This week on the In The Trenches podcast, we heard from new Michigan linebackers coach Alex Whittingham. The son of Kyle Whittingham hasn’t always been with his father, as he coached with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, he’s back with his dad in Ann Arbor.
On his transition to Ann Arbor
“It’s almost overwhelming how welcoming everybody has been and I’ve got to pinch myself everyday,” Whittingham told podcast host Jon Jansen. Whittingham is excited about the opportunity, and while there has been a transition, he said his family is adjusting well to the move to Ann Arbor.
On his decision to get into coaching
Whittingham watched his dad coach for so long, and being around a program for his life made it easier for him to get into the space as well. He said he loves to teach, and that’s what coaching is at the end of the day. He also is looking forward to helping players improve.
On what it was like coaching with Andy Reid
“Great is under-selling it a little bit,” Whittingham said. He said that while working in Kansas City, he learned how the sport should be coached so he can form his own foundation. Whittingham said you have to learn how to be consistent at that level and that he’s going to take that experience to help him coach college players.
On what it was like coaching in the Super Bowl
While Whittingham credited a lot of the success of the Super Bowl winning teams to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, he also said that making sure you have the strength to keep going in the postseason were the most successful late in the season and able to win it all.
On what it’s been like coaching with his dad
Whittingham said he’s played for his dad, and now he’s coaching with him in Ann Arbor. He said coaching with a different organization for eight years has allowed him to look at his dad’s coaching through a different lens. He has also enjoyed having his family and getting to see his dad interact with his own kids.
On the linebacker room this season
“I see a room that is hungry and ready to get after it and make names for themselves.” He acknowledged the players that the team lost at the position after last season, and he said that means the guys on the roster now are ready to show what they can do.
On player development ahead of the season
The players had to learn about behaviors, mentalities and new practice habits that the coaching staff expects. Whittingham told Jansen he’s been impressed with how they’ve stepped up and learned some of the techniques he and the rest of the coaches want to see them use this season.
“Troy had a fantastic spring. He made huge strides as far as his strength in the weight room … had a very complete spring and took a lot of steps forward physically,” Whittingham said. It’s not jus his development strength-wise, Whittingham said Bowles understands the game very well and that he’s starting to become more of a leader on the team.
On Nate Owusu-Boateng and Chase Taylor
Whittingham mentioned that Nate Owusu-Boateng has “done a great job buying into what we want to do,” but he did have a minor injury in the spring and did his best to play through it.
When it comes to Chase Taylor, Whittingham made a pretty bold statement, “He’s gonna be special. I think we should be really excited about him. He’s filling out, putting on weight, maturing as a student, as a player, as a person. He makes things look easy out there and has just so many athletic gifts that he’s been blessed with, and he’s gonna be fun to watch for sure.”
One thing Whittingham spent time talking about was Taylor’s growth and maturity coming back to the program for another season. He said Taylor makes things look easy on the field.
On who else stands out at linebacker
Whittingham said the freshman class of Aden Reeder, Markel Dabney and Kaden Catchings are learning the ropes, but having some veterans in the group — especially transfer Aisea Moa, who played in this defense for three years when he was at BYU — is also helping bring the younger players along.