University of Michigan hires Utah’s Kyle Whittingham to be its next football coach
The University of Michigan hired outgoing Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to lead the scandal-plagued Wolverines football program Friday, a little more than two weeks after the shocking firing and arrest of coach Sherrone Moore.
The program announced the hiring decision Friday evening and said Whittingham’s five-year contract would last through the 2030 season.
Athletic director Warde Manuel said that throughout the search for a new coach, Whittingham “consistently demonstrated the qualities we value at Michigan: vision, resiliency and the ability to build and sustain championship-caliber teams.”
“Kyle brings not only a 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,” he said in a written statement announcing the deal.
Whittingham announced two weeks ago that he was stepping down as Utah’s winningest coach — although the 66-year-old hasn’t ruled out coaching again.
It was widely reported that Whittingham was leaving his position after more than two decades to make way for defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley, who was hired in July 2024 as a “head coach in waiting.”
Had Whittingham returned for the 2026 season, it would have marked a third year for Scalley as his named successor.
“My family and I are excited to join the University of Michigan community and look forward to helping our players grow, develop and reach their highest potential – on the field, in the classroom and as leaders,” Whittingham said in the release. “It’s a privilege to be a part of something that inspires pride in all Wolverine fans.”
Michigan, the winningest program in major college football, is looking to right a ship rocked by scandal.
The school announced Dec. 10 that Moore had been “terminated, with cause, effective immediately.”
“Following a university investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” the school said. “This conduct constitutes a flagrant violation of University policy, and UM maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”
After being fired, Moore allegedly confronted the employee and threatened to harm himself, telling her “my blood is on your hands” and that she had “ruined my life,” prosecutors said.
Moore, 39 years old, was charged with home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering.
On November 20, 2023, Michigan suspended football analytics assistant Connor Stalions after the school discovered he allegedly had opponents’ sidelines filmed so the Wolverines could decode signals.
Michigan dominated the Washington Huskies, 34-13, on Jan. 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium in Houston to win the national title — although the sign-stealing scandal took some of the shine off that championship ring.
The NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers hired Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh two weeks later.
Former assistant football coach Matthew Weiss was indicted and accused of hacking into the digital accounts of 3,300 students to download their intimate photos and videos, federal prosecutors announced March 30.
The Wolverines, in hiring Whittingham, are getting a coach who has led a generally scandal-free program that has won two-thirds of its games without the glamor or resources of West Coast peers like USC and Oregon.
Whittingham was 177-88 (.668) at Utah’s helm with three 10-win seasons over the past five campaigns.
In the statement, Michigan President Domenico Grasso described Whittingham as “exactly the right person for the University of Michigan at this time.”
It was not immediately clear whether Whittingham would bring one of his Utah assistants with him to Ann Arbor, a common practice when head coaches change positions in college football.
Whittingham’s assistants include 14th-year cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah, whose student-athletes have played a key role in Utah’s strong pass defense this season.
Shah is married to former “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah.
The No. 15 Utes are scheduled to face Nebraska on Wednesday in the Las Vegas Bowl. Michigan will face No. 13 Texas that day in the Citrus Bowl.
