The past few years, when CBS Sports put out its annual head coaches ranking, former Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore was often in the bottom of the Power Four. His predecessor, Jim Harbaugh, at times was outside of the top 10, before ultimately getting up near the top, as he had been perceived before taking the job in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines‘ new head coach, Kyle Whittingham, doesn’t have the same perception problems.
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After turning Utah into a perennial contender — whether in the Mountain West, Pac-12, or Big 12 — Whittingham had always turned the Utes into a team no one wanted to see. The hope for Warde Manuel and the maize and blue is that will continue now that he’s moved to the Big Ten. And, as far as CBS Sports sees it, he’s a coach at or near the top of his game, even at 66 years old. In the newest coach rankings, Whittingham comes in at No. 10 overall.
10. Kyle Whittingham, Michigan
Kyle Whittingham didn’t want to leave Utah, but he probably can’t feel too bad about where he ended up. Whit has long been either in our top 10 or just on the periphery of it, so this spot is not a result of him being at a blue-blood program. However, like Matt Campbell at Penn State, I wonder how he’ll be judged going forward, given the very different expectations at his new job than at his last gig. 2025 rank 11 (+1), High 7, Low 18
Whittingham might have newer, heightened expectations, but the coach who is accustomed to doing more with less will now also have the opportunity to do more with more. Given what he’s done even via recruiting, it’s apparent that he’s making the most of said opportunity. In the past four seasons at Utah, Whittingham got 13 four-star and one five-star recruit. With the 2027 recruiting cycle still underway, Whittingham has already gotten verbal pledges from 11 four-star recruits in his first few months in Ann Arbor. If that glow-up translates to play on the field, it might be apparent that he’s even better than advertised.
He’ll be facing a bear of a schedule in year one, but he’s shown that he can exceed expectations. Many think of 2021 Oregon or 2022 USC as being the best team in the Pac-12, yet it was Whittingham’s Utes that won both of those years. It will be interesting to see what the 21-year head coach is able to do with the maize and blue.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: CBS Sports ranks Kyle Whittingham as a top 10 coach in college football
