​ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – SEPTEMBER 05: Head coach Kyle Whittingham of the Michigan Wolverines looks on while playing the Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) GettyThe Michigan Wolverines might not have to wait long before making another major decision about their football program.Kyle Whittingham is only seven games into his first season in Ann Arbor, but a 4-3 start and an impending change at athletic director have reportedly raised questions behind the scenes about whether he’ll be back in 2027. One industry source offered a particularly blunt assessment of the situation.Michigan’s Kyle Whittingham Could Be One-Year Coaching HireCBS Sports’ John Talty, Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer reported that multiple industry sources believe Michigan could return to the head-coaching market after just one season with Whittingham.The possibility has received little public attention, according to the report, but discussions have been taking place in college football circles. CBS described Whittingham, 66, as a bridge hire and raised the question of whether that bridge could last only one year.One unnamed industry source put the uncertainty more bluntly.“I think they know this isn’t the long term,” the source told CBS Sports. “It’s just do you rip it up after one year?”The report did not say Michigan has decided to fire Whittingham or begun searching for his replacement. Instead, the uncertainty involves how the school evaluates his first season while also preparing to hire a new athletic director.Whittingham arrived last December after spending more than two decades leading Utah. Michigan gave him a five-year contract through 2030, bringing in an experienced coach following Sherrone Moore’s dismissal.Seven games later, the Wolverines are 4-3 and have dropped three of their last four, including Saturday’s 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana. Michigan is also 1-3 in Big Ten play, a rough start for a program that beat Oklahoma in September.All three losses have been decided by seven points or fewer. Iowa edged Michigan 20-19, Minnesota won 20-14 and Indiana needed overtime. The Wolverines have been close in each defeat, but those results have left them fighting to avoid a disappointing finish.Michigan’s Athletic Director Search Could Affect Kyle WhittinghamAnother part of the equation is Warde Manuel, the athletic director who hired Whittingham. Manuel is scheduled to step down at the end of the year, and Michigan officially launched a national search for his successor this week.The school retained search firm ZRG Turnkey to help with the process. President-elect C. Cybele Raver and current president Domenico Grasso are leading the search, which industry sources told CBS they believe Michigan wants to settle before considering any football coaching change.That leaves the possibility of a new athletic director inheriting a head coach hired by the previous ad