Kyle Whittingham called it quits in Utah, a state where he spent three decades, and made the surprising move to the Michigan Wolverines as their head coach. Now, the former Ohio State head coach, Urban Meyer, weighed in on the hire. 

“They (Michigan) fell into the perfect guy,” said Meyer via On3. 

Meyer and Whittingham have been close friends ever since the current Michigan head coach served as the defensive coordinator for Utah Utes head coach Urban Meyer back in 2003-04. 

This friendship dates back over 20 years. Michigan Wolverines fans, however, may want to take this with a pinch of salt, given that these words are coming from a former Ohio State head coach.

“Yeah, I’m a Buckeye, so my first thought was, ‘What?’” Meyer said. “He’s my friend. Kyle and I are really close, but it didn’t take long for me to put two and two together. Not only did I tell him that I think it was a great move, but it was exactly what that school in Ann Arbor needed."

Michigan has undergone a period of significant coaching and programme-level changes.

The university fired Sherrone Moore primarily for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

Director of Athletics Warde Manuel and Michigan have hired the winningest football coach in Utah’s program history, with 177 wins. Whittingham was the architect behind the eight 10-win seasons at Utah.

“I would have always regretted it had I not taken this job. This place has it all,” said Whittingham, per On3. 

This officially closes the Utah chapter for the 66-year-old.

Why Did Kyle Whittingham Leave Utah?

Kyle Whittingham grew up in Provo, Utah, and played linebacker for Brigham Young University. He has spent more than half of his life in Utah. 

However, things did not end well for him in Salt Lake City. In 2024, the school had already announced that defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley would be Utah’s designated coach-in-waiting. 

“It was pretty clear that Utah was ready to move on to the future and its coach in waiting (Scalley), but I don’t think they ever thought (Whittingham) would get the Michigan job,” a source told On3.

After Whittingham led them to another 10-win season last December, his agent Bruce Tollner notified the school of Whittingham’s desire to continue leading the program and requested certain raises, including a raise from $7.6 million to $9 million. 

The program did not comply with the requests. The head coach waiting in line, Morgan Scalley, has succeeded Kyle Whittingham at Utah.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Samvruth Raj