Kyle Whittingham's first season at Michigan is not how anyone probably imagined it to be. Five games in, the Wolverines are 3-2 with the same offensive struggles they had in years past and look even more undisciplined than they did under Sherrone Moore, which is saying a lot.
Whittingham was brought to Michigan to get the Wolverines back to the basics of playing football. After years of scandals and Michigan being in the news for all the wrong reasons (aside from winning the national title in 2023), Whittingham was meant to be the culture reset, and while the scandals have lessened, the play on the field hasn't gotten any better.
To make matters worse, Whittingham's former program, Utah, is performing exceptionally well this season, ranked No. 11 in the country, and could make a play for the Big 12 title this season. Granted, the level of competition in the Big Ten is much better than in the Big 12, but the Utes have handled business easily this season while the Wolverines have struggled in games they shouldn't have.
So, did Utah make the right choice in pushing Whittingham out in favor of Morgan Scalley? Did Michigan make a mistake with his hiring?
Kyle Whittingham's record isn't as impressive as it looks on paper
Whittingham has been in the coaching game for quite a while, and his resume is stacked, on paper, at least. Whittingham found a lot of success at Utah in the Pac-12, but when taking a closer look at his teams, especially on the offensive side of the ball, Michigan might have made a mistake.
Let's take a quick look at Utah in its first season without Whittingham. The Utes are 5-0, averaging 42.5 points per game, scoring more than 31 points in every game this season. Defensively, Utah has allowed an average of 13 points per game to opponents, which they should be looking at their opponents.
The biggest difference between Utah and Michigan, besides the offensive numbers, is that the Utes are beating the teams they should be, and by a large margin, while the Wolverines have struggled to finish games. Michigan is one second away from being 2-4 on the season and, honestly, came close to losing to a bad Oklahoma team.
When looking at Whittingham in all of this, the biggest question is why Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood hasn't taken the step forward everyone hoped he would this season. Well, Underwood just may not be as talented as everyone thought, or it could be the system Whittingham insists on putting him in.
It happens all the time: a new head coach comes in and wants to implement their own system instead of one that will play to the strengths of the guys he now has. Whittingham was never known for developing great quarterbacks, and that looks to be the case with Underwood as well.
Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, who has played in the same number of games as Underwood this season, has 1,135 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and just two interceptions, and that is despite being pulled in games where the Utes had a huge lead. In comparison, Underwood has 881 passing yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. You tell me which quarterback seems to be thriving in his system.
While some fans may disagree, it's too early to really make a decision on Whittingham at Michigan, even with the evidence in front of us. There are still seven games left to be played this season for the Wolverines, and maybe the bye week was the reset Whittingham and his team needed, but if things continue to go downhill for Michigan, some tough conversations may need to be had.
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