Michigan targets Kyle Whittingham as former longtime Utah coach emerges as Wolverines' leading candidate

Former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has emerged as the lead figure in Michigan's coaching search, sources confirmed to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz. Whttingham, 66, stepped down in December after 21 seasons leading the Utes, and he left the door open to continuing his legendary coaching career elsewhere. 

Over more than three decades with the Utes, first as an assistant and then as head coach since 2005, Whittingham cultivated a clean image and a winning program. Both factors would make him attractive to the Wolverines, who are seeking to turn the page from a scandal-ridden era without taking a step back on the field.

Michigan is in the midst of an external review focused on its handling of Sherrone Moore, who was fired with cause on Dec. 10 after evidence surfaced that he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore, who had been the program's offensive coordinator during Jim Harbaugh's scandal-marred tenure, was subsequently charged with felony home invasion and stalking.

Whittingham's final Utah team finished 10-2 (7-2 Big 12) this past season before the school announced on Dec. 13 that he would be stepping down to make way for head coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley to begin his tenure. However, Whittingham is still slated to coach the Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska on New Year's Eve.

Utah reached the Rose Bowl in both 2021 and 2022 under Whittingham after winning 11 games in 2019. Arguably his best season with the Utes came in 2008, however, when Utah went 13-0, beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and finished No. 2 in the AP poll.

Michigan's search process

Moore's firing came after the early signing period for high school prospects and well before the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, which eliminated any need for the Wolverines to rush the hiring process.

Though Michigan was a late entrant to what's been a busy coaching carousel, the Wolverines have been the only Power Four school on the market for the past couple of weeks. Given the job's allure as one of the nation's best, the list of names connected to the opening in some capacity was been strong.

Among them have been Alabama's Kalen DeBoer, Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham and Louisville's Jeff Brohm. The elevation of interim coach Biff Poggi also loomed as a potential option if the Wolverines struggled to find a suitable candidate. Poggi has been leading Michigan as it prepares to play Texas in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Eve.

Stabilizing force

Hiring Whittingham instead of elevating Poggi, who is also 66, would signal that Michigan is OK with a relatively short-term hire but that it wants to accomplish a couple of things in the meantime. First, landing one of the longest-tenured and most successful sitting head coaches at the Power Four level shows the Wolverines are serious about contending in the Big Ten and have no interest in taking a step back competitively as they sort their way through the wreckage of what Harbaugh and Moore left behind.

Elevating Poggi could have been interpreted as a gesture of surrender for the 2026 season after he went 6-16 as head coach at Charlotte in 2023 and 2024. Secondly, hiring Whittingham would show the university is intent on moving forward from its past. Poggi served two stints under Harbaugh at Michigan, including one as the program's associate head coach in 2021 and 2022. Fair or not, he is viewed as a product of that era.

So while Whittingham may not be a long-term solution, he's more than a stopgap interim. He's a proven winner who can help the program turn the page from the turmoil of the Harbaugh and Moore eras. As he wipes the slate clean, the program can begin preparing to make a run at a huge name at some point in the relatively near future.

Utah dynamic

Hiring Whittingham could set up an interesting tug of war for both staffers and players between Michigan and Utah. What's certain is that Whittingham will be without Scalley as his defensive coordinator for the first time since the 2015 season.

As Scalley launches his Utah tenure and puts his own spin on things there, will he be able to fend off a well-resourced Michigan program led by Whittingham? One of the top storylines to monitor will be Whittingham's appetite to recruit from Utah's roster and coaching staff. It was always assumed that when the Whittingham to Scalley transition occurred at Utah, Whittingham would be retiring.

Instead, he has landed an even better job. If he attempts to build the Wolverines program with Utah talent, it could make for an awkward dynamic that would have been difficult to imagine just a few weeks ago.