The Michigan Wolverines have finally found their next head coach as the school agreed to a deal with Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham on Friday Afternoon. When the Wolverines had to fire Sherrone Moore, it put the school in a tough place as they needed to find a head coach after the coaching carousel seemingly closed while getting a coach in place before the Transfer Portal opens.
There were plenty of candidates tied the job in Kalen DeBoer, Kenny Dillingham, Jeff Brohm, and Jedd Fisch, but in the end it's Whittingham who got the job. Circumstances played out almost perfectly for Michigan as Whittingham announced he was stepping down at Utah, but was still interested in coaching.
The Kyle Whittingham contract length is telling for Michigan
The biggest concern for Michigan fans when it came to hiring Kyle Whittingham was his age, and how long he was willing to coach. At 66 years old, it seemed as if Whittingham was calling it a career when he announced he was stepping down, but Michigan came calling and he decided to take another job just weeks after leaving Utah.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel, Michigan's contract with Kyle Whittingham is a 5-year deal which is notable.
Breaking: Former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has agreed to a five-year deal to become Michigan’s next head coach, sources tell @PeteThamel and @DanWetzel.
— ESPN (@espn) December 26, 2025
The deal is expected later today. pic.twitter.com/1Q5Y1mdKEj
Michigan fans who were concerned about how long Whittingham planned on coaching at least know that he's seemingly locked in for the next 5 years. Obviously, he can retire much sooner or get fired, but it seems as if Whittingham will be the Wolverines coach through 2030.
Now Michigan will need to do its best to position itself like Utah did to keep the program rolling when he does call it a career. Utah made Morgan Scalley the head coach in waiting for Whittingham, and when he stepped down,, the program had a clear replacement in place.
In this NIL and Revenue Sharing era, Michigan has just as much potential as programs like Oregon, Ohio State, and Texas if they play their cards right. The Wolverines now have a proven leader in place, and if they can rally support around him, this should be the best possible outcome for Michigan.