Just over two weeks after firing Sherrone Moore, Michigan hit a home run in hiring former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. But the reasons why it was a home run hire for Michigan go beyond Whittingham’s track record, according to FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt.
In the latest episode of the “Joel Klatt Show,” Klatt explained that he was impressed by Michigan’s hiring of Whittingham because of the obstacles they faced after firing Moore.
“This was massive, and I got to tell you, a little bit out of left field,” Klatt said.”I had not heard his name. It was very quiet. It was below the surface. Give [athletic director] Warde Manual a lot of credit on this one and everyone at Michigan, because this was not a name that a lot of people were floating around, including myself.
“I love this hire, but I love this hire not just because I’m very fond of Kyle Whittingham and his style of coaching and his style of play in terms of the way his teams play, but because of what Michigan was facing in this entire ordeal. There were many challenges to what’s transpired at Michigan that led them to Kyle Whittingham.”
Joel Klatt reacts to Michigan hiring Kyle Whittingham
The challenges Klatt mentioned were the timing of Michigan’s head coaching search, trying to find a head coach who fit the on-field identity of the program and a coach who could help reset the culture in Ann Arbor. The timing problem Michigan faced was two-fold. Not only did it essentially need a head coach in place before the transfer portal opens on Friday, but it was essentially last in line to hire a head coach in this cycle of the carousel. It missed out on Lane Kiffin and Matt Campbell. It had to take swings at Kalen DeBoer and Kenny Dillingham, with the former coaching Alabama in the College Football Playoff and the latter eventually landing an extension at Arizona State.
As for finding the right coach to match Michigan’s play identity and who could also reset the culture, Whittingham should check those two boxes. In his 21 seasons as Utah’s head coach, Whittingham built a program that centered around toughness and high-end defensive play, which is how Michigan has found success over the last five years. And over Whittingham’s 21-year tenure at Utah, the program was largely scandal-free. Michigan, meanwhile, has been riddled with scandals since the turn of the decade, dealing with recruiting violations, on-field cheating scandals and the fallout with what happened with Moore.
“All of these challenges were staring in the face of the Michigan administration, and here they land on Kyle Whittingham,” Klatt said. “Now, there’s not many coaches in the country that fit all of those things that allow you to say, listen, I know that timing is an issue, but we can get them in here quickly. I know play identity is an issue, but I’ve got somebody that fits that play identity, that style. I know our culture needs a reset and needs stabilization. I’ve got someone with the highest character and integrity that I can think of in the industry to reset the culture and stabilize the culture. Oh, by the way, he’s also available.
“All of a sudden, they land on Kyle Whittingham. I gotta tell you, this is an incredible fit.”
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The circumstances that led Whittingham to become available were a bit unusual. Earlier in December, Utah and Whittingham announced that he would leave following the Utes’ bowl game so defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley could become head coach after being the head coach in-waiting for multiple seasons. Klatt believed that move had marked the end of Whittingham’s coaching career.
“I assumed he was done coaching,” Klatt said. “I had several conversations with Kyle over the years, and you know I think he’s a wonderful coach and he’s got the highest integrity. I like the way his teams play, the way he talks about his players because he talks about them with love, he cares for his players. My highest compliment that I can ever pay is that I’d love my sons, if they played college football, to go play for Kyle Whittingham. I just assumed because of our conversations — he had said, ‘I want to spend time with my grandkids. It’s not that I’m done done. I’m physically fit. I’ve got energy, but maybe my time’s end at Utah.’ I just assumed he was done.”
But, as Whittingham said at his introductory press conference on Sunday, he still has some energy left in him and a will to win, especially for a program like Michigan. The 66-year-old is also coming off another strong season, leading Utah to a 10-2 record and nearly making the College Football Playoff.
Kyle Whittingham helped Utah get at least 10 wins in eight of his 21 seasons as the Utes’ head coach. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
Prior to becoming Utah’s head coach in 2005, Whittingham spent 11 seasons as an assistant with the program. In his final season as an assistant coach, Whittingham helped the Utes go 13-0 before winning 10-plus games in a season eight times as Utah’s head coach.
Considering the success Whittingham had at Utah, Klatt thinks the ceiling for him should be incredibly high at Michigan.
“Kyle Whittingham has spent 30-plus years at Utah, building them from a mid-major program into a perennial top-15 program in the power conferences,” Klatt said. “That’s taken a tremendous amount of work. There’s no real reason, and I mean this with all due respect, that Utah should be a top-15 program in college football every single. Yet, they are. Why? Because of Kyle Whittingham. He is a winner. He’s going to go to the Hall of Fame. Now, he’s going to go to Michigan because he looks at this as an opportunity to actually go out there and compete for a national championship.”
“This seems like a tremendous fit. This seems like a home run, because it checks off all these boxes and challenges. And I didn’t think that was possible.”
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