Michigan is expected to formally hire former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham as the Wolverines next head football coach, sources tell On3’s Pete Nakos. The longtime Utes coach replaces Sherrone Moore, who was fired for cause earlier this month.

After 21 seasons at Utah, Whittingham opted to step away from the program following the conclusion of the 2025 season, in which the it compiled a 10-2 record. It’s unclear how his hiring at Michigan will impact Whittingham’s availability to coach the No. 15 ranked Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl on New Year’s Eve against Nebraska.

“I’m a free agent, I’m in the transfer portal,” Whittingham said last week. “Like I said, I’m at peace and I did not want to be that guy that overstayed his welcome with people just saying, ‘Hey, when’s this guy gonna leave?’ That was not my intention, ever. I hope I didn’t do that. I’m sure with some people, I did do that, but the timing to me, the timing is right.”

At the time of Whittingham’s departure from Utah, he was the second-longest tenured head coach in the country, behind just Iowa‘s Kirk Ferentz (27 seasons).

The San Luis Obispo, CA native took over the program in a tough spot, as head coach Urban Meyer departed for the Florida opening, leaving Whittingham to coach the Utes in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. No. 6 Utah dominated No. 21 Pittsburgh 35-7, which led to Whittingham getting the promotion from defensive coordinator to head coach.

The move worked out swimmingly, as Whittingham established Utah as one of the most consistent programs in all of college football over the past two decades. Across his 21 seasons at the helm, he led the Utes to a 177-88 record with three conference championships (1x MWC, 2x Pac-12), eight ten-win seasons, and an 11-6 bowl record.

Kyle Whittingham succeeds Sherrone Moore at Michigan

Whittingham succeeds head coach Sherrone Moore, who was fired for cause after a university investigation found credible evidence that he engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. He was then charged with home invasion in the third degree, stalking, and breaking and entering post-firing.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel listed Whittingham as one of Michigan‘s top-three targets. It was the first time that he was really mentioned as a candidate, so this partnership came along fairly quickly.

“So, pushing forward on Michigan, here’s what we know about where they are,” Thamel said on ‘Get Up‘. “There’s three candidates right now that I think are in their crosshairs; that’s Eli Drinkwitz (the Missouri coach), Jedd Fisch (the Washington coach), and obviously soon-to-be former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.”

“Those are considered gettable coaches for Michigan, but they all come with complications. Drinkwitz has a bowl game on the 27th and Fisch has a roster he’s attempting to retain at Washington. With the Portal, it’s a high-stakes game of Poker when every single college football player essentially is a free agent come Jan. 2.”

Whittingham takes over as the sixth Michigan head coach in the past 31 seasons. Just Lloyd Carr (1997) and Jim Harbaugh (2023), however, have led the Wolverines to a National Championship. The move to name a head coach almost certainly had to be done before the New Year, as the Transfer Portal opens on Jan. 2.