ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Kyle Whittingham hired Kyle Whittingham as football coach on Friday evening, giving the former Utah coach a five-year contract to replace the fired and disgraced player. Sherron Moore.
“Kyle Whittingham is a highly respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” athletics director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “Throughout our search, he has consistently demonstrated the qualities we value in Michigan: vision, resilience and the ability to build and maintain championship-caliber teams.”
The 66-year-old Whittingham announced this two weeks ago he would resign after 21 seasons as Utah’s coach. Morgan Scalley was promoted from defensive coordinator to replace Whittingham, who has won a school-record 177 games.
Whittingham didn’t characterize his departure from Utah as a retirement, and he wasn’t out of work for long.
“Michigan is synonymous with tradition and excellence – both on and off the field – and our entire program is dedicated to upholding these values while striving for greatness,” Whittingham said in a statement.
The 15th-ranked Utes will play Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 31 – now with Scalley as their coach.
“After discussions with Coach Whittingham, his representatives and the University of Michigan, we have granted their request to have him immediately join the Michigan program,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said.
Moore was fired on Dec. 10, when the school said an investigation revealed his inappropriate relationship with an employee. Two days later, Moore was charged with three crimes after prosecutors say he “barged into” the apartment of a woman he was having an affair with and threatened to kill himself.
Michigan hoped to hire a coach this month, boosting its chances of retaining recruits and keeping key players, including quarterback Bryce Underwood, out of the transfer portal.
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Whittingham had been Utah’s coach since December 2004 and a member of the Utes staff since 1994. He has a record of 177-88 (.668) over 21 seasons. Utah finished with 18 winning seasons under Whittingham, winning at least 10 games eight times.
Whittingham twice helped Utah navigate conference changes. The Utes moved from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12 Conference in 2011 and then left the Pac-12 for the Big 12 Conference in 2024.
Utah found success after both moves. Whittingham led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 championships and Rose Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022. Then, after a 5-7 campaign in the inaugural Big 12 season, Utah went 10-2 this season and finished tied for third in the league.
Utah capped an undefeated season in 2008 with a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
Whittingham won three national coach of the year awards, including the AFCA and Bear Bryant awards in 2008 and the Dodd Trophy in 2019.
Whittingham was a linebacker at BYU under LaVell Edwards from 1978 to 1981.
“Utah will always hold a special place in my heart,” Whittingham said in a statement released by the Utes, “and I wish coach Scalley and the program a smooth transition and continued success in the future.”
