​In some ways, it’s easy to see why Michigan chose to make Kyle Whittingham the newest head football coach.The last two coaching tenures – Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore – were clouded in controversy, and let’s just say the Michigan athletic department is going through a few things as we speak.Meanwhile, football-wise, Michigan is hanging in the lounge with USC and Penn State watching Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana blow past the bouncer into the Big Ten’s VIP room.Whittingham represents a reset.Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks to media after the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 18, 2026.© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images(© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)Whittingham is a made man with 177 career wins in his 21 years as the head coach at one school. He’s the coach you hire when you want instant respect and credibility.He’s also the coach you hire in, say, 2008, when his team finished 13-0 and finished No. 2 in the country. (Which, by the way, started that season with a 25-23 win over an awful Michigan team that went 3-9.)Whittingham will turn 67 on the day of the UCLA game, and a week before the Ohio State showdown, but that’s not an issue – he could coach another ten years, easy.No, the concern is that Utah was in need of a reset, too.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe last bowl game Whittingham won was the 2017 Heart of Dallas, and the last, and only, College Football Playoff-level bowl he won was the 2009 Sugar.It went 13-12 before last season, and his 10-2 squad that didn’t beat anyone of note. Worse yet, it failed its two big tests against Texas Tech and BYU.Combine that with a rough run in the portal and a brutal schedule, and …It’s Kyle Whittingham, and he gets to coach Michigan-level talent. Yeah, let’s give this a shot.Head Coach: Kyle Whittingham (22nd full year overall, 177-88)Best Case / Worst Case: Win the Big Ten Championship/Lose the big games and struggle to get to eight wins2025 Record: 9-4Biggest Question: Can Kyle Whittingham and his staff take Michigan from very good to College Football Playoff great?Points Allowed: 1st Quarter, 34; 2nd Quarter, 102Rushing Touchdowns: Michigan 33, Opponents 14Tackles For Loss: Michigan 77 for 354 yards, Opponents 54 for 216 yardsJason Beck is a quarterback-friendly offensive coordinator who helped make current Utah quarterback Devon Dampier a statistical superstar.The Ute running game was amazing, and before that, Beck’s New Mexico offense ripped apart everyone with its speed and tempo.Things get tweaked at Michigan, but expect a lot of running, and a lot of …AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBryce Underwood. He’s it. He’s the franchise, at least for this year. Keeping Underwood in Ann Arbor was the No. 1 job of the coaching staff when it took over, and now the quarterback play should go up a few levels.Underwood was a huge recruit who helped a miserable Wolverine quarterback situation get