The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 27 guy has been doing it a long time, from as- sistant coach, coaching defense, to being a head coach. His dad was a DC, his son's a coach … he was awesome. The whole staff was great. It was a pleasure to be around those guys." His style, too, is conducive to what we've seen of the Wolverines' best teams over the years. Never the "air it out" type, Whit- tingham wants to win the lines of scrim- mage, out-tough his opponent and win the fourth quarter. A good running game usu- ally goes hand in hand with that, so it's no surprise last year's 10-2 Utah team finished top-five in the nation in rushing. As was the case with Michigan fans and their coaches, the Utes' faithful some- times got a bit frustrated when he played it closer to the vest and to his defense. If he can be adaptable and turn his talent loose, "allowing for more explosive plays and not just settling for the hard-nosed ap- proach," Utah writer Josh Furlong of KSL said, he could really do something special at Michigan. "Kyle's the type of guy that likes to milk the clock, so he likes to be able to control the tempo, control the game," Furlong said. "In the games over the last few years, he's really tried to lean into letting his coor- dinators just have the say. He's obviously involved in third- and fourth-down deci- sions and trying to make sure they make the best plays. "But he's a defensive guy. He's known defense for his entire life — he played defense, he coached defense. So, there's always been an emphasis on that. It's re- ally just making sure that he's not hand- cuffing it." If he lets offensive coordinator Jason Beck do what he wants, Furlong added, "Michigan is going to be OK." If he's being honest, though, Furlong would probably acknowledge they'll be just fine even if the head coach has more of a say. He didn't win 177 games with largely three-star prep talent over the years not knowing what he's doing, and there's a reason Hill called him "extremely disciplined and extremely intelligent," the best coach he's ever been around. "I have more respect for Coach Whitt than any coach in the game," Hill said. … "When you sit down with him, you're like, 'Man — this guy is brilliant.' That's what I always saw in him and why I stayed with him for so long, why I was willing to come back with him. "I just see 'special' in Coach Whitt. He's a coach of all coaches." And the right man for Michigan at the right time, ready to make his mark on the biggest stage. Everything he's done and said to date indicates he's got a great shot. ❑ How First-Year Michigan Coaches Have Fared Over The Years Kyle Whittingham is Michigan's eighth head coach since 1969, when Bo Schembechler took over for Bump Elliott. Here's how the previous seven fared in their first seasons at the helm. Bo Schembechler (1969-89): Schembechler inherited a talented team but started his first season only 3-2 with a blowout home loss to Missouri and a disappointing setback at Michigan State. From there, though, his Wolverines took off, winning four straight Big Ten blowouts to set up a showdown with Woody Hayes and Ohio State. The Wolverines upset the "team of the century," 24-12 in 1969, in a defining moment for the Schembechler era. Michigan lost the Rose Bowl to USC, 10-3, a game Schembechler missed due to a heart at- tack, to finish 8-3 overall (6-1 Big Ten) and ranked No. 8 in the coaches' poll and No. 9 in the Associated Press poll. Gary Moeller (1990-1994): Michigan had won two straight Big Ten titles when Moeller took over following Schembechler's sudden retirement, and Moeller made it three in 1990 — but not conventionally. The Wolverines dropped three games, including the opener at Notre Dame in a game they dominated for long stretches, but rose back to No. 1 before losing to Michigan State in controversial fashion. A home loss to Iowa followed before they ripped off six straight wins to end the year at 9-3 (6-2 Big Ten), including a victory at Ohio State for a share of the Big Ten in a four-way tie, and a 35-3 drubbing of Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl. Moeller's first team finished No. 8 in the coaches' poll, No. 7 AP. Lloyd Carr (1995-2007). Carr replaced Moeller on an interim basis following his predeces- sor's abrupt firing, and it appeared his debut would end poorly. But Michigan rallied from 17-0 down versus Virginia for an 18-17, last-second win, started 5-0 in 1995 and reached No. 7 before an upset loss to Northwestern at home slowed the progress. Carr was given the job permanently and led the Wolverines to a 31-23 win over No. 2 Ohio State in the regular-season finale. But U-M lost three of its last five games, including the Alamo Bowl to Texas A&M, to finish 9-4 (5-3 Big Ten), No. 19 in the coaches' poll, No. 17 AP. Rich Rodriguez (2008-2010). Much of the talent, especially offensively, left or graduated when Carr retired, leaving Rodriguez in a tough spot. The biggest problem — the Wolverines had no proven quarterback, and that would be a huge part of their issue in 2008. A two-point loss to Utah to open the year was closer than it should have been, and though a stunning upset of No. 9 Wisconsin in Week 4 followed a loss at Notre Dame, it was fool's gold. U-M dropped five straight after that, including a terrible home loss to a bad Toledo team, and got handled by all three rivals to finish 3-9 (2-6 Big Ten). Brady Hoke (2011-14): The Hoke era began with a win over Western Michigan in 2011 and then one of the most incredible comebacks in Michigan football history. U-M rallied in the program's first-ever home night game, a 35-31 victory over Notre Dame, and the Wolverines were dominant in improving to 6-0 and No. 11 nationally. A fourth straight loss to MSU, this one on the road, and another at Iowa on a bitterly cold day were the only blemishes for a team that finished 11-2 (6-2 Big Ten) with wins over OSU and then Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl to cap the year. Michigan finished No. 9 in the coaches' poll, No. 12 AP. Jim Harbaugh (2015-23): Harbaugh inherited a team with talent, but one coming off a dis- appointing 5-7 season in Hoke's last year. The 2015 season started with a tough, 24-17 loss at Utah, and included the fluke "trouble with the snap" setback to Michigan State at home in what should have been a win. Ohio State hammered Harbaugh's first U-M team, 42-13, the first of five straight over the coach before he'd capture the last three, but a 41-7 win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl put a nice bow on a solid first season. Michigan finished 10-3 overall (6-2 Big Ten), No. 11 in the coaches' poll, No. 12 AP. Sherrone Moore (2024-25): Moore inherited championship DNA, but the Wolverines didn't have a capable quarterback and were inconsistent defensively in his first year. A 31-12 home loss to Texas was a huge disappointment, and losses at Washington and Illinois weren't good, either. Moore's team salvaged the year somewhat with wins at Ohio State and in the Relia- Quest Bowl versus Alabama, but it was a disappointing campaign at 8-5 overall and 5-4 in the conference. — Chris Balas