New Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham says physicality will be "calling card" for football program

Kyle Whittingham brought plenty of energy on four hours of sleep Sunday when he was introduced as Michigan's football coach, saying it was one of five jobs that could bring him out of a short retirement and offering no hesitation about joining a program in the midst of cultural chaos.

And after 21 years as the head coach of Utah, the 66-year-old Whittingham answered perhaps the most important question: Does he dislike Ohio State or will he have to learn?

"I do now," said Whittingham, who was defensive coordinator for two years at Utah under Urban Meyer, who went on to win a national title at Ohio State. "I'm on the right side of the deal now."

Whittingham said he met with Michigan players Saturday night and will be at the Citrus Bowl for Wednesday's game against Texas to observe, evaluate and "try to stay out of the way."

Biff Poggi was tabbed as the interim head coach for the game against the 14th-ranked Longhorns.

Whittingham was the second-longest tenured coach at a Power 4 school behind Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. The Utes had eight seasons of at least 10 wins and went 177-88 during his tenure.

He built a program geared around defense and toughness, and he said the brand he brings "will fall right in line with what Michigan is used to."

"Physicality will be our calling card," he said. "I believe in running the football. If you can win the line of scrimmage, you've always got a chance. That will be the trademark and identity of this football team — physicality, toughness and grit."

Whittingham hopes to instill a family culture within the program. He said his top priority was retaining players at Michigan and the recruiting class signed earlier this month.

It's been a tumultuous last few years for Michigan. On Dec. 10, coach Sherrone Moore was fired over an extramarital relationship with a staffer. He was arrested later that day and charged with third-degree felony home invasion, as well as misdemeanor counts of stalking and of breaking and entering. 

Michigan was also involved in a signal-stealing scandal in 2023 during its run to a national title that led to the football program being put on probation, which athletic director Warde Manuel has said will cost the department more than $30 million in penalties.

Matt Weiss, who previously shared offensive coordinator duties with Moore at Michigan, was accused of hacking into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes to find intimate images. He was fired in January 2023. A lawsuit filed in September claims the university mishandled the case.

That led Poggi, who was a candidate for the Michigan job, to say last week, "It has been five years, let's just call it a malfunctioning organization. I know the athletic director has made very clear he doesn't want any more of that."

Whittingham, who left Utah on Dec. 12, said none of that affected his interest in Michigan when it called or led to questions during the interview process.

"I didn't have any hesitation," Whittingham said. "There's some issues, missteps, that are being taken care of. The key is the players here are rock solid. None of those issues involve players. To their credit, they kept playing. There was a lot of distraction. I've got no doubt that everything will be handled properly.

"My culture is going to be with the players," he said. "I know the general gist of what transpired, a series of unfortunate events. But it's not really fazed me. I focus on coaching the team and everything else will be handled in due time."

Manuel said the "past few weeks have not been easy," and he praised the Michigan players for sticking together. He said Whittingham has a track record of running a program built on toughness, discipline and respect.

"I can't tell you how many texts I received about him after the selection was announced," Manuel said. "Everyone — everyone — we talked to either started or ended their statements about him with his character."

Whittingham privately met with quarterback Bryce Underwood and "did a lot of listening." 

"He's a special young man. Your quarterback has to have that 'it' factor, and Bryce has the 'it' factor," Whittingham said.

It was an astonishing turnaround for Whittingham, a former linebacker at BYU who was an assistant at BYU, Eastern Utah and Idaho State before going to Utah in 1994.

He stepped away after more than two decades as head coach — 18 with a winning record — saying he didn't want to be that coach who stayed too long. Whittingham said he wasn't done coaching because he still felt he had something left to give. But he wasn't expecting Michigan.

"I wasn't sure if I was finished or not. I knew there was a lot left in the tank," he said. "You can count on one hand the amount of schools that, if they called, I would listen. Michigan was one of those schools."