Michigan has found its new head coach.
Michigan announced Friday night that it had hired former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham as its new coach. Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel, Whittingham has agreed to a five-year deal worth an average of $8.2 million per year to be the new head coach of the Wolverines.
: Welcome to Michigan, Coach Whittingham!
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) December 27, 2025
https://t.co/NUvgIj1ekS pic.twitter.com/dm3NeaU3D6
“Kyle Whittingham is a well-respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in Michigan’s announcement of Whittingham’s hire. “Throughout our search, he consistently demonstrated the qualities we value at Michigan: vision, resilience, and the ability to build and sustain championship-caliber teams. Kyle brings not only a proven track record of success, but also a commitment to creating a program rooted in toughness, physicality, discipline and respect – where student-athletes and coaches represent the university with distinction both on and off the field. We are excited to welcome Kyle to the University of Michigan family as he takes the helm of our football program.”
Whittingham has spent the last 32 years at Utah, including 21 years as the Utes’ head coach, but stepped down from that position earlier this month. While it had long been expected that Whittingham would retire from Utah, the 66-year-old told reporters last week that he was still interested in coaching.
“I’m afraid I’m in the transfer portal,” Whittingham said.
Kyle Whittingham on his future in coaching. I asked if this was a retirement, and he said, "Who knows? We'll see." pic.twitter.com/vHfGIdIMLI
— Dana Greene (@dana_greene) December 18, 2025
Whittingham, who became Utah’s head coach in 2005 after Urban Meyer left for Florida, went 177-88 across 21 seasons as Utah’s head coach. He led the Utes to two Pac-12 titles and led Utah to a 13-0 season and a Mountain West title in 2008. He led the Utes to eight 10-win seasons, including a 10-2 season this year, and was the 2008 AFCA Coach of the Year as well as the 2019 winner of the Dodd Trophy, which honors a coach whose team excels both on and off the field.
Now, the BYU grad will coach somewhere other than Utah for the first time since he was an Idaho State assistant from 1988-93.
“We are honored to lead the outstanding student-athletes, coaches, and staff who represent Michigan Football each day,” Whittingham said in a statement. “Michigan is synonymous with tradition and excellence – both on the field and beyond – and our entire program is committed to upholding those values while striving for greatness together. My family and I are thrilled to join the University of Michigan community, and we look forward to helping our players grow, develop, and reach their highest potential – on the gridiron, in the classroom, and as leaders. It's a privilege to be part of something that inspires pride in every Wolverine fan. Go Blue!”
Whittingham replaces Sherrone Moore, who was fired for cause for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member earlier this month, then subsequently arrested on three charges after entering the staff member’s home without permission.
Whittingham was set to finish out his Utah tenure by coaching the Utes against Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl on New Year’s Eve, but Whittingham is now leaving Utah to join Michigan at the Citrus Bowl, where it will play Texas on New Year’s Eve.
Statements from Athletics Director Mark Harlan and Coach Kyle Whittingham: pic.twitter.com/LU6KbEkR5i
— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) December 27, 2025
Morgan Scalley, who’s been on Whittingham’s staff at Utah since 2007 including 10 years as the Utes’ defensive coordinator, was named Utah’s head coach on Dec. 13, the day after Whittingham stepped down.
