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Michigan football coaching search lands on Kyle Whittingham of Utah
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- Michigan football coaching search lands on Kyle Whittingham of Utah
Who will be the next Michigan football coach?
Sherrone Moore's firing and arrest have cast the Wolverines ' program into disarray. Biff Poggi will serve as interim coach and lead Michigan in the Citrus Bowl against Texas . Who takes over after that (and who gets to make that call ) remains unclear.
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Nearly all of the coaching vacancies have been filled , but a job as big as Michigan shouldn't be affected by the calendar — though ideally you'd want a new coach in before the transfer portal opens Jan. 2.
Here's the latest news and rumored candidates for the job:
Michigan football coaching search: Grading the candidates to replace Sherrone Moore
Time to clean house: Next Michigan coach shouldn't have any ties to Jim Harbaugh
HIT REFRESH FOR UPDATES.
Kyle Whittingham finalizes deal to be Michigan football coach
Michigan has finalized a deal with Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to be its next head football coach, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Detroit Free Press . The person told the Free Press on condition of anonymity because the hiring is not official.
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The move to hire Whittingham comes just over two weeks after the firing of Sherron Moore and ends speculation on a hiring cycle that included reported interest in Arizona State 's Kenny Dillingham and Alabama 's Kalen DeBoer and others.
Whittingham projects as a safe, transitional choice who'd keep the floor respectable at Michigan, while acknowledging the ceiling would stop short of the Big Ten's top floor.
Whittingham led the Utes in three different conferences (Mountain West, Pac-12 and Big 12) and proved to be a consistent winner. He won the Mountain West once (2008) and the Pac-12 twice (2021 and 2022)
Kyle Whittingham emerges as 'focus' of Michigan coaching search
ESPN's Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel reported Friday morning Michigan has zeroed in on soon-to-be-former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham as Sherrone Moore's replacement.
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"Whittingham's candidacy is expected to be shared with top Michigan officials on Friday, per sources, and a deal could come together in the near future if they approve," per the report .
After 21 years leading Utah, Whittingham announced Dec. 12 he was stepping down as Utes coach after the Las Vegas Bowl.
Whittingham has expressed interest in Michigan's position, the Free Press has learned. He told reporters Dec. 18 that he's "in the transfer portal." Whittingham, too, still has one game left to coach; Utah faces Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m., about 30 minutes after Michigan's Citrus Bowl begins in Orlando, Florida, at 3 p.m..
Whittingham has gone 177-88 in his two decades in Salt Lake City. A BYU grad, Whittingham has spent his entire career coaching out West beyond the Continental Divide but would be a capable pair of hands to guide the Michigan program out of this mess.
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3 names in 'crosshairs' for Michigan football coach: Eli Drinkwitz, Jedd Fisch and Kyle Whittingham
ESPN's Pete Thamel provided an update on Wednesday morning's "Get Up" , saying Michigan's search has now centered on three "gettable" coaches.
"There's three candidates right now that I think are in their crosshairs: and that's Eli Drinkwitz, the Missouri coach; Jedd Fisch, the Washington coach; and obviously soon-to-be former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham," Thamel said. "Those are considered gettable coaches for Michigan, but they all come with complications obviously."
Drinkwitz and Missouri play Virginia in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 27, while Fisch's Huskies have already won their bowl game (a 38-10 LA Bowl win over Boise State on Dec. 13). Whittingham announced earlier this month the Dec. 31 Las Vegas Bowl will be his final game as Utes coach and that he's not retiring, but "in the transfer portal."
Baltimore Ravens OC Todd Monken an emerging name for Michigan
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is another name being linked with the Michigan job.
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FootballScoop reported Tuesday that Michigan had begun vetting Louisville coach Jeff Brohm, but also had started to "vet Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and intended to speak this week with Monken."
Monken has previous coaching experience in Michigan at Grand Valley State and Eastern Michigan and joined John Harbaugh's Ravens staff in 2023 after spending two seasons as Kirby Smart's offensive coordinator at Georgia.
