New Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham is finalizing his first coaching staff, and there’s one name on that list that he’s familiar with more than the others.
The school announced Whittingham’s latest hires on Saturday, and of note was the Wolverines’ new linebackers coach Alex Whittingham, Kyle’s son, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Alex, 33, played at Utah under his father from 2013-2017 before transitioning to a career in coaching. He got his start with the Chiefs as a defensive assistant in 2018 working with the outside linebackers.
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He moved to a defensive quality control position working with the defensive line in 2019, then moved to defensive quality control for linebackers from 2020 to 2023 before moving back to defensive assistant in 2024 and working with the secondary.
In 2025, Alex was promoted to defensive line coach, and Kansas City allowed the 10th-fewest rushing yards per game (104.9) and the sixth-fewest yards per rush (4.0).
The Chiefs ranked in the top 10 in points against in six of the eight seasons Alex was on staff, and they were a top-six scoring unit the last three seasons.
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Alex was a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams (2020, 2022, 2023) during his tenure in Kansas City, and he worked under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who’s widely considered among the top DCs in the NFL.
Defensive linemen Chris Jones, Frank Clark, and George Karlaftis, linebackers Nick Bolton and Justin Houston, and cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie are among the top defensive players Alex coached in KC.