When Michigan turned to Kyle Whittingham after Sherrone Moore’s scandal-plagued exit, the move felt like a reset. The former Utah head coach has stabilized the program since his arrival. However, just as Ann Arbor was starting to feel steady, troubling reports from his former program have dragged Whittingham into unwanted headlines.
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Recently, six former Utah players sat down with the Salt Lake Tribune to discuss their careers, and all of them went on record accusing their former head coach, Whittingham, and his coaching staff of pressuring them to return from injuries sooner than they should have, despite it being against their best medical interests.
Among those featured were Van Fillinger, Tevita Fotu, Jaylon Glover, Mycah Pittman, and Miki Suguturaga, as well as an unnamed former player. Interestingly, Pittman’s father, former NFL player Michael Pittman Sr., also voiced concerns in the report.
“Coach (Powell) came into rehab one day, and he said, ‘Hey, Van, coach [Kyle] Whittingham is not going to let you redshirt,'” Fillinger said, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune. “I’m thinking, ‘What the hell? I’ve already been out three games.”
The accusations caught the entire Michigan fanbase off guard, as they were finally expecting to have a scandal-free season. However, reality struck them a bit hard. One X user broke down the situation, saying that things have not changed for them one bit.
“So much for ‘changing the culture” in Ann Arbor. Same bull—t, different day,” wrote an X user as the story went live on social media. Another fan called out the analysts and the school officials who had described Whittingham as the perfect fit to bring stability to the system.
“So what you’re basically saying is, he’s a PERFECT fit for the um, cheating, scandalous cult culture……” One user questioned why Michigan always brings such people into their camp, adding, “WOW… why do these people always end up in Ann Arbor?”
Utah’s handling of Van Fillinger’s 2023 season also drew scrutiny, as the 2024 second-team All-Big 12 player claimed the coaching staff backed away from a prior promise to redshirt him during his recovery from a fractured tibia.
Fillinger also claimed that he and several other players raised concerns about Utah’s approach to player health; however, the university seldom took notice. Mycah described the program as “very old school.”
“You’d have to be seriously injured before you miss a couple games,” he said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Meanwhile, Tevita Fotu alleged that he was not paid the full NIL compensation he had been promised in 2024. While Utah said it was previously unaware of the allegation and would investigate the matter, the university firmly denied that Whittingham had any involvement in issues related to the medical staff.
“The University of Utah Department of Athletics follows all University and national guidelines to ensure student success and safety,” Utah said via a spokesperson. “We routinely evaluate our processes and welcome the opportunity to make adjustments if we determine our policies are not meeting expectations.”
While Utah has denied any accusations, some fans believe the university was eager to remove Whittingham from the program.
“Exactly. Perfect fit for this school. Utah is living the dream, getting rid of him—especially Cam Rising. Who was played with multiple injuries?” one fan wrote.
The University of Michigan has also come forward to defend Whittingham, saying that medical decisions were handled exclusively by the healthcare staff and maintaining that neither the head coach nor his coaching personnel had any authority over such determinations.
“Coach Whittingham or his coaching staff did not make medical decisions [at Utah]. He followed the lead of the medical team,” a Michigan spokesperson said.
The revelations come at a rather uncomfortable time for Michigan. The program was finally emerging from the Sherrone Moore scandal. Moreover, the Wolverines are days away from the start of their 2026 season. It remains to be seen how Whittingham handles the controversy.