Tradition over turnover is setting the tone in Ann Arbor. As Michigan’s new head coach, Kyle Whittingham doubles down on the Wolverines’ legacy by keeping trusted veterans like Lou Esposito and Kerry Coombs in place. But that bias didn’t just stick to them as he brought another staff member into the team.

Kyle Whittingham is working hard to make sure Michigan’s stability doesn’t get affected. That’s exactly why he is keeping experienced coaches like Sherrone Moore on the team. And Jackson’s history at Michigan runs deep. He served as running back coach from 1992 to 2014 before stepping away to coach high school. Then Jim Harbaugh got him back in 2022, where he assisted Tony Alford, and they worked together for the past two seasons to develop one of the Big Ten’s most productive rushing attacks.

Despite injuries to Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall, Michigan dominated the ground in the 2025 season, averaging more than 210 rushing yards per game. Haynes recorded six 100-yard games, and Marshall added four of his own. That’s exactly why Kyle Whittingham is being Michigan-biased and even retained Alford as their running back coach.

But what makes Whittingham value Jackson even more is that he coached five All-Big Ten running backs: Tyrone Wheatley, Mike Hart, Anthony Thomas, Chris Perry, and Tshimanga Biakabutuka. His backs led the Big Ten in rushing four times and surpassed 1000 yards 12 times. Working for 28 seasons at one place under seven different head coaches doesn’t just bring excellence but deep knowledge of the system.

Whittingham is clearly prioritizing known faces over high-profile hires. He got Utah’s offensive coordinator Jason Beck into the town and is planning to get assistant head coach Jim Harding, tight end coach Freddie Whittingham, wide receiver coach Micah Simon, and offensive analyst Koy Detmer Jr. to Michigan. This move creates a perfect balance between Michigan’s and Utah’s former staff members to make an impact next season.

He made his staff strategy pretty clear after taking over Sherrone Moore’s position.

“You’ve got to bring in guys you’re familiar with, you trust, and you’ve worked with—that’s always a starting point,” Whittingham said. “I’ve had some good resources—Urban Meyer, I don’t know if that’s a four-letter word in this room or not—Urban and I are very tight; I got some counsel from him… The key is to get guys in you trust, you’re familiar with, and do things your way.”

Following the same notion, Whittingham makes major additions to his defensive staff.

Kyle Whittingham makes major additions in his defensive staff

Kyle Whittingham is not just retaining Michigan staff but also adding key members to complete the coaching staff. His latest move is a bit personal, as he adds his son Alex Whittingham to the team as linebackers coach. So, Michigan might see a father-son duo working together on the sidelines just like Bill Belichick and his son Steve Belichick.

Now, Alex arrives after spending eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs organization, where he worked in multiple defensive roles since 2018. His resume includes his time as a defensive assistant, five seasons as a defensive quality control coach, and, most recently, as an assistant defensive line coach in 2025.

In his time, he worked closely with Steve Spagnuolo, one of the NFL’s most respected defensive coordinators. The Chiefs ranked in the top 12 in yards allowed per game across four straight seasons from 2022 to 2025; this shows the consistency the defensive staff follows, and Whittingham was part of it.

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What works in Michigan’s favor even more is that with Alex, another defensive coach is joining them. Jernaro Gilford joins the team after a decade at BYU and developing 10 NFL players, including three draft picks. He is taking over the cornerback coach’s position. Under him, BYU’s defense was ranked among the nation’s top 30 defenses in passing yards allowed and pass efficiency.

Now, let’s wait and see how these new additions help Kyle Whittingham in shaping Michigan’s future.