Michigan bets on Urban Meyer disciple: Why the Wolverines plucked Kyle Whittingham from rival's coaching tree

Kyle Whittingham will be incorporating at Michigan much of what he learned from Urban Meyer's process in hopes of beating the former Ohio State coach's former program for many years to come. Welcomed this week on a five-year deal, the Wolverines' new coach is tasked with repairing a blueblood in disarray following the firing of Sherrone Moore, while also moving past years of NCAA oversight tied to program abnormalities and violations.

Meyer is the only Ohio State coach to never lose to Michigan, going a perfect 7-0 during his time with the Buckeyes. He thought enough of Whittingham early in his career to recommend his promotion to head coach after departing Utah for Florida following the 2004 season.

Whittingham spent two seasons as Meyer's defensive coordinator from 2003-04, assembling one of the program's best defensive units. That run culminated in an unbeaten season and a Fiesta Bowl win during his final campaign.

Meyer has praised Whittingham for years, even calling him the "best coach in college football" during the 2023 season after Utah's 34-32 victory over USC. That win pushed the Utes to a 6-1 start despite playing without injured veteran quarterback Cam Rising.

Meyer specifically pointed to the "toughness" exemplified by Whittingham's program -- a defining pillar during his 21-year reign at Utah. The second-longest tenured coach in college football entering this season, Whittingham spent 32 years with the Utes before stepping away to accept the latest challenge of his career: returning Michigan to national prominence as a Big Ten title contender.

Recruiting enhancements

For the first time in his coaching career, Whittingham will have near-limitless resources at his disposal when it comes to talent accumulation. Player development was paramount at Utah, along with evaluation and identifying immediate fits in the transfer portal.

Whittingham never fielded a top-10 roster in terms of talent, according to 247Sports. Yet he produced a winning record in 10 straight seasons from 2014-23. He earned three national coach of the year awards and made 50 appearances in the College Football Playoff rankings, tied with Oregon for the seventh most.

Given Whittingham's sustained success -- three conference championships and eight top-25 finishes -- Meyer said earlier this month that Utah's new coach, Morgan Scalley, has big shoes to fill. Meanwhile, Michigan lands an elite coach during a challenging stretch of the calendar, just days before the transfer portal opens and a couple weeks after the early signing period.

"Morgan's got a tough job [with] everything Kyle Whittingham did there," Meyer said on The Triple Option. "The transition from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12 to the Big 12. To stay, arguably, one of the top-five most consistent programs in all of college football over the past 20 years — it's not an easy job. What I mean by that is Utah high school football? Not many guys. Your recruiting base is California. And then you've got BYU down the street to fight."

Attention to detail

Michigan under Whittingham will closely resemble the Utah program he built over the past two decades -- defined by scrupulous attention to detail across all areas and a premium on discipline. Whittingham has long considered Meyer a mentor and maintains a friendship with his former boss from their time together with the Utes. 

"It was kind of a weird situation. I had been at (Utah) seven or eight years, our head coach was let go and I thought I should be the guy," Whittingham said ahead of the 2022 Rose Bowl against Ohio State. "Urban got the job, and it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me as a football coach, because after two years with him I realized I wasn't ready two years prior."

"His complete organization of the entire program, on a day-to-day basis -- mapping out the entire year -- nothing was left to chance," Whittingham said.

Strength on offense

Whittingham is expected to bring Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck with him to Ann Arbor, a move that should help Michigan retain talent after the Utes ranked fifth nationally in scoring this season at 41.1 points per game. Utah finished second in the Big 12 to champion Texas Tech across several statistical categories and ranked No. 2 nationally in rushing offense at 269.7 yards per game.

Michigan's offense has been at its best in recent years when it imposed its will at the line of scrimmage behind physical running backs and elite offensive line play. Those elements are staples of Beck's scheme, along with a dynamic playmaker at quarterback.

Following Whittingham's hiring, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood reposted the program's official announcement on his Instagram story, accompanied by a photo of himself with his new coach. At Utah this season, Devon Dampier threw for 2,180 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding 687 rushing yards.

Freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin averaged nine yards per carry, finishing with 503 yards and 10 touchdowns as a change-of-pace threat. Michigan will be a program to monitor closely when the transfer portal opens Jan. 2, given Whittingham's expected power-based offensive approach.