Kyle Whittingham took over at the Michigan Wolverines, knowing exactly what he walked into. One of the most historic programs with 12 national championships, stuck at 17-9 for the past two seasons, that needed fixing immediately.

Not everyone thinks the fix is happening fast enough. ESPN's Paul Finebaum said on The Paul Finebaum Show that Michigan simply doesn't matter the way it used to.

"Once [Jim] Harbaugh left, it felt like that program just flatlined," Finebaum said on his show on June 27. "They're just not that relevant. And I'm sorry. I can't get upset about Michigan. They cheated and stole a national championship three years ago."

Jim Harbaugh won a national title in 2023 and then left for the Los Angeles Chargers. Sherrone Moore took over and went 8-5 that first season.

Then 9-4 the year after, and then he was gone too, fired over an off-field incident. The university terminated his contract for cause following an internal investigation into an inappropriate relationship with a program staff member.

All these factors combined make Whittingham's job tougher to earn the trust after they lost relevance in the Big Ten.

"I don't really take Michigan that seriously in football right now," Finebaum said on the same appearance. "And maybe, maybe that will change under Kyle Whittingham, but it's hard. Just hard to get much emotion."

So, Whittingham's goals for the program aren't modest. He will have to end the national championship and playoff drought and lead the Wolverines to a double-digit record. But there will be roadblocks.

Facing Oklahoma, Penn State, Indiana, Oregon, and Ohio State in the same season presents a tough challenge for any program, particularly one still settling in under a new staff.

Whittingham spent 21 seasons at Utah and went 177-88. He built something real there from scratch. Now the same has to happen in Ann Arbor, and it has to happen fast, while Whittingham has already started to set the foundational stones.

Whittingham’s Michigan is already pulling top recruits away

With Whittingham stepping into Ann Arbor, Michigan, he added 18 players through the transfer portal. The 2027 recruiting class is not acting like a flatlined program. Michigan is sitting in the top 10 nationally right now, per ESPN.

Four-star defensive back Tavares Harrington chose Michigan over Notre Dame and Alabama in May. The Chicago native had official visits lined up to both schools, but shut his recruitment down early for the Wolverines.

Four-star tight end Colt Lumpris flipped from Alabama to Michigan that same week. A 6-foot-6, 240-pound prospect who was originally committed to the Crimson Tide before Whittingham's staff pulled him away.

Michigan also flipped quarterback Kamden Lopati from Illinois in April. Lopati is now the top signal caller in the class for the Wolverines going forward.

Whittingham still has to prove it on the field, but what's happening on the trail right now says the program is very much alive.

Do you think Whittingham can silence the doubters this season? Let us know in the comments.

Read more at Michigan Football Community.

Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar