Grading the hire of Kyle Whittingham to replace Sherrone Moore as head coach of Michigan Wolverines football. Michigan has signed outgoing Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham to the same role, per ESPN and Brett McMurphy and Jeff Passan and Shams Charania and probably MLive dot com and/or TMZ, too. The deal lasts five years, […]
Grading the hire of Kyle Whittingham to replace Sherrone Moore as head coach of Michigan Wolverines football.
Michigan has signed outgoing Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham to the same role, per ESPN and Brett McMurphy and Jeff Passan and Shams Charania and probably MLive dot com and/or TMZ, too. The deal lasts five years, is probably worth the operating budget for 30 years of the American Studies department, and means Whittingham will step down immediately as Utah head coach and not lead the Utes against Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Some of those details are true and more important than others; whether the true details are also the ones that are more important than the others, I cannot say.
As one humble Northwestern fan, I say welcome to a coach that is 0-2 lifetime against my Wildcats, an inescapable and unerasable fact* that I can EXCLUSIVELY report will remain that way until at least 2028.
* Look it up. No one else has brought you that news. Some outlets just don’t have the courage, I guess.
Others will point out that Whittingham brings with him a relatively spotless record of program-running, which [/checks notes] appears it would be of some importance to Michigan right now. The 66-year-old also has a lifetime .668 win rate, which is a one-way ticket to the College Football Hall of Fame unless—and, God, we’re all hoping it happens—he averages a 1-11 record while coaching three full seasons at Michigan before being fired.
We now turn it over to the Off Tackle Empire writing staff for comment. This transcript has been lightly edited for content, clarity, and to avoid making it look like LincolnParkWildcat didn’t get the joke.
RockyMtnBlue: So. Kyle Whittingham.
I feel like this is a high floor/low ceiling hire. I hate the idea that we’ll never beat OSU again, but at least I think it’s unlikely he’s a RichRod/Brady Hoke disaster factory. Commenters on mgoblog are very excited about hiring Jason Beck as OC (Utah) and Jay Hill as DC (BYU). Those coordinators are not inked, but the appear to be fairly strong rumors. I really don’t know either, but I like that they’re both fairly young, which should help recruiting when you hire a 66-yr old coach.
Really like one comment though: “This was a really complicated way to get rid of Wink.”
LincolnParkWildcat: This guy seems like a solid hire. Great record at Utah, which transitioned from what, the mountain west, the pac 12 to the big 12? This guy will probably coach there for five to ten years then retire. After all the mess of the shock dismissal of Moore, of course Michigan comes out with a solid hire. Warde Manuel probably needs to find a new job.
BigRedTwice: He is 66. I don’t think ten years is likely 😉
Dead Read: I think the plan is to poach a natty in the next five years, then ride off into the sunset, flipping Utah’s AD the bird the entire time.
Kind of…: Looks like Michigan is looking at Whittingham. Not what I would do, but I guess it makes sense in a “Jim Grobe to Baylor” sort of way. And, yes, Michigan fan, this is where you’re at: where it’s defensible to compare you to Baylor, ethically.
misdreavus79: Welcome, Michigan fans, to the “falling ass backwards into a great hire” club!
Refreshments are in the back.
Dead Read: Michigan gets a guy who already has a HOF resume, still near the top of his game, who also has a bit of a chip on his shoulder from getting forced out in SLC.
The Wolverines have no right to pull off this good of a hire under these circumstances.
BigRedTwice: Given the less-than-ideal timing, this was probably one of the better scenarios for UM. They could have done much worse, and sadly, they did not.
Wittingham is the real winner here. A five-year, I assume lucrative contract [ed. note: roughly $8 million/year] to coast into retirement, with no need to have an eye to your future career to pressure you? If you’re successful, awesome! You’re a hero! If you’re not? Oh well, take Michigan’s money to the bank and have the retirement of dreams.
Good work, Kyle. Please don’t feel like you need to try too hard at this.
HoustonBoiler: Did not see this hire coming. That said, Whittingham is a solid coach who did well at Utah and I expect he will do well at Michigan. Of course I’m sure he has signed/will sign a contract with a huge buyout so that he can basically kick his feet up, do next to nothing, get fired, and count his Benjamins, i.e., retire on Michigan’s dime. I’m all for this scenario. Make it so Kyle!
MNW: Imagine, if you will, Pat Fitzgerald.
Now make him Mormon and vaguely more responsive to changes in the game.
Y’know, that might be a little too much.
Imagine Kirk Ferentz minus the rhabdo and failson—but still mediocre—parade of offensive coordinators.
OK, now you’ve got it. Basically just leave it there.
BuffKomodo: Things have have happened after Whittingham started coaching at Utah:
- Oklahoma City Bombing
- I learned to poop in the potty
- Clinton/Gore election
- The Lewinsky Scandals
- Y2K
- Bush/Cheney
- 9/11
You get it.
Let me be clear. It’s not a bad hire. It’s not without its risks though. It’s a guy cashing out at the end to take a swing with what he feels he knows about football to see if he can win it all. The problem will not be football on the field but rather learning a new Athletic Department/Donors/Fanbase/Processes/etc after 30+ years at his previous stop.
If nothing else, it will be interesting.
Thumpsaurus: Just impossible for the likes of Michigan or Penn State to ever fail. Form is temporary, class is forever.
Category: General Sports
