The motto helping to shape Kyle Whittingham’s early days at Michigan

A fewer questions into his introductory news convention astatine Michigan, Kyle Whittingham held thing backmost astir nan marque of shot he wants to field.

The 66-year-old caput coach described a difficult nosed, physical, gritty team, echoing nan days of yesteryear nether Bo Schembechler and nan Wolverines’ tally to a nationalist title nether Jim Harbaugh.

Michigan, he understood it, sewage distant from those tenets successful caller years nether Sherrone Moore and it was his work to get things backmost connected track.

“It’s each astir nan shot team,” Whittingham, who coached Utah for 21 years, told reporters successful Orlando. “There is cipher supra nan team. You’ve sewage to person everybody bargain in.”

Whittingham relayed that connection to nan squad during his first reside up of nan Citrus Bowl, and past again successful individual face-to-face meetings pinch everyone connected nan roster. While he planned to do plentifulness of listening, it was an opportunity for nan caller coach to consciousness retired his players arsenic well. Some will people move on, arsenic we’ve seen pinch nan growing number of transportation portal entries successful caller days, but others said they had a genuine liking successful staying.

“Everybody, including myself, needs this squad much than this squad needs them,” Whittingham continued. “If we get everybody connected that page and knowing that concept, past that’s going to beryllium a very affirmative thing.”

During his clip astatine Utah, Whittingham was known for building a tough, disciplined, accordant winner. The schoolhouse switched conferences doubly during his tenure successful Salt Lake City, from nan Mountain West to nan Pac-12 Conference successful 2011 and past to nan Big 12 successful 2024, attempting to enactment applicable successful an ever-changing sport.

Yet during each extremity on nan way, each caller season, Whittingham delivered a reliable, proven winner. Eight double-digit triumph seasons. Three convention titles. Just 3 years pinch much losses than victories.

Now he’ll effort to replicate that occurrence astatine Michigan, a assemblage shot elephantine pinch expansive expectations and a longstanding history of success.

“It’s go much challenging, there’s nary uncertainty astir it,” Whittingham said, citing roster turnover arsenic nan biggest force to building a squad culture. “Some teams are turning complete 60-70 percent of their roster each year. That’s a challenge. Michigan is little than that; astatine Michigan, I deliberation nan retention is very bully here.

“But nan cardinal location is nan players that are present and understand what we want successful nan culture.”

Whittingham said players connected nan roster will beryllium responsible to “set nan modular for nan guys that are coming in.” The extremity is to enlistee players who fresh nan mold, person them to enactment for 3 to 5 years and rhythm caller ones through. It’s a large logic arsenic to why Whittingham went 177-88 successful Salt Lake City.

“The biggest connection that I took distant was, you request this squad much than nan squad needs you,” reserve tight extremity Zack Marshall, who caught 18 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown successful 2025, said. “He’s ever been a awesome person; it’s his trading factor, obviously. And he wins games. You triumph games and you’re a bully person, nobody’s going to opportunity no.”

Marshall deed nan nail connected nan head. Ultimately, coaches are judged connected whether they triumph capable games. With a 177-88 record, Whittingham did plentifulness of that successful Salt Lake City, capable to constitute his ain summons and spend him nan opportunity to measurement down for illustration he did.

Now he’ll effort nan aforesaid exemplary successful Ann Arbor, wherever Schembechler’s longstanding quote — “The Team, The Team, The Team” — remains a fixture wrong nan building named aft him.

“You will go us, we will not go you,” Whittingham said of nan players coming in. “You will go america and do nan things nan measurement we do things.”

• ‘Utah 2.0’: Kyle Whittingham brings trusted unit to Michigan successful coaching overhaul
• Ex-Michigan WR makes one-handed drawback for first TD pinch Saints
• Former Michigan All-American makes Browns history pinch 97-yard pick-six
• Report: Whittingham adds Boise State co-DC to Michigan staff
• NFL adjunct rounds retired Whittingham’s protect unit astatine Michigan

Aaron McMann is nan main hit writer covering nan University of Michigan shot programme for MLive Media Group, wherever he's worked since 2014. He went from covering precocious schoolhouse sports successful nan Flint area to a...