Reports Link Veteran Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham to Michigan’s Head Coaching Vacancy
Kyle Whittingham to Michigan?
After the unexpected Michigan coaching job took center stage as this year’s most surprising opening, several names have already been discussed and vetted by the University of Michigan.
Now, according to multiple reports from Pete Nakos at On3 and Pete Thamel at ESPN, Kyle Whittingham has emerged as the newest and most likely candidate for the position. Chris Balas of On3 reports that Michigan Athletics Director Warde Manuel is set to meet this morning with university administrators.
Whittingham has led the Utah Utes for 21 seasons, compiling a record of 177-88. He is currently the second longest tenured Division I football coach in the country. Whittingham publicly announced on December 12 that he was stepping down from Utah, saying he felt it was simply time to move on from the head coaching role.
The Utes are 10-2, ranked 15th in the nation, and are set to face Nebraska in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on December 31.
“I’m a free agent, I’m in the transfer portal. So yeah, it’s a different feel. But like I said, I’m at peace, and I did not want to be that guy that overstayed his welcome, and people just saying, hey, when’s this guy gonna leave? That was not my intention ever. And I hope I didn’t do that, I’m sure with some people, I did do that, but to me, the timing is right,” Whittingham said.
He also responded to a question from the media about what his decision making process might look like moving forward, and his answer was simple.
“If my phone rings, I answer it. If I like who’s calling, we will see. That’s pretty much the process.”
It now appears we may soon find out whether he likes who is calling from Ann Arbor. The head job coaching the Wolverines may be that fresh step in his career. I can imagine it would be hard to say no to one of the most storied college football programs in America.
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Featured Photo Credit: Axe Tang/Utah Athletics
