Michigan Wolverines might let out a big sigh of relief. But Kyle Whittingham comes in with his share of burdens. At 66, age isn’t on his side for a long-term bet. On top of that, keeping Bryce Underwood in the fold would be an uphill grind given Whittingham’s history with quarterbacks. 

“He is still 66,” said ESPN analyst Pete Thamel on the December 29th episode of the ESPN College Football podcast. “This is a bridge hire, right? This is not a 10-year hire. It’s probably closer to a five-year higher.”

Michigan locked up Whittingham on a five-year deal worth an average of $8.2 million per season, per ESPN, with 75 percent of the contract guaranteed and an $8 million base salary coming his way in 2026.

The longevity of the contract is what led Thamel to see Whittingham as a temporary replacement for the Wolverines’ head coaching seat. 

With Michigan boxed into a tight hiring window after firing Sherrone Moore on December 10, Whittingham rose as the clear best play. He is a proven heavyweight with 21 seasons at Utah, Fiesta and Rose Bowl trips, and a 177-88 résumé.

It’s Michigan football in a nutshell, and the same old-school recipe Whittingham perfected at Utah. It’s fair to wonder whether Whittingham can scale his passing success to a blue-blood level.

Especially at this stage of his career, it casts doubt on whether he can still pull top Midwest prospects this late in the game. Then comes the Bryce Underwood factor. Michigan went to great lengths and pulled in the former 5-star quarterback by dishing out $12 million. 

“Retaining Bryce Underwood would seemingly be one of the top priorities,” said Thamel. “Kyle Whittingham was the head coach for 21 years. He did not have a single quarterback drafted.”

Moore’s Michigan owned Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, sending three players into the top 13 picks with Mason Graham, Colston Loveland, and Kenneth Grant coming off the board early.

Five-star recruits are recruited nonstop. If Michigan under Whittingham can’t convincingly sell Underwood on quarterback development, either via elite coordinators or system tweaks, SEC and quarterback-friendly programs will keep circling. Turns out that the quarterback might already be in two minds about his Michigan future. 

“Right now we’re about to play this bowl game, so that’s really the main thought in my head,” Underwood said. “After December 31, we’ll figure that out. My family (will factor in that decision).”

Scheme and staff are both under the microscope for Underwood, who noted Whittingham’s offensive style and offensive coordinator hire will factor into his thinking. The newly hired head coach already made his pitch to earn the quarterback’s confidence.

“The offense we’re going to bring in here is going to suit him to a T,” Whittingham said. “I think he’s going to really, really excel and have a great experience here.”

Still not enough to lock in Underwood? Whittingham is showing his effort to revamp the coaching roster.

Michigan rebuilds under Whittingham as the sport splits in two

Michigan’s new head coach hire comes off as a threat to Kalani Sitake’s squad. At first, it was just their defensive coordinator, Jay Hill. He is a familiar face who once coached under him at Utah Utes and has been BYU’s defensive coordinator since 2023.

While Whittingham might be 100% pumped to bring in Hill, the coach has his sights set on Gary Andersen. 

“Whittingham is reportedly leaning toward a “young coach from Texas,” aligning with Micah Simon, a former Utah WR coach and longtime collaborator with OC Jason Beck, perhaps signaling Beck’s move to Ann Arbor,” as per Ben Criddle’s reports.

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While the Underwood wooing game goes on and the roster shake-up continues in Ann Arbor, the college football world is divided into two halves when it comes to crowning Whittingham as the head coach. 

“Michigan Football is in GREAT hands under Kyle Whittingham,” even though Michigan’s interim head coach, Biff Poggi, did not get his dream role, he wrote on X. “Proven winner, true gentleman, tough-nosed Michigan coach of days gone by. Great hire by Warde Manuel.”

Michigan’s $250 million booster Dave Portnoy tried to mold former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer. 

“This guy doesn’t understand the pressure cooker he’s just entered…Urban can’t save this guy,” former Buckeyes linebacker Cie Grant rained on the chances. 

The stakes are clear for Kyle Whittingham in Ann Arbor. Use these five years to fix his NFL quarterback drought, and only then does an extension come into play. Michigan won’t care how old he is.