​Kyle Whittingham coaching timeline: What to know about new Michigan coach’s age and career record originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.It’s a new era in Ann Arbor after Sherrone Moore’s firing due to an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer.While the Wolverines had one of their most successful eras in the early 2020s, those seasons were marred by scandal under Jim Harbaugh that only continued under Moore. Faced with an awkwardly timed coaching search after Moore’s firing, Michigan sent a clear message with its hire.Kyle Whittingham was brought in to be a steady hand at Michigan, even if he is only a stopgap option. Whittingham was thought to be on the verge of retirement before he was hired, but he is taking on the challenge of turning the Wolverines back into a national contender in the latter stages of his career.Here’s a look at Whittingham’s coaching timeline and his record through the years.MORE: Ranking all 138 FBS coaches ahead of 2026 seasonKyle Whittingham coaching timeline1985-86: Graduate assistant, BYUA former player at BYU, Whittingham got his start as a coach under the legendary LaVell Edwards as a graduate assistant for the Cougars in 1985 and 1986.1987: Defensive coordinator, Eastern UtahWhittingham’s first coordinator job came at Eastern Utah, where he became the defensive coordinator in 1987. The school is now known as Utah State University Eastern and doesn’t have a football program today.1988-91: Special teams coordinator, Idaho StateWhittingham became the special teams coordinator at Idaho State in 1988, working under coach Garth Hall. Idaho State went just 9-33-1 under Hall and didn’t win a game in 1988, but Whittingham was kept on board by successor Brian McNeely.1992-93: Defensive coordinator, Idaho StateMcNeely retained Whittingham and promoted him to defensive coordinator in 1992. While the Bengals didn’t have much success on the field, Whittingham was able to make the jump to the WAC and join Utah’s staff after two seasons as Idaho State’s DC.1994: Defensive line coach, UtahWhittingham joined coach Ron McBride as Utah’s defensive line coach in 1994, and the connection was obvious: his father, Fred, was the Utes’ defensive coordinator. With both Whittinghams on staff, Utah jumped to 10-2.MORE:College football pressure index for 20261995-2004: Defensive coordinator, UtahWhittingham replaced his father as Utah’s defensive coordinator in 1995, after Fred joined the Oakland Raiders as a defensive assistant. That marked the beginning of a tremendous run for Whittingham, who spent 10 seasons in the role and stayed on the staff when Urban Meyer took over the job in 2003.The Utes went 22-2 under Meyer, and Meyer’s departure for Florida paved the way for Whittingham to become a head coach for the first time in 2005.2005-25: Head coach, UtahEven in an era of seemingly constant turnover, Whittingham remained Utah’s head coach for a whoppin