Michigan football turned the gridiron keys over to an aging Kyle Whittingham in January. The 66-year-old completed a legendary run with Utah that even saw conference titles in the Mountain West Conference and Pac-12. But was Whittingham giving retirement a thought?
He didn’t hesitate to reveal to The Big Ten Network Wednesday the truth behind the retirement rumors.
“Very close,” Whittingham said when asked if he did think about calling it a career.
He added why he entertained the thought of riding off into the college football sunset.
“I had already come to terms with the fact that if I was done, I would be okay with that. I’ve got 11 grandkids and two on the way,” Whittingham said.
But Michigan needed to find a proven leader following the abrupt firing of Sherrone Moore. Plus needed someone with a proven background in navigating through challenges. Whittingham received the phone call from athletic director Warde Manuel that changed everything. The longtime Utes head coach revealed that call “changed everything” for him.
He’s since built up the 2027 recruiting class in Ann Arbor. Three-star linebacker Brayden Watson represents the latest Wolverines commit, who pledged to Michigan on May 29. Whittingham landed a huge College Football Recruiting win before Watson, though, by nabbing four-star edge rusher Xavier Muhammad on May 14.
Michigan currently sits at No. 14 overall per On3/Rivals in the 2027 recruiting rankings, but No. 23 per 247Sports. The Wolverines did lose out on landing in-state five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant, who chose Oregon.
But Whittingham pushed off retirement and is fueling new energy in Ann Arbor in both recruiting and team building.
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