Utah's Kyle Whittingham to join Michigan immediately at Citrus Bowl
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Kyle Whittingham will not wait until after Utah football’s Las Vegas Bowl appearance to begin the next chapter of his coaching career at Michigan.
According to multiple reports, Whittingham is expected to join the Wolverines in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday, Dec. 27 for their preprations to play against Texas in the Citrus Bowl. He is expected to inform his current players of his decision on Friday, Dec. 26 once the Utes land in Las Vegas.
Whittingham has agreed to a five-year deal with the Wolverines, according to Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press — part of the USA TODAY Network — to be the successor to Sherrone Moore in Ann Arbor. It is just the second stop for Whittingham in his career as a head coach, as he spent 22 seasons at the helm of the Utes program.
The Las Vegas Bowl was originally expected to be Whittingham’s final game at Utah, as he announced on Friday, Dec. 12 that he was stepping down. He later clarified his decision to reporters on Thursday, Dec. 18 that he wasn’t retiring and was instead “in the transfer portal.”
Whittingham is just the second Michigan head coach who did not have a previous tie with the program since Bo Schembechler retired in 1990. He brings a 177-88 overall record as a head coach to the Wolverines.
At Michigan, Whittingham will now be tasked with leading the program after numerous offseason scandals over the past several seasons, including the firing and subsequent arrest of Moore. The Wolverines announced on Wednesday, Dec. 10 that Moore was fired with cause after a university investigation found “credible evidence” of him having been engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
More pressing to Michigan at the moment will be Whittingham’s ability to retain the talent on the Wolverines’ current roster, most notably freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. Players have five days following the hiring of a football coach to enter their names into the NCAA transfer portal.
Interim head coach Biff Poggi is still expected to lead Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. Morgan Scalley, who had already been announced as Whittingham’s successor at Utah, is expected to coach the Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Whittingham to join Michigan, won’t coach Utah in Las Vegas Bowl
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