Whittingham, 66, announced earlier this month that he was stepping down from his role in Salt Lake City.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on the sidelines of Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham may no longer be a free agent.
The longtime Utes leader “emerged as the focal point of Michigan’s coaching search,” ESPN reported on Friday morning.
“Whittingham’s candidacy is expected to be shared with Michigan’s top officials on Friday,” ESPN reported, citing unnamed sources. The deal could be completed “in the near future, subject to approval.”
Earlier this month, Whittingham announced he would step down as Utah’s head coach after two decades. But the sixty-six-year-old man made it clear quickly he wasn’t ready to retire.
“If my phone rings, I pick it up,” he said. “And if I like who’s calling, we’ll see.”
Whittingham has the second-longest tenure of any active coach in college football, winning a program-best 177 games during his tenure with the Utes. That consistency could be attractive to officials in Michigan, where Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore was fired and arrested earlier this month.
Leave a Reply