Kyle Whittingham’s task in his first season in Ann Arbor is more than that of a head coach. He also has the duty to restore order to a program that has been marred by controversies over the past four years. Being very much aware of this, the head coach has this at the top of his list in the 2026 season.

“[Michigan has] been through a lot the last four or five years. But hopefully we can put the drama to bed and just get back to being student-athletes and having a great college experience,” Whittingham said on July 30 during his press conference at the Big Ten Media Days.

Whittingham finds himself in a similar situation as former interim coach Biff Poggi, who had to replace former head coach Sherrone Moore last December. At the time, Poggi did his best to lift the players out of the chaos surrounding the program and put them in the right state of mind for the bowl game against the Texas Longhorns, which they unfortunately lost. Whittingham similarly has to help his players move on from the controversies the program has been involved in lately and refocus on what matters most: football.

While time should ordinarily have made things easier for Whittingham, the resurrection of the Sherrone Moore scandal, the lawsuits by former staffer Paige Shiver and former linebackers coach and special teams coordinator Chris Partridge, and most recently, the announcement of the imminent departure of AD Warde Manuel have worsened matters. Whittingham’s predecessor, Sherrone Moore, left the team with a widely publicized scandal after his involvement in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.

Unfortunately, several months later, the case has refused to die, as Shiver recently sued the program for refusing her public records request. In addition, Partridge also involved Moore’s case in his lawsuit, claiming several leaders of the program were aware of his inappropriate relationship but chose to do nothing about it. As for his own case, he alleged he was wrongfully made a scapegoat during the 2023 sign-stealing scandal during Jim Harbaugh’s tenure.

For all of these, Whittingham sees the 2026 season as not just a resumption of sports activities in Ann Arbor but a breath of fresh air. The former Utah head coach hopes to steal the headlines with his team, take the spotlight away from these controversies, and reignite the connection between the program and the fans.

Whittingham on Wolverines’ players in the 2026 season

Whittingham did not spend much time discussing the controversy, as he emphasized, “That’s not my place to speak out on it. I wasn’t there, and I was not involved.” He went on to speak about his team ahead of the 2026 season, giving the press a glimpse of what to expect.

“But I can tell you right now that we’ve got a really hungry and willing group of players who have worked their tails off for the last seven months. They’re eager to get the season started. We’ve got very good leadership as well. I’m just excited to make the first thing first, which is graduating and winning football games.”

For whatever problem Whittingham might face in Ann Arbor, he has the experience and the ability to deal with it. As his friend and former coach Urban Meyer revealed, a positive start by Michigan to their 2026 campaign can quiet all the noise.