Whittingham’s Michigan Gig May Cost Grandkids Free Utah Tuition

Kyle Whittingham’s decision to coach at the University of Michigan comes with significant financial incentives for the 66-year-old—and, presumably, his heirs.

The deal to replace scandal-plagued Sherrone Moore reportedly pays Whittingham average annual compensation of $8.2 million. His abrupt departure from Utah, prior to the team’s Las Vegas Bowl matchup against Nebraska, remains a source of confusion and has fueled speculation that he may have been pushed out.

The second-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, Whittingham announced on Dec. 12 that he would be stepping down from Utah after 21 seasons, while emphasizing he did not intend to retire. Less than two weeks later, he was named the Wolverines’ head coach. 

Under the terms of his most recent Utah contract, signed in 2020, Whittingham would owe the school $1.5 million if he left now for another college or NFL coaching job, though the final resolution remains clear. Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said last week that the school had granted Whittingham permission to begin at Michigan before the end of the Utes’ 2025 season, suggesting a revised agreement may have been struck. Regardless, any damages would be more than offset by Whittingham’s new salary.

Still, the coach’s decision to abscond for Ann Arbor—as opposed to retiring—comes with financial consequences beyond his own bank account: by taking a new coaching job Whittingham appears to be forfeiting educational benefits for his 11 grandchildren, should any of them hope to attend Utah.

Under a provision in Whittingham’s deal with the Utes, his grandchildren were entitled to free in-state tuition at Utah, provided they were unmarried and less than 27-years-old. However, that benefit was contingent upon Whittingham being alive, not being fired from Utah for cause, and not accepting another college or professional coaching position.

For the current academic year, undergraduate tuition and fees at Utah for a resident is $10,004.

A Utah spokesperson did not respond to Sportico‘s emailed inquiries.

Whittingham’s deal also entitled his four children to a 50% tuition benefit at Utah. Two of his sons, Tyler and Alex, played football for the Utes, both as walk-ons, while his daughter Kylie also attended the university and was a member of its cheerleading team. Alex, having followed in his father’s professional footsteps, is currently a defensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs; Tyler, according to his LinkedIn, runs a digital marketing company in Salt Lake City specializing in Google ads.

A UM spokesperson confirmed that Kyle Whittingham’s new deal with Michigan does not include any educational benefits for his offspring.

Had Whittingham chosen instead to retire from coaching, his Utah contract stipulated he would have received a “retirement bonus” of nearly $2 million. The agreement also included a built-in post-coaching role as special assistant to the athletic director for an additional five-year term. That job required only 10 hours of consulting services per week and Whittingham to make himself “reasonable available” to the AD. In exchange, he would have been paid $995,000 per year, a compensation package that would have continued to his wife had he died before the special assistant contract was up.

Whittingham grew up in Provo, Utah, and played football at hometown BYU, where his father was an assistant coach under LaVell Edwards. Whittingham joined Utah’s coaching staff in 1994, and served as defensive coordinator from 1995 to 2005, when he was promoted to head coach upon Urban Meyer’s departure to Florida. He went on to serve the next two decades leading Utah to a 177-88 record and 11 bowl victories.

Beyond the special advisor provision in his contract, Whittingham’s eventual departure was foreshadowed last July when longtime Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley was officially re-named head coach in waiting. That designation had been revoked in 2020 as part of disciplinary action after Scalley was found to have texted a racial slur to an African American recruit seven years earlier. Scalley told a school investigation that he meant to send the message—which included the phrase “Black ass”—to another coach, and issued a public apology. Scalley is now set to take over for Whittingham.