There is never an ideal time to lose a person responsible for building your roster. But for Kyle Whittingham, it’s a harder challenge. The new Michigan head coach hasn’t even had the luxury of settling into his first offseason. But now, he’s been dealt an unexpected personnel loss. 

Michigan is about to lose another important piece of its football operation. CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that John Collins, Michigan’s assistant director of player personnel, is expected to join the Detroit Lions as a scouting assistant. It’s an under-the-radar move, but losing someone from the personnel department can matter just as much as losing an assistant coach.

Michigan hired John Collins ahead of the 2024 season during Sherrone Moore’s tenure, where he became a trusted piece of the Wolverines’ recruiting department. His fingerprints were all over the highly regarded 2025 recruiting haul, a class headlined by 5-star QB Bryce Underwood and elite OT Andrew Babalola. 

John Collins also played a role behind the scenes in adding players such as Andrew Marsh, Jordan Young, Shamari Earls, and Nate Marshall. His path to Ann Arbor also says plenty.

John Collins first sharpened his recruiting eye at Georgia, spending two seasons on Kirby Smart’s staff. He was part of the Bulldogs’ national championship operation and helped assemble the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2024. From Georgia to Michigan and now Detroit, he has consistently found himself inside winning organizations. So what about the Wolverines now?

Kyle Whittingham arrived in Ann Arbor with a reputation built over decades at Utah, where roster development outweighed recruiting rankings. Still, even coaches known for maximizing talent need sharp evaluators behind the scenes. John Collins filled that role, and replacing him won’t be as simple as posting a job opening. 

Michigan would have preferred this move to happen at almost any other time. Coaches are coming off a busy official visit season, prospects are narrowing their choices, and recruiting staffs are preparing for the next round of decisions. That’s why losing someone like John Collins now leaves Kyle Whittingham with one more job to handle before the season even begins.

Fortunately for Michigan, Kyle Whittingham has spent years building stable football operations. That experience should help soften the blow, even if John Collins leaves. As of now, the recruiting momentum hasn’t stopped. If anything, the Wolverines continue stacking good news on the trail.

Kyle Whittingham is winning on the recruiting trail

Michigan landed 4-star LB Frederrick Ford this week and remains firmly in the mix for several coveted prospects, including Marcus Jones, Monsanna Torbert, and Lincoln Mageo. ESPN’s latest recruiting rankings show the surge as the Wolverines climbed back into the national top 10 after previously sitting 12th.

Michigan now checks in at No. 9 nationally, leading every Big Ten program in ESPN’s rankings ahead of Oregon, Ohio State, UCLA, and USC. QB Kamden Lopati headlines the offensive group, while TE Colt Lumpris and WR Quentin Burrell give Kyle Whittingham intriguing weapons for the future. RB Tyson Robinson adds another physical playmaker, and the OL class features Sidney Rouleau, Jakari Lipsey, and Louis Esposito.

As for John Collins, he heads to a Detroit franchise that has become one of the NFL’s model organizations under GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. So while Michigan loses an important architect of its recruiting machine, Detroit gains another promising evaluator. And for Kyle Whittingham, the first unexpected challenge of his Wolverines tenure has already arrived.