When the scandal broke in December involving Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, it felt like a bad dream for Wolverines fans. Yet again, Michigan was in the middle of a problematic situation with its head coach, which ended in the immediate termination of Moore in Ann Arbor.
The Michigan administration searched high and low for a new head coach, knowing they needed to find someone fast to keep as many players in the building as possible. One name consistently came up: Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham. It felt like the perfect option: a young head coach who has proven he can take a program out of the dumps and connect with his players.
However, Dillingham opted to stay at Arizona State, leading the Wolverines to land on Kyle Whittingham, who had just mutually parted ways with Utah, a team in the Big 12 with Dillingham. Now, just a few months later at Big 12 Media Days, Dillingham alluded to the fact that, while he gave it great thought, the Michigan job never really felt in the cards.
Michigan was calling Kenny Dillingham, who was at dinner. An offer to become Wolverines coach was formality. How family helped Dillingham stayed home. https://t.co/a4C8zLcF3f
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) July 9, 2026
Kenny Dillingham actually called Kyle Whittingham to speak about the Michigan opportunity
Dillingham received the call from Michigan with details on the offer during a family dinner in Arizona, and the fact that he actually answered was a miracle. Dillingham is all about family. His entire family lives right around him in Scottsdale, and when the offer came from the Wolverines, his entire family was quick to make the offer to move with him.
"That’s good intel; I know exactly who was at that dinner at the Fat Ox,” Dillingham told USA TODAY Sports at Big 12 Conference Media Days. “Great opportunity; Michigan found the perfect guy for them. They really did, because Kyle Whittingham is somebody that I've looked up to.”
Ultimately, while his family's offer was sweet, it was Dillingham who wanted to stay in Scottsdale and continue building what he had started at Arizona State with the administration behind him.
The irony in this entire situation is that one of the calls Dillingham made while trying to make his decision on the Michigan offer was to Whittingham, who ended up becoming the Wolverines' head coach. Dillingham made sure to talk to the longtime head coach who stayed in Salt Lake City for so many years, asking how he handled these decisions, keeping family in mind.
"I actually called him early in the (Michigan) process to talk to him about his choices and his family and things that he'd never sacrificed," Dillingham said during his Big 12 Media Days interview.
Whittingham is someone that Dillingham has looked up to, even when both coaches were in the Pac-12 before making the move to the Big 12 a few years ago. It just feels crazy that when Dillingham chose not to pursue the Michigan offer, it was Whititngham was the one that got the call next.
Add us as a preferred source on Google