Had you told us a month ago that Sherrone Moore would be fired and Kyle Whittingham would replace him, no one would have believed you. That's how things have shaped out here, with Michigan bringing in the veteran coach.
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The door was open for this to happen with Utah seemingly pushing Whittingham out, moving on to Morgan Scalley. It was a questionable move by the Utes, with Whittingham making it clear after the news broke that he wouldn't continue as Utah's HC that he had no plans to retire.
From the start, it felt like the Utes were just ready to move on from their beloved coach and get things going with Scalley. Will this prove to be a mistake? Some people think that's the case, with Utah insider Gordon Monson saying Utah 'blew it' here and Michigan has taken advantage of the situation:
Utah blew it with Kyle Whittingham, all to Michigan's benefit: https://t.co/P3Z4eDUNab
— Gordon Monson (@GordonMonson) December 26, 2025
Michigan hiring Kyle Whittingham as head coach has people talking
From our chair, this is a home-run hire for the Wolverines. The Moore exit was disheartening and one that people didn't see coming. Michigan then had to quickly focus on someone else to take over the program and some top targets were quickly taken off the board.
People were focused on Kenny Dillingham and Kalen DeBoer, but both made it clear they had no plans to leave their respective schools - Dillingham also signed a new deal to stay with Arizona State. So, who would Michigan turn to?
Biff Poggi was another option, but Whittingham has won out here and he's a straight up football guy. He's one who knows how to win at the highest level and he's already working quickly to put together a rockstar staff in Ann Arbor.
Soon enough, we'll see how Whittingham will be able to recruit for the Big Ten side, but all signs are pointing to him making a strong impact there. Bryce Underwood appears to be all for the Whittingham news, which is great to see and recruits are feeling excited too. Did Utah in fact drop the ball here? Maybe, but Utah indeed may end up regretting this decision.