After a wild past couple of weeks at the University of Michigan, the Wolverines finally got their guy hiring Kyle Whittingham as their new head football coach. After stepping down from Utah, where he served as head coach for the past 21 seasons, Whittingham was formally introduced as Michigan’s head coach Sunday morning during an introductory press conference at the team’s hotel ahead of the Citrus Bowl.
The Wolverines’ new leader spoke for about 20 minutes, giving a brief opening statement before fielding questions from the media. Here are three major takeaways from Kyle Whittingham’s introductory press conference.
1. Whittingham Will Keep Michigan Football’s Identity
Michigan has long been known as a football program that plays a physical brand of football, leaning on a strong run game and dominant defense to win games. Whittingham acknowledged in his presser that this is exactly how he envisions his teams in Ann Arbor, as that is a philosophy that closely mirrors what he had in Salt Lake City.
As a defensive-minded coach, Whittingham has built a reputation for fielding tough, physical, and disciplined defenses that win at the line of scrimmage. Offensively, Whittingham’s teams have been known for having a strong rushing attack, which will be nothing new for Michigan. He specifically noted that his Utah team ranked second in the country in rushing this past season, with another one of his offenses featuring multiple powerful running backs while also utilizing the quarterback’s legs. Whittingham’s coaching style and track record have many viewing him as a perfect “fit” in Ann Arbor, as it aligns with a brand of football that has been very popular and successful at Michigan.
2. Retention is Key
Whittingham emphasized the amount of talent currently on Michigan’s roster, along with a strong incoming recruiting class. However, with the transfer portal and so much change over the past few weeks, the biggest question is whether that talent can be retained. Whittingham’s decision to leave Utah immediately and heading straight to Orlando to be with this Michigan team speaks to how important retention is to him.
Michigan’s new head coach revealed that he had a single one-on-one meeting so far with a player in the form of a 45-minute conversation with star quarterback Bryce Underwood. He described it as a “great conversation” and went on to praise Underwood as a “special young man” with “a ton of talent.” Whittingham added that he believes the offense he plans to bring to Ann Arbor will suit Underwood “to a T.”
In terms of coaching staff, Whittingham said that there are a few pieces he would like to retain. He expects two or three coaches from the previous staff to remain, along with the addition of seven or eight new full-time assistants. One coach he specifically mentioned was running backs coach Tony Alford. Whittingham noted his familiarity with the Alford family from coaching alongside Tony’s late brother at Utah. All signs point to Tony Alford being one of the coaches that will return, which would be significant for Michigan during this transition period.
3. Strong Connection with Urban Meyer
Whittingham mentioned multiple times his strong connection and close friendship with Urban Meyer. He previously served as Utah’s defensive coordinator under Meyer before being promoted to head coach when Meyer left for Florida. Whittingham mentioned that he and Urban are still very close and he is someone to lean on for advice during this transition.
Now, this obviously brings in the attention grabbing headline with this connection and Meyer’s deep ties to Ohio State and the rivalry. While Meyer is no longer coaching, his presence in the media makes for an interesting storyline, especially with his well-known disliking for Michigan. It will be fun to see how Meyer handles covering Michigan with one of his closest friends and someone he described as “one of the best coaches in college football” now leading the Wolverines.
And of course the rivalry came up, as Whittingham was directly asked whether he dislikes Ohio State. His response was simple: “I do now.”