Salt Lake City / Ann Arbor, December 27, 2025 — In a stunning turn just weeks after announcing he would step down from the University of Utah, longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham has agreed to a five-year deal to become the next head football coach at the University of Michigan, multiple sources confirmed on December 26. The 66-year-old coaching veteran, who built the Utah Utes into a perennial powerhouse over 21 seasons (2005-2025) and 32 years total with the program, will skip his planned final game in the Las Vegas Bowl to join the Wolverines immediately ahead of their Citrus Bowl matchup against Texas on December 31.
Whittingham, the all-time winningest coach in Utah history with a career record of 177-88, stepped down on December 12 after guiding the Utes to a strong 10-2 regular season in 2025 — their best year since the 2022 Rose Bowl run. The 2025 campaign featured a dramatic offensive resurgence under new coordinator Jason Beck, averaging over 40 points and nearly 479 yards per game, marking one of the largest year-over-year turnarounds in Whittingham's tenure following a 5-7 finish in 2024.
His departure from Utah was framed as stepping down to make way for successor Morgan Scalley, but Whittingham made it clear he was not retiring from coaching — famously joking he was entering "the transfer portal." The move to Michigan, following the controversial firing of Sherrone Moore, positions Whittingham to stabilize a program in transition while bringing his trademark discipline, clean program culture, and consistent winning.Here are iconic moments of Kyle Whittingham leading the Utes on the sideline:
Highlights of his tenure include an undefeated 13-0 season in 2008 capped by a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama, back-to-back Pac-12 titles and Rose Bowl appearances in 2021-2022, three national Coach of the Year awards, and eight 10-win seasons. Whittingham navigated Utah through three conferences (Mountain West, Pac-12, Big 12) while maintaining one of the cleanest programs in college football.
His departure from Utah was framed as stepping down to make way for successor Morgan Scalley, but Whittingham made it clear he was not retiring from coaching — famously joking he was entering "the transfer portal." The move to Michigan, following the controversial firing of Sherrone Moore, positions Whittingham to stabilize a program in transition while bringing his trademark discipline, clean program culture, and consistent winning.Here are iconic moments of Kyle Whittingham leading the Utes on the sideline:
Highlights of his tenure include an undefeated 13-0 season in 2008 capped by a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama, back-to-back Pac-12 titles and Rose Bowl appearances in 2021-2022, three national Coach of the Year awards, and eight 10-win seasons. Whittingham navigated Utah through three conferences (Mountain West, Pac-12, Big 12) while maintaining one of the cleanest programs in college football.