After a long two weeks (and change) Michigan football hired head coach Kyle Whittingham on Friday, who agreed to a five-year deal to be the Wolverines' head coach.
Whittingham will make $8.2 million this season for Michigan on the five-year deal, and more importantly, he's getting to work right away, heading to Orlando to meet with the team. He will not be coaching Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Kyle Whittingham’s five-year deal at Michigan averages $8.2 million per year over the course of the deal, sources tell me and @danwetzel. The deal is 75-percent guaranteed, and he’s expected to make $8 million in salary at Michigan in 2026. https://t.co/wFb7a8PRRU
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 27, 2025
The man was ranked among the top 10 coaches in college football by ESPN last season. So, this was a quality hire, even if he's a little long in the tooth (he certainly doesn't look it).
People keep talking about how he won't be the coach for the next 10-20 years. But in this new era in college football, it's a year-to-year deal. Windows still exist, but they are much shorter, and Whittingham gives Michigan football a five-year window to do something special.
It wouldn't be surprising at all if he stayed beyond that. Bobby Bowden won his first national championship when he was 70 years old. Saban coached well into his 70s and won his last national championship at age 69.
Age isn't that big of an issue. The bigger worry is retaining the roster. If Whitingham can do that, it will preserve a window for Michigan to be a playoff team. The Wolverines were one win shy of that in 2025, just like Utah, but if Whittingham can do some solid work in the next few days, he will have one of the most talented teams he's ever had next season. Maybe the most talented.
But in order to make that happen, here are five Michigan football players Whittingham must retain at all costs.
Bryce Underwood, QB
This is the obvious. Underwood is the most important player on the roster to retain. Surely, his camp had a heads-up about the hire of Kyle Whittingham, who is targeting Jason Beck, the Utah offensive coordinator, to join him after the Utes had the fifth-best scoring offense in college football last season, rushing and throwing for over 200 yards per game. Utah also had 25 touchdown passes.
Underwood shared the post about Michigan hiring Whittingham on Instagram. He was also featured in a call to action for fundraising by the Champions Circle. Those are positive signs, but not confirmation that he'll be back, although Underwood being in Orlando for the bowl game is a very good sign about his future in Ann Arbor.
Andrew Marsh, WR
Andrew Marsh is the guy that Michigan football needs to worry about the most. He was Underwood's favorite target this season 42 receptions for 631 yards and three touchdowns. Marsh was one of the most productive receivers in college football down the stretch, and other teams will certainly target him.
Other programs have surely recruited negatively using Michigan's passing game, yet Whittingham has had three 3,000-yard passers in the past seven seasons. Hiring Beck would help. The Wolverines also need to be prepared to spend whatever it takes to keep Marsh in the Maize and Blue.
Marsh just completed one of the great freshman seasons in Michigan football history, and it would be a tough pill to swallow if he left for the SEC.
Jordan Marshall, RB
I'd love for Whittingham to make a run at keeping Justice Haynes, but Marshall was incredible last season, too.
The Ohio native has 932 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Michigan might not have won the Ohio State game, but if he were healthy, it would have been much closer. He got 61 yards on four carries against one of the best defenses in college football.
The offensive line, which needs to be retained, too, is loaded. There could easily be 8-9 starting caliber players in the room, including three who will be redshirt sophomores in Blake Fraizer, Jake Guarnera, and Andrew Sprague. There are two 2025 five-star recruits waiting in the wings, too.
Whittingham, if he brings his offensive line coach with him, could add to that room, too. So Michigan will be an attractive place for running backs. Utah averaged 269 yards per game last season, after all.
With Marshall and Hayes, or Savion Hiter, Michigan might be able to do the same in 2026.
Cole Sullivan, LB
Cole Sullivan is one of the most exciting players on the Michigan football defense, at least he was last season. Despite battling injuries, Sullivan had 37 tackles, three interceptions, two sacks, five tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery.
Sullivan is a twitchy linebacker that Kyle Whittingham will love to coach. He feels like a guy with First-Team All-Big Ten potential. He's solid in coverage, is improving against the run, and just has a knack for finding the ball.
Some impact players are graduating from this defense, but one that Whittingham needs to keep and develop into a superstar is Cole Sullivan.
Jyaire Hill, CB
The 6-foot-2 cornerback took a major step forward this past season. He had just one interception, against Ohio State, but he was a lockdown corner for most of the year.
Michigan's biggest competition in retaining Hill might be the NFL draft, sort of like Justice Haynes. A strong NIL offer, something similar to what he could make in the NFL, could be enough to keep him around, because with another strong season, Hill could be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft, easily.