5 months ago
- Wolverines
- Updated: Dec. 30, 2025, 6:01 a.m.
- Published: Dec. 30, 2025, 6:00 a.m.
ORLANDO, Fla. — New Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham went retired of his measurement connected Sunday to make it known that he’s ever paid attention.
While answering a mobility astir nan type of squad he wants to build successful Ann Arbor, nan 66-year-old tasked coach pinch cleaning up nan messiness near down by Sherrone Moore told a communicative astir watching nan biggest rivalry successful assemblage shot arsenic a child.
“I saw those winged helmets travel retired of nan tunnel, and Bo Schembechler starring them against Woody Hayes and I was hooked,” Whittingham said. “That’s nan honorable truth. I’ve been pursuing Michigan shot for years.”
Years later, Whittingham would service arsenic protect coordinator astatine Utah for 2 seasons nether Urban Meyer, who turned his short-but-successful tenure successful Salt Lake City into nan Florida occupation and, eventually, Ohio State. Meyer won 3 nationalist titles on nan measurement and kept successful interaction pinch Whittingham, who would return complete nan Utah occupation aft he left.
“I cognize that’s a four-letter connection (around here), but Urban and maine are very tight,” Whittingham said during his introductory news conference. “Got immoderate counsel from him; he’s been a fewer places.”
While that remark mightiness make immoderate Michigan fans uncomfortable, here’s nan chaser: It was Meyer who helped promote Whittingham to return it.
During a Monday greeting quality on FS1’s “Wake Up Barstool,” Meyer, a assemblage shot expert for Fox Sports, told Barstool Sports laminitis and Michigan postgraduate Dave Portnoy that nan business was perfect for him.
“I said, ‘Kyle, that’s a no-brainer,’” Meyer said connected nan show. “You tin spell triumph a nationalist title there. It’s a difficult job. I mean, he’s going to beryllium nether scrutiny he’s ne'er been nether before. This is simply a blue-blood program. You tin get immoderate subordinate you want.”
Making things much interesting, arsenic Whittingham originates to combine his unit astatine Michigan, he has nan action of retaining 2 erstwhile Ohio State assistants who coached nether Meyer. Running backs Tony Alford near nan Buckeyes successful 2024 aft serving connected Meyer’s unit for 4 years, while typical teams coordinator Kerry Coombs was astatine Ohio State for astir each of Meyer’s tenure successful Columbus.
Asked his thoughts connected Ohio State, Whittingham kept it diplomatic, calling nan Buckeyes “a bully shot team, and they’re successful nan playoff obviously.”
“Very talented,” Whittingham continued. “I would opportunity that I’m conscionable excited astir nan opportunity here.”
Bad humor has existed betwixt nan 2 programs for decades now, pinch nan level of sermon seemingly ramped up successful caller years. Jim Harbaugh couldn’t hit Meyer, past won 3 consecutive complete nan Ryan Day-coached Buckeyes. Harbaugh’s predecessor, Sherrone Moore, hit Ohio State successful his first twelvemonth connected nan occupation but past convincingly, 27-9, past month. Moore was fired by nan schoolhouse connected Dec. 10 complete an inappropriate narration pinch a staffer.
Whittingham doesn’t first-hand knowledge of nan rivalry’s strength yet, and seems unwilling to ignite immoderate caller fuses. Asked if he moreover dislikes Ohio State, Whittingham, wearing a maize and bluish polo shirt, replied: “I do now, I guess.”
“But for illustration I said, I followed them for rather a while,” Whittingham said. “Me and Urban were connected nan aforesaid unit astatine Utah. I was his protect coordinator. So location was a tight enslaved there, and I followed his profession and evidently stayed successful touch passim nan people of his career. He evidently had awesome occurrence there, but now I’m connected nan correct broadside of nan woody now.”
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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...
