From calling Kyle Whittingham a “spectacular hire” in 2025 to demanding his firing, Dave Portnoy has completely turned on Michigan’s head coach. As Oregon piled on the misery Saturday, the Barstool Sports founder wasn’t even rooting for a comeback. He was openly rooting against his own alma mater.
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“I want Michigan to lose every game by 1000 the rest of the season so we have no choice but to fire Whittingham,” Portnoy posted on X.
The reversal is particularly brutal considering Portnoy’s reaction to Whittingham’s appointment on December 26, 2025. “Michigan hires Kyle Whittingham and just like that the kings of college football are back on top! What a spectacular hire!” he wrote on X. Less than a year later, the coach he celebrated as Michigan’s savior is the same man he desperately wants out of Ann Arbor.
Portnoy’s demand followed weeks of mounting frustration with Michigan’s struggling offense. After the Wolverines’ humiliating 15-6 home loss to Michigan State on November 7, he called for both Whittingham and then-offensive coordinator Jason Beck to be fired, describing the defeat as the lowest point of Michigan football in his lifetime. Beck was dismissed the following day. Whittingham survived.
But the coaching change brought little relief against Oregon. Dylan Raiola connected with Jeremiah McClellan for a 60-yard opening-drive touchdown before finding Dierre Riggs for a 2-yard score, putting the No. 16 Ducks ahead 14-0. Savion Hiter briefly answered with a 70-yard touchdown run, but Raiola’s 59-yard strike to Dakorien Moore sent Oregon into halftime leading 21-7.
Michigan’s passing numbers were even uglier. With 3:19 remaining in the third quarter, the Wolverines had completed just four of 14 attempts for 41 yards. Tommy Carr went 2-of-8 for 15 yards, while Bryce Underwood completed two of six passes for 26 yards. Raiola, meanwhile, had already thrown for 266 yards and three touchdowns, completing 15 of 21 attempts without an interception.
The offensive struggles were hardly new. Michigan entered its 10th game at 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big Ten play, having scored just six points against Indiana before another offensive disaster against Michigan State. Portnoy had previously criticized the play-calling, questioning why Michigan’s talented roster continued to underperform.
Whittingham arrived in Ann Arbor after 21 seasons leading Utah, carrying a reputation as a disciplined, defensive-minded coach. But his first season has been plagued by offensive inconsistency and quarterback uncertainty. The rotation between Carr and Underwood has offered little stability, while Beck’s dismissal has yet to produce a meaningful turnaround.
Michigan’s struggles looked even worse against an Oregon team that had already become the subject of a pointed coaching exchange. Before Saturday’s matchup, Whittingham suggested the Ducks benefited from more than $50 million in roster resources, though the figure remained an estimate. Dan Lanning fired back by questioning Michigan’s spending on dismissed coaches.
Michigan’s mistakes only made matters worse. After forcing Oregon to punt in the opening quarter, the Wolverines managed just five yards before punting themselves. An unnecessary roughness penalty handed the Ducks better field position, and they capitalized with another touchdown.
For Portnoy, the repeated failures reinforced his criticism of Michigan’s coaching staff. His latest outburst, however, went beyond demanding accountability. He was openly rooting for defeats severe enough to force a coaching change.
The frustration carries additional weight given Michigan’s recent success. The Wolverines won the national championship following the 2023 season under Jim Harbaugh, but Whittingham’s debut campaign has fallen well short of those expectations.
Michigan still has two regular-season games remaining after Oregon. The Wolverines host ranked UCLA on November 21 before traveling to Columbus to face Ohio State on November 28. Both matchups could shape how Whittingham’s first season is ultimately judged.
But Portnoy isn’t waiting for those results to make his judgment. The man who once celebrated Whittingham’s arrival is now rooting for Michigan’s downfall, apparently convinced that humiliation is the only way to force a coaching change.