Michigan students surprised, disappointed by Sherrone Moore news
Students and an alum of University of Michigan react Dec. 13, 2025, to the details about Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore’s firing and arrest.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with official confirmation from Michigan that it has hired Kyle Whittingham.
Michigan has finalized a deal to hire Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to be its next head football coach, the university confirmed in an official statement on Friday, Dec. 26.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to the Detroit Free Press earlier in the day, but spoke on condition of anonymity because the hiring was not official at the time.
The school’s deal with Whittingham, 66, will be for five years, according to a report from ESPN and confirmed by the Free Press. The caps a relatively quick search that began after former coach Sherrone Moore was fired with cause earlier this month.
“Kyle Whittingham is a well-respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “Throughout our search, he consistently demonstrated the qualities we value at Michigan: vision, resilience, and the ability to build and sustain championship-caliber teams.
“Kyle brings not only a proven track record of success, but also a commitment to creating a program rooted in toughness, physicality, discipline and respect—where student-athletes and coaches represent the university with distinction both on and off the field. We are excited to welcome Kyle to the University of Michigan family as he takes the helm of our football program.”
After 21 years leading Utah, Whittingham announced Dec. 12 he was stepping down as Utes coach after the Dec. 31 Las Vegas Bowl. Whittingham, 66, told reporters Dec. 18 he wasn’t retiring and he’s “in the transfer portal.”
He has gone 177-88 in his two decades in Salt Lake City after taking over the job after Urban Meyer left for Florida. A Brigham Young grad, Whittingham has spent his entire career coaching out West beyond the Continental Divide but would be a capable pair of hands to guide the Michigan program out of this mess.
Whittingham projected as a safe, transitional choice who’d keep the floor respectable at Michigan, while acknowledging the ceiling would stop short of the Big Ten’s top floor. Whittingham led the Utes in three different conferences (Mountain West, Pac-12 and Big 12) and proved to be a consistent winner. He won the Mountain West once (2008) and the Pac-12 twice (2021 and 2022).
“We are honored to lead the outstanding student-athletes, coaches, and staff who represent Michigan football each day,” said Whittingham in a statement. “Michigan is synonymous with tradition and excellence — both on the field and beyond — and our entire program is committed to upholding those values while striving for greatness together.
“My family and I are thrilled to join the University of Michigan community, and we look forward to helping our players grow, develop, and reach their highest potential — on the gridiron, in the classroom, and as leaders. It’s a privilege to be part of something that inspires pride in every Wolverine fan. Go Blue!”
He last coached somewhere other than Utah in 1993, when he was Idaho State’s defensive coordinator. His place in Utah history is secure, but his bruised record against ranked opponents raises questions whether he’d achieve at the level Michigan craves.
Whittingham represents a notable break from the school’s traditional football hires. Since Bo Schembechler retired in 1990, five of the seven Michigan head coach have had previous ties to the program, including a former player in Jim Harbaugh and former assistant coaches such as Gary Moeller, Lloyd Carr, Brady Hoke and Moore.
The only other exterior hire during this span was Rich Rodriguez, who went 15-22 from 2008-10.
Harbaugh won on the field, including a national championship in 2023, but the end of his tenure was also marred by two NCAA investigations that led to him being suspended twice, receiving two show-cause penalties that run through 2038 and the school being sanctioned with a $30 million fine.
Moore was also suspended twice during his time at Michigan. A one-game suspension for his role in recruiting violations was served when he was an assistant in 2023. Moore was also implicated in the school’s signing-sealing operation. He served two of a three-game suspension in 2025 and was due to miss the team’s opener in 2026 before his firing. He also received a two-year show-cause penalty.
“After speaking with Coach Whittingham and reviewing his record both on and off the field, I am confident he will bring dignity, integrity, and fierce competitiveness to the program, while serving as a powerful role model for our student-athletes and staff,” said Michigan interim president Domenico Grasso in a statement. “He also places a strong emphasis on the academic mission of college athletics, reflected in a 93 percent graduation rate, among the highest in the college football power conferences. Coach Whittingham is exactly the right fit for the University of Michigan at this time.”
Michigan announced Moore’s firing Dec. 10 after it said the coach engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.