By Austin Meek, Chris Vannini and Bruce Feldman
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan and Kyle Whittingham have agreed to a five-year deal to make him the Wolverines’ next head coach, a source close to the hiring process said.
Whittingham, 66, stepped down Dec. 12 after 21 seasons at Utah but made it known that he wasn’t done coaching. Michigan, which fired Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10, was looking for a coach who could stabilize the program and Whittingham, who was 177-88 at Utah with eight seasons of 10 wins or more, could fit the part. ESPN first reported the search was targeting Whittingham.
A source close to the hiring process said the plan is for Whittingham to tell his Utah team in person in Las Vegas on Friday, where it’s preparing for next week’s Las Vegas Bowl, before traveling to Orlando, Fla., on Saturday to meet with his new Michigan team as it preps for the Citrus Bowl.
The second-longest-tenured coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision before he stepped down, Whittingham led Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 championships and Rose Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022. The Utes slipped to 5-7 in 2024, their first losing season in more than a decade, but rebounded with a 10-2 season in 2025. He played at BYU, joined Utah’s staff in 1994 and was promoted to head coach in 2005 after the departure of Urban Meyer.
At Michigan, he will be tasked with cleaning up a program that interim coach Biff Poggi described as a “malfunctioning organization.” Moore was fired Dec. 10 for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member and arrested later that night after allegedly confronting the staffer at her apartment. He faces charges of third-degree home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering.
Michigan also ran afoul of NCAA rules numerous times in recent years and faces an NCAA fine that could surpass $30 million as punishment for running an impermissible sign-stealing operation. At Utah, Whittingham was known for running a tough, disciplined program with minimal off-field drama. Whittingham also has no previous ties to Michigan, which represents a clean break from the Jim Harbaugh era. His teams are known for hard-nosed defense and strong play in the trenches, which aligns with Michigan’s recent ethos.
Utah made massive strides on offense in 2025 under first-year coordinator Jason Beck, finishing sixth in the FBS at 478.6 yards per game after finishing 115th the year before. The Utes led all FBS teams at 6.11 yards per rush but ranked 113th in run defense, allowing 182.3 yards per game.
Recruiting will be one question for Whittingham. Since Utah’s move to the Pac-12 in 2011, the Utes have signed only one recruiting class that ranked in the top 20 of the 247Sports Composite rankings. Utah’s 2023 class finished at No. 19, but most of Whittingham’s other classes ranked in the 30s or 40s.
At Michigan, Whittingham is expected to have a larger salary pool for his assistant coaches and more recruiting and NIL resources than he had at Utah. He’ll be paired with a new defensive coordinator, as Morgan Scalley, his longtime DC at Utah, is the Utes’ new head coach.
Whittingham inherits a talented roster that includes quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2025. Keeping that roster together could be a challenge. Late in his run at Utah, Whittingham acknowledged the ways that NIL and the transfer portal had made it more difficult to maintain the steady identity that defined the program for most of his tenure.
“It’s constantly in flux and I don’t want to say it’s like you’re hiring mercenaries every year, but it’s a situation where, again, you got to collect as much talent as quickly as you can and then hope it jells and comes together and you get results,” Whittingham said last year.
When Whittingham stepped down at Utah, he said he wasn’t sure what he would do next, but that “when you’ve got coaching in your blood, it just doesn’t go away.”
“It’s stepping down, step away, reevaluate things and see where we’re at. I’m a free agent. I’m in the transfer portal,” he said. “Like I said, I’m at peace. I did not want to be that guy that overstayed his welcome and people just say, ‘Hey, when’s this guy gonna leave?’ That was not my intention, ever. I hope I didn’t do that. I’m sure with some people I did do that, but to me, the timing is right.”
Other candidates included Washington coach Jedd Fisch and Poggi, who made his pitch publicly while serving as interim coach the last two weeks. A source said Michigan never spoke to Louisville coach Jeff Brohm, who had been rumored to be a candidate. Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stevavich, a former UM player, was also not a candidate.
Michigan finished 9-3 this season and was 17-8 in two seasons with Moore as head coach. The Wolverines will face Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31.