3 eye-opening observations from Michigan hiring Kyle Whittingham

After some dark days for the Michigan football program, the sun is rising again, as the Wolverines have hired former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham to be their 22nd head coach and signed him to a five-year deal, according to ESPN.

Whittingham stepped down from the Utah job earlier this month, after a decorated career that spanned 21 seasons. Whittingham was the head coach of Utah for the first game of the Rich Rod and Jim Harbaugh eras.

That's the kind of staying power he's had. Utah has won three conference championships under Whittingham played in the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl twice, and finished with an undefeated season in 2008. Utah finished ranked second that last season after beating Alabama.

The reaction has been positive. This move isn't without risks. We talked about some in our pros and cons, but the pros definitely out-weight the cons.

With that in mind, here are three observations from Michigan's hiring of Kyle Whittingham.

Kyle Whittingham has always done more with less

Whittingham has been recognized as one of the best coaches in college football for a long time. Urban Meyer said that about him two years ago.

Whittingham won 66.8 percent of his games with Utah. That's good enough for him to be elected into the College Football Hall of Fame, and he did it at a place that isn't considered a blue blood.

At Michigan, Whittingham will have NIL resources, and other recruiting advantages that he could have never dreamed of with Utah. The Michigan job is one of the best in college football for a reason. It practically recruits itself.

Whittingham has only signed one top-25 class in the past four cycles. Yet, he signed two top-100 commits in 2026, and has another committed in 2027. That shows he's been able to adapt to the NIL era, and land some big recruiting wins.

At Michigan, that should be much easier, and much like Jim Harbaugh, Whittingham is the kind of coach that can beat you with his players, then cross the sideline, take your team and win with them, too.

Talent is important. So is coaching and development, two areas Michigan football was sorely lacking under Sherrone Moore.

A true leader

One of the perceived downsides of this hire is the fact that Whittingham is 66 years old. However, Curt Cignetti is 64 years old and he has been the best head coach in college football the past two seasons.

Beyond his age, Whittingham works out every single day. He's not an old dude. He's motivated and he wouldn't be taking this job if the goal wasn't to win a national championship -- the one thing he hasn't done in his coaching career.

Michigan is a place where national championships are possible, especially if Whitingham can convince Bryce Underwood to remain on the roster.

Beyond all that, Whitingham will provide the stable leadership this program needs. He's all about culture, toughness, and doing things the right way.

Whittingham also isn't following a bunch of Only Fans models on Instagram as Moore was. He's also never had a scaldal of any kind in 21 seasons (sign me up).

Kyle Whittingham is an adult. He will build a championship culture, and will help Michigan move forward in the right way, which goes beyond the wins and losses.

As Joel Klatt said, if his sons were going to play college football, he would want them to play for Whittingham.

A perfect fit for Michigan's brand of football

What's interesting is that Utah and Michigan have shared a lot of similarities over the years. Utah is physical. The Utes have played great defense under Whittingham, and they have had an elite running game.

This past season, Utah rushed for 269 yards per game, in addition to passing for 208 yards per game. For those worried about Whittingham's offenses, he's coached three 3,000-yard passers in the last seven seasons, or the same amount of 3,000-yard passers total in Michigan football history.

Whittingham gives me Jim Harbaugh vibes. He's going to make any team he coaches better from day one. This Michigan football team will be tough, disciplined, and whatever you say about Whittingham, he will get every ounce of talent out of that lockeroom.

And considering all the resources he will have to build the roster, which he didn't have at Utah, that's an exciting thought for Michigan football fans, and a scary one for the rest of the Big Ten.