Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.
For Michigan football, that might be true when it comes to Kyle Whittingham.
The Wolverines made a strong hire, but needed some good fortune to make it happen. First, U-M had to deal with the black eye that was Sherrone Moore's tenure.
However, as bad as that was, especially the timing of it all, it could not have gone better for Michigan football, which fell forward into the perfect head coach.
It's kind of frightening to think of where Michigan would be if Utah hadn't decided to push out the greatest head coach it has ever had. Instead, the Wolverines took advantage, hiring one of the best head coaches in the sport, one who is motivated to win a national championship, something he didn't have the resources to do at Utah, despite three conference titles and an undefeated season.
At Michigan, the resources aren't a question. Whittingham is making great use of them, too, landing 11 commitments in the month of May alone.
The recruiting has been better than expected. Yet, Michigan fans haven't even seen the real genius of Whittingham, which will be on full display this fall, and what fans will see should resemble something very similar to the Jim Harbaugh era, when Michigan did win a national title.
Kyle Whittingham, Michigan is the perfect marriage
The Wolverines played bully ball. They were the boa constrictor that sucked the life out of you. Whittingham will try to reassert that kind of identity, which fell off a bit the past two seasons.
"Kyle's the type of guy that likes to milk the clock and control the tempo. He believes if you win at the line of scrimmage, you have the best chance to win," A Utah source told Clayton Sayfie of the Wolverine about Whittingham.
Michigan was able to beat Ohio State four times in a row because it controlled the line of scrimmage. The Wolverines ran the ball at will, pestered Buckeye quarterbacks, and stuffed their running game.
In 2025, Bo Jackson ran wild, and Julian Sayin could have brewed a cup of coffee; it felt like he had so much time in the pocket. That needs to change. A new scheme will help, because Wink Martindale wasn't built to be a college defensive coordinator; however, the more important thing is dominating up front again.
Michigan's defensive line looked dominant this spring. Whittingham said it was a strength of the team. If that's true, and the offensive line is as good as expected, this could be a perfect representation of how Whittingham wants to play the game, with the added component of a five-star quarterback.
Bryce Underwood will be much more impactful this season, even just being allowed to use his legs more. His development will determine Michigan's ceiling the next two seasons, but with Whittingham, the floor is much higher.
Michigan won't get pushed around by the best teams on the schedule this season. That doesn't mean the Wolverines will win every game, but this will be a playoff-caliber team.
That's the Whittingham effect. We have seen it on the recruiting trail, and this fall, the perfect head coach to actually replace Jim Harbaugh, two years too late, will show why on the field.
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