Michigan eyes safe, solid landing spot in Kyle Whittingham. Not an elite hire, but not bad, either.
Utah had 18 winning seasons in 21 years under Whittingham.
Sherrone Moore brought shame to Michigan. Whittingham will restore respectability.
Michigan can’t close the Sherrone Moore chapter of its program history quickly enough.
The Wolverines have finalized a deal to hire Kyle Whittingham, the former longtime coach at Utah. Whittingham has gone 177-88 at Utah, including two Pac-12 titles and a 10-win season in the Big 12 this year, and the Utes contended for the College Football Playoff.
Here’s how we grade the hire:
Grade: B-
Michigan upgraded. It’s hiring a better coach than the one it fired.
The Wolverines booted a national disgrace in Moore. In finalizing a deal with Whittingham, it lands a career winner. He’s a portrait of stability for a university that needs scandals to subside.
Yes, indeed, Whittingham’s an upgrade on Moore.
He’s just not the home run that a couple of other apparent targets could have been.
Plundering Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer or Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham would’ve counted as a significant flex for Michigan. Whittingham counts as a secure, if unremarkable, landing after a tumultuous few weeks.
Moore’s shame became Whittingham’s gain. He leveled up. At age 66, he’s embracing one of the greatest challenges of his career. He’ll have the backing of Michigan’s impressive resources, as he encounters bigger expectations than he faced at Utah.
Earlier this month, Whittingham announced he was stepping down at Utah, but not retiring, after this season. He made way for coach-in-waiting successor Morgan Scalley.
So long as Whittingham’s fire still burns hot, never mind his age. He’s just two years older than Curt Cignetti, Indiana’s revelation.
It’s fair to have questions about the hire of a coach who’s never worked inside the Big Ten, or east of the Mountain Time Zone.
For one, will Whittingham successfully recruit the four- and five-star talent Michigan requires to chase the highest levels of success it craves?
Whittingham made his hay at Utah by mostly signing and developing three-star talent from west of the Mississippi River. That worked well enough for the Utes. That approach won’t allow him to tussle with Ohio State, Oregon or Indiana.
How lofty will Michigan’s ceiling be under a coach who usually lost Utah’s clashes against ranked opponents, while winning most of the rest of his games? Consider Whittingham’s final season at Utah a microcosm of his career. The Utes lost to Texas Tech and Brigham Young, the Big 12’s two best teams, and beat everyone else.
Last year, Utah endured a seven-game losing streak while playing a freshman quarterback and navigating a schedule that included multiple ranked opponents.
Whittingham earned his reputation as no-nonsense, line-of-scrimmage coach. His teams are built on physicality that should translate to the Big Ten. His brand of ball, plus his track record for player development, should maintain a stable floor of respectability. He posted a winning record in 18 of 21 seasons coaching Utah.
Whittingham never had a quarterback drafted during his Utah tenure. Makes you wonder about the future of Michigan’s quarterback position and incumbent starter Bryce Underwood, a former five-star recruit.
Can Whittingham assemble the amount of skill-position talent you see on the playoff rosters at Ohio State, Oregon or Indiana? Can he develop a Heisman Trophy winner like Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or a first-round NFL prospect like Oregon’s Dante Moore? More relevant questions.
Whittingham is a solid transitional choice. Before the season, our crew at USA TODAY ranked Whittingham at No. 12 on our list of best college football coaches. Moore, by comparison, did not rank in our top 25.
Moore landed in jail, and Michigan fell forward.
Considering the timing and the circumstances, Michigan could have done worse than hiring someone with a .668 career winning percentage.
Don’t expect Cignetti to tremble at the sight of Whittingham in the Big Ten, but the Wolverines can be competent and respectable under his leadership, if not elite.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.