Kyle Whittingham has work to do in the player retention department, but as far as building a coaching staff, Michigan football fans have to be impressed.
Whittingham brought his offensive coordinator, Jason Beck, from Utah, to coordinate the Wolverines offense. Jay Hill will come over from BYU to run the defense after two straight seasons ranking in the top 25 in scoring defense. Hill also had a successful eight-year run as Weber State head coach.
There were still a few coaching positions open, at least until this weekend. Jernaro Gilford is expected to come to Michigan football as the secondary coach, following Hill from BYU, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
Another strong hire by Kyle Whittingham
Gilford is a really good hire. He reminds me of Steve Cinkscale and should be a definite upgrade as defensive pass game coordinator. Like Jay Hill, he coaches to turnovers. 12 different players had an interception for BYU in 2024, the most of any team in college football. The Cougars have come away with 39 interceptions over the past two seasons.
That wasn't an accident.
In addition to Gilford, the other position finalized is special teams coach. Kerry Coombs, who worked under Urban Meyer at Ohio State and was hired by Sherrone Moore before he was fired, delivered a strong showing in the Citrus Bowl. His ties to Ohio, his home state, also make this a no-brainer, since he's known as an elite recruiter. He also has a strong track record of coaching cornerbacks.
The buzz is that Alex Whittingham, the son of Kyle, who has worked for the Chiefs the past seven years, will come as linebackers coach.