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(Photo credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images)
Michigan officially hired Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on Friday to guide its recent national-championship-winning program out of a period marked by scandal.
Whittingham signed a five-year contract covering the 2026 through 2030 seasons that, according to ESPN, will be worth $41 million (an annual average of $8.2 million) and will be 75% guaranteed.
‘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,’ Whittingham said in a statement. ‘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.’
According to Yahoo and ESPN reports, Whittingham informed the Utes that he would not coach them in the Las Vegas Bowl on New Year’s Eve against Nebraska, which was set to be his farewell appearance with the program. He was said to be traveling to Orlando to meet with the Wolverines, where they are preparing for next week’s Citrus Bowl against Texas.
Whittingham, 66, announced earlier this month that he is stepping down after 21 seasons as the Utes’ head coach. He led Utah to a 177-88 record over his tenure to become the school’s all-time winningest coach.
Morgan Scalley, already named Whittingham’s successor, will coach Utah in the bowl game.
Whittingham earned one Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year award (2008), two Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors in 2019 and 2021 and was national Coach of the Year in 2008 after leading Utah to a 13-0 mark and Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama to finish with a No. 2 ranking.
Michigan fired head coach Sherrone Moore with cause on Dec. 10 for having an extramarital relationship with a subordinate in the football program.
Whittingham has run a scandal-free program at Utah, making him a potential breath of fresh air after the recent turbulence in Ann Arbor with Moore’s dismissal and NCAA investigations and sanctions for a sign-stealing scheme under previous head coach Jim Harbaugh.
‘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 a statement. ‘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.’
University president Domenico Grasso added in a statement that Whittingham will bring ‘dignity, integrity and fierce competitiveness to the program’ and his ‘strong emphasis’ on academics helps make him ‘exactly the right fit for the University of Michigan at this time.’
Before the hire was official, Wolverines interim head coach Biff Poggi weighed in on Whittingham in a social media post.
‘Michigan Football is in GREAT hands under Kyle Whittingham!!!!’ Poggi wrote. ‘Proven winner, true gentleman, tough nosed Michigan coach of days gone by. Great hire by Warde Manuel. The kids will love him. Exciting days ahead for Michigan.’
Poggi will lead the No. 18 Wolverines (9-3) against No. 13 Texas (9-3) in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
–Field Level Media
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