingham says ‘He knew he had a lot left in the tank'” after stepping down at Utah,” Zach Shaw wrote on X Sunday.
“I could count on one hand the number of jobs I would have said yes to, and Michigan was one of them,” the new Wolverines leader said.
Citrus Bowl Showdown Draws Near
Michigan’s Citrus Bowl clash with the Texas Longhorns is likely to be defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s swan song in his current position with the Wolverines reportedly interested in BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill to replace him.
Michigan is a decided underdog in Wednesday’s game but its interim coaching staff, led by Biff Poggi, Martindale and others, has nothing to lose and a possible ten-win 2025 campaign to gain.
The Wolverines’ current coaches also have an opportunity to impress Whittingham which could factor into whether he decides to keep some of them heading into 2026.
Michigan is coming off of one of the maddening and head-scratching head coach exits in the history of college football with Whittingham replacing Sherrone Moore.
The Citrus Bowl likely won’t make or break the Wolverines’ program in the eyes of prospective recruits and transfer portal additions, but it could go a long way toward shaping Michigan’s future with the dawn of a new era on the horizon and championship aspirations at the front and in the back of Whittingham’s mind.
Related: Kyle Whittingham Uses 6 Words to Describe Meeting With QB Bryce Underwood
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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