The new Michigan head coach, Kyle Whittingham, spent years establishing himself as one of the most respected figures in the Big 12. Following his departure, some rival coaches have admitted they’re relieved they won’t have to face him anymore, not because he was a bad coach, but because he was one of the conference’s most revered coaches. Although his debut in the Big 10 is scheduled for September 5, coaches should still be aware.

After Athlon Sports anonymously polled coaches across the Big 12, one poll stood out. They are more excited to face the Morgan Scalley-led Utes, which means Whittingham held the reins during his 21-year tenure.

“But yeah, it’s definitely a relief that (Whittingham) is out of the Big 12 because he’s a great football coach, and he’s an even better person.”

In the 21 years he coached Utah football, Whittingham made the program one of the best in all of college football, going 177-88 in the process. Even after a record like this, the Utes could never reach the CFP under the experienced coach. But, coach Whittingham managed to get the Utes to bag 3 conference titles and a position at the Rose Bowl for two consecutive years. Whittingham led Utah football to several seasons with double-digit wins and successfully made the program switch from the Mountain West Conference to the Pac-12 Conference.

After Whit’s departure, it was no surprise that the new head coach was none other than Morgan Scalley. The man was already coach-in-waiting long before his retirement. Even though Scalley is well-versed in the program, he still has many people watching him to prove he is worthy and capable of replacing the former coach.

Scalley is a Utes legacy, from playing in 2004 as a safety to working alongside Whittingham as the Defense coordinator since 2016; the man has earned this job. Although Scalley has brought renewed energy to the program, Big 12 coaches are eager to see what the new Utah head coach has up his sleeve.

“I’m curious what it looks like without Kyle Whittingham,” the anonymous Big 12 assistant coach said. “They cause a lot of mismatches because they’re plus-one in the run game with the quarterback and all the pullers and gap schemes that they did.

“It’s gonna be really interesting to see what their new philosophy is on offense and defense because they did struggle to stop the run last season.”

How is Michigan looking under the new head coach?

Kyle Whittingham has quickly settled into his new home at Michigan; rather than getting housewarming gifts, he got presents from the Utes for his new team. A total of 7 coaches followed Kyle all the way to Michigan. Among the key additions is offensive coordinator Jason Beck, who will oversee the Wolverines’ offense and play-calling.

Offensive line coach Jim Harding, a longtime Whittingham assistant known for developing physical and disciplined fronts. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill, whose experience at both Utah and BYU makes him one of the most respected defensive minds in college football.

Quentin Burrell, at 6’2, committed to Michigan as the safety for their star QB, Bryce Underwood. June is going to be packed for the Wolverines, with several players set to have their OV’s in Ann Arbor. The 5-star CB Joshua Dobson is set for a visit on the 12th. He’s ranked as the No. 11 overall player in the 2027 class and has been eyed by the Wolverines for a while.

Colt Lumpris, a four-star tight end, remains the Wolverines’ top priority even after he committed to the Crimson Tide 5 months ago; they aren’t ready to give up and are hell-bent on making a flip possible. Freddie Whittingham has been the man behind this operation, successfully securing another visit from the tight end.  Lumpris’ visit is marked on the calendar for the weekend from June 19 to June 21.