Monken was head coach at Southern Miss from 2013-15, compiling a 13-25 record before OC jobs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns .
Jeff Brohm addresses Michigan rumors
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm is a name that's been rumored, but ESPN's Pete Thamel said the Cardinals coach is not on Michigan's "initial list of candidates."
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Brohm led Louisville to a win over Toledo in Tuesday's Boca Raton Bowl and was asked about the U-M opening .
"I don't speak on other jobs. I'm happy with this one and we are going to enjoy the victory," Brohm said.
Warde Manuel hoping to hire Michigan football coach between Christmas, Citrus Bowl
Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press has reported that Michigan has a timeline in place to hire its new full-time head coach. Interim coach Biff Poggi said athletic director Warde Manuel told the team he hopes to have a new coach in place between Christmas and the team's bowl game on Dec. 31.
Should the Wolverines make a hire in that time span, they would avoid a second 15-day transfer portal window — apart from the sport-wide one that opens from Jan. 2-16 — that opens five days after a team makes a new hire. Manuel's preferred timeline seems to preclude the hiring of Alabama 's Kalen DeBoer as he prepares to lead the Crimson Tide to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
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Kenny Dillingham gets new Arizona State deal, says Michigan never offered job
You can cross Kenny Dillingham's name off the list.
The Arizona State coach signed an extension to remain in Tempe and "turned down significant interest from Michigan," according to Chris Karpman of 247Sports .
At media availability Saturday, Dillingham said Michigan never offered him the job, per Blake Nieman of Fox's Phoenix affiliate .
"I never got offered a job. None of that ever, ever happened, and it never got to that point," Dillingham said. "Michigan's an unbelievable job with unlimited resources, with people who will do whatever they can to make it successful, who want to see it succeed. Somebody's going to get an unbelievable opportunity… to take over one of the best programs in the country, who are resourced as one of the best programs in the country with one of the best rosters in the country."
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Dillingham, 35, is in his third season as ASU's coach and has a 22-16 record, but most notably took the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff last year and had Texas on the brink of an upset.
Is Jedd Fisch next on Michigan coach list?
Fisch previously spent two years as Jim Harbaugh's quarterbacks coach from 2015-16, did an outstanding job rebuilding Arizona over his three seasons and won eight games in his second year with the Huskies.
He's been a strong candidate from the beginning, Detroit Free Press' Tony Garcia writes , though his background check through search firm TurnKeyZRG wasn't spotless, the Free Press has learned.
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"We haven't spent any time focused in on what people are saying in the outside noise regarding me or other coaches on our staff," Fisch said ahead of Washington's LA Bowl win. "We know that's the world we're in right now."
Fisch, a Florida grad, was linked to the Gators job that went to Jon Sumrall, and has stated he's happy in Seattle.
Former Michigan All-American tight end Jake Butt gave Fisch a ringing endorsement , saying on X he was "one of the best football minds" he has been around.
"He is a QB developer, and you'd see a transformed and improved Bryce Underwood immediately," Butt wrote.
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"He has all of the traits and makeup of the exact head coach a high level program would be after."
Kalen DeBoer still being linked to Michigan job
DeBoer was asked Monday, Dec. 15: Will you be the coach of Alabama next season?
"Yes," DeBoer said the second time he was asked, before giving a full answer explaining why, per The Tuscaloosa News.
Still many pundits keep linking DeBoer to Michigan's opening, with the result of Friday night's CFP game against Oklahoma possibly playing a key role.
On Friday night's "College GameDay" ESPN's Pete Thamel said, "Sources tell me that Michigan officials remain convicted that they want to attempt to hire Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. The result of tonight's game is going to factor heavily into that pursuit, as an Alabama loss would make the logistics of attempting to hire DeBoer much more tenable."
