Before Kyle Whittingham decided to join the Wolverines, he sought advice from a vocal Michigan enemy. There was no way sentiments would not take over. The hatred for the team got the better of former Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer, who advised him to stay off Ann Arbor. But that was before he took back his words.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s well documented,\u201d Meyer said<\/a> on THE SCRIPT podcast. \u201cI talked to Kyle a bit, and certainly, he texts quite a bit. He calls me, and he says, \u2018Wait, did you hear this?\u2019 and I started laughing. I thought it was something\u2026 I don\u2019t know. And he says, \u2018I got a phone call from the Wolverines\u2019.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I was like, \u2018Whoa! Wait a minute. And my first reaction was, \u2018don\u2019t go there, pal,’\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Meyer played a role in the 128-year rivalry between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes for seven years. The rivalry, which is ranked by Encyclopedia Britannica as one of the ten greatest sports rivalries in history, is not one you partake in and recover from. You choose a side, and it becomes part of your identity, and Meyer took that very personally. Thankfully, he has the bragging rights, with a perfect 7-0 record against them between 2012 and 2018.<\/p>\n It\u2019s understandable why Meyer doesn\u2019t want Whittingham in Michigan. He knows how good his former aide is. Whittingham was Meyer\u2019s defensive coordinator at Utah between 2003 and 2004, when the Utes went 10-2 in 2003 before following it up with an undefeated season the next year, capped by a Fiesta Bowl win over Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n That said, Meyer does respect the school he wants to see fail. \u201cI\u2019ve said this many times, and I know Cardale knows this, because I\u2019ve said this to our players. Name another person who respects that school more than I do. And I\u2019m including probably some people who have gone there\u2026 That\u2019s why we work so hard to beat them. I know their history, he added.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Perhaps it was this respect, mixed with some convincing words from Whittingham, that eventually led to Meyer\u2019s endorsement. It was the kind of decision where logic had to defeat emotion. Even Meyer could not deny that the pair were a perfect match. Whittingham needed a program that would back him enough to prove his true qualities, and the Wolverines needed a coach who could make good use of the resources at his disposal<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter we talked for about 20 minutes, my comment was, \u2018That\u2019s a perfect fit, I get it.\u2019. Of all the people in the United States of America, they should call, it\u2019s you. I know what he stands for. I know it\u2019s about doing the right thing. It\u2019s about toughness. It\u2019s about academics. And they got a great one,\u201d Meyer said.<\/p>\n Urban Meyer loses respect for Wolverines due to recent happenings<\/p>\n Even when the Wolverines have had the better of the rivalry in recent years, Meyer asserted that Michigan has been declining overall. Michigan has defeated the Buckeyes four times in its last five meetings. However, Meyer insisted that something has gone wrong with the program lately, especially after the Wolverines\u2019 27-9 loss to Ohio State in November 2025.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell you, it\u2019s taken a little bit of a hit though,\u201d Meyer said. \u201cWhat\u2019s gone on in the last four or five years, I lost a little respect. I know this is going to make some headlines. The nonsense that has gone on up there, that\u2019s not the Wolverine team or program that I mean. When I started hearing about all the violations, and then, the most recent stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n Meyer was referring more to the off-field occurrences surrounding the program. Michigan has dealt with plenty of problems over the last few years, from the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal<\/a> and NCAA scrutiny to Jim Harbaugh\u2019s departure to the NFL and the instability that followed under Sherrone Moore<\/a>.<\/p>\n The most hyped prospect in the country last year, Bryce Underwood, also underdelivered<\/a>, with his numbers, 2,428 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, nowhere near what those who followed him in high school expected. But he, too, sees optimism now that Whittingham is a Wolverine.<\/p>\n \u201cWe went through a lot, but I think we\u2019re going to be more player-led this season. I feel like we are more of a team now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Above all, Meyer gave the assurance that Michigan had found its solution in Whittingham, calling him \u201ca 66-year-old, but he\u2019s in a 50-year-old body and mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Trending Articles<\/p>\n The post Urban Meyer admits he advised Kyle Whittingham not to join Michigan at one point : “don’t go there”<\/a> appeared first on EssentiallySports<\/a>. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before Kyle Whittingham decided to join the Wolverines, he sought advice from a vocal Michigan enemy. 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