The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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22 THE WOLVERINE ❱ FEBRUARY 2026 BY ANTHONY BROOME M ichigan's hire of Kyle Whittingham as its 22nd head football coach was met with exceedingly positive reactions from across the college football landscape — from members of the media to former coaches and players. ESPN Analyst And Michigan Heisman Trophy Winner Desmond Howard: "I want to congratulate the University of Michigan leadership, especially Warde Manuel, for navigating a challenging process and coming away with what I truly believe is the best hire of this coaching cycle. I'm extremely excited about Coach Whittingham leading Michigan. If you had asked me prior to this to name my favorite head coaches in the sport, his name would've been one of the very first I mentioned. He's exactly what Michigan needs right now. Coach Whittingham commands immense admiration across college football, from the media to fellow coaches, and anytime his name comes up among my peers, the sentiment is unanimous: respect. He's your favorite coach's favorite coach, and that says everything." FOX Sports Analyst Joel Klatt: "I've got to tell you, this is an incredible fit, and I, for one, assumed that he was just done coaching. Listen, I've had several conversations with Kyle over the years. And you guys, you've listened to some of the shorts, and you've listened to this podcast, I'm sure — before. You know that he is a wonderful coach, and he's got the highest integrity. I love the way that his teams play. I love the way that he talks about his players, because he talks about them with love. He cares for his players. My highest compliment that I can ever pay is that 'I would love my sons if they ever played college football to go play for Kyle Whittingham.' I still feel that way. He is a winner. He's going to go to the Hall of Fame. And now he's going to go to Michigan because he looks at this as an opportunity to actu- ally go out there and compete for a national championship. He didn't say this verbatim, but there is an underlying thing here of, 'You can do it there.' At Utah, I always felt like it was an uphill climb, whereas at Michigan, you can do it. You can go win a national title. They are funded. They've got everything that they need. Not that Utah doesn't, but it's an uphill battle. And he would know that uniquely because he spent 30-plus years there. "So, he goes there, and he says, 'Michigan is a special place.' He says, 'A le- gitimate opportunity to win a national championship.' He says, 'It's happened here. I looked at it as a final challenge.' It makes sense for him. I've got to tell you — this seems like a tremendous fit. This seems like a home run because it checks off all of these boxes, all of these challenges. And I didn't think that that was possible, to be honest with you." On3's Andy Staples: "I get the sense that he felt a nudge [to leave Utah]. Now, remember, they've had Morgan Scalley as the coach in waiting for a long time. Morgan Scalley actually played for Kyle Whittingham and then went to work for Kyle Whittingham. He's been the defensive coordinator there. My guess is they were ready to make that move. There were certain influential donors that were ready to make the move, and Kyle Whit- tingham felt the nudge. Now, the thought was that he was going to retire after last season. And he was very clear that what happened last season, which was maybe their worst season with him as the head coach, didn't sit right with him. "He wanted to right the ship first, and he did that. He went and got a new offensive coordinator, went and got Devon Dampier in the transfer portal. They had the usual lineup of excellent line- men, and they won 10 games in the regular season. "He did what he said he was going to do. And it may have been time." What They're Saying About Kyle Whittingham's Move To Michigan Whittingham earned three national Coach of the Year awards while leading the Utah program, including the AFCA and Bear Bryant Awards in 2008 and the Bobby Dodd Trophy in 2019. PHOTO COURTESY UTAH ATHLETICS