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"Maybe I'm crazy," Fox's Joel Klatt said . "I don't know. Until there's ink on a contract, and he's signing an extension at Alabama, I think there's still going to be smoke in the air. So, we'll see what goes on with Kalen DeBoer."
On Sunday, Dec. 14, Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer released a statement through the school's NIL collective noting that he has "not spoken" and has "no interest in speaking with anyone else about any other job," which temporarily puts to bed speculation that the second-year Crimson Tide coach may look for a new opportunity after a pair of solid-but-unspectacular seasons at a program that had become accustomed to championships under DeBoer's predecessor, Nick Saban.
"My family and I are very happy in Tuscaloosa and remain extremely grateful for the support of president (Peter) Mohler, Greg Byrne, the board and so many others. We have an incredible opportunity in front of us, so my sole focus is on Alabama football and our preparations to play Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff," DeBoer wrote in a statement . "I have not spoken and have no interest in speaking with anyone else about any other job. I am fully committed to this program and look forward to continuing as the head football coach at the University of Alabama."
DeBoer was also linked with the Penn State job before the Nittany Lions hired Matt Campbell.
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Toppmeyer: Michigan's hiring bar is Kalen DeBoer. Clear it, or hire him
"We are extremely happy at Alabama. ... We are extremely happy here," DeBoer said Dec. 4. "Love the grind, love this place. There's never been any link, there's never been any conversation, there's never been any interest either way. And so I'm glad we can put that to bed right now."
Does Biff Poggi have chance at Michigan job?
Could the Wolverines kick the can, as it were, on their coaching search to next season by keeping interim Biff Poggi in the role through 2026? If could happen, similar to how Stanford opted to go with NFL veteran Frank Reich for a year before hiring Tavita Pritchard last month full-time.
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If so, that would make several veteran Wolverines pleased, as they pushed for Poggi to get the job — and maybe full-time — in a meeting with the media on Friday, Dec. 19.
Jeff Brohm would be good fit at Michigan
Brohm was connected to the Penn State search before stepping away to recommit to Louisville. While he's settled into a very secure situation with the Cardinals, Brohm was at the very least interested in the vacancy with the Nittany Lions and would seemingly be receptive to Michigan's overtures.
USA TODAY columnist Blake Toppmeyer writes Brohm has the big-game pedigree and Big Ten know-how the Wolverines could be looking for.
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"Consider, a mere two weeks ago, Moore's Wolverines mustered nine points against Ohio State , despite starting a five-star quarterback," Toppmeyer writes.
"Think Brohm could do better? I know he could. In 2018, he shocked Urban Meyer's Buckeyes , while coaching Purdue . Purdue. As in, the program that lost to Ohio State by 56 points the last time it faced the Buckeyes before hiring Brohm.
"... I keep coming back to Brohm. He has Big Ten experience, and he won at Purdue in a way no one has since Joe Tiller's retirement.
"I don't know whether Michigan could persuade Brohm to leave his hometown and his alma mater, but I don't know that it could do any better than him."
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Tommy Rees
Michigan is reportedly interested in talking to Rees, according to Cleveland.com, who starred as a quarterback at Notre Dame. He moved up the coaching ranks fast, getting his big break as offensive coordinator with Notre Dame in 2020, where he served in the role for three years before moving to Alabama to be the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide in Nick Saban's last year. He has spent the last two years with the Browns, first as a passing game specialist and then as offensive coordinator this year.
Rees also reportedly talked to Penn State before the Nittany Lions landed on Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.
Jesse Minter
Tapping into Harbaugh's coaching tree to hire Moore didn't work out well for Michigan. That may lead to some queasiness over hiring Minter, who was the defensive coordinator for the Wolverines from 2022-23 and then followed Harbaugh to the Los Angeles Chargers . But Michigan has historically placed intense value on connections to the program. That makes Minter a strong candidate, though he is also under consideration for NFL openings.
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USA TODAY Sports reporters Paul Myerberg and Craig Meyer contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan football coaching candidates rumors: Kyle Whittingham the man
