Michigan
CBS Sports grades Michigan, Michigan State football coaching hires
Kyle Whittingham introduced as Michigan’s 22nd head football coach
Kyle Whittingham met the media for the first time as Michigan head coach on Sunday in Orlando, Fla.
Michigan’s ride on the college football coaching carousel perhaps came unexpectedly, following the firing of head coach Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10.
The Wolverines, however, appear to have landed a strong fit as a replacement in Kyle Whittingham.
Michigan’s hiring of the former Utah head coach merited an “A” from CBS Sports writer Richard Johnson, who recently handed out grades for FBS hires. Michigan was one of four programs to get an A, joining Oklahoma State (Eric Morris), UCLA (Bob Chesney), and Virginia Tech (James Franklin)
Johnson gave Michigan State a B-minus for its hire of former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Michigan officially added Whittingham on Dec. 27 — four days before the Wolverines faced Texas in the Citrus Bowl — after terminating Moore for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Whittingham spent 21 seasons leading the Utah program, where he was 177-88 with three conference titles between the Mountain West and Pac-12.
Whittingham, 66, stepped down at Utah on Dec. 12.
“It wasn’t exactly a stunner that Kyle Whittingham stepped down at Utah — he had been on retirement watch annually as he got older — but it was surprising that he ended up back in the game at Michigan,” Johnson writes. “His identity should play well with the Wolverines, and the offense run by Jason Beck is tailor-made for Bryce Underwood.”
Michigan State football coach Pat Fitzgerald greets fans
Michigan State football coach Pat Fitzgerald greets fans at the Breslin Center on Dec. 2, 2025 in East Lansing.
Michigan State, meanwhile, fired head coach Jonathan Smith on Nov. 30 after two seasons leading the Spartans and quickly moved on to Fitzgerald, who guided Northwestern for 17 seasons before he was fired before the 2023 season. Fitzgerald went 110-101 overall, and 65-76 in the Big Ten, registered three seasons in which the Wildcats won at least 10 games, and two in which they won the Big Ten West.
“Fitzgerald made waves at Northwestern by leading the Wildcats to two first-place finishes in the Big Ten West,” Johnson writes, “but struggled during the final two years of his tenure with a 4-20 combined record. It remains unclear whether Fitzgerald’s late-era swoon in Evanston was due to limited resources or if the game passed him by. For years, Fitzgerald maximized rosters with talent deficiencies. With more investment promised, the answer should come quickly.”
Whittingham will make his Michigan debut Sept. 5 at home against Western Michigan. Fitzgerald will coach his first game for Michigan State at home against Toledo, in a game also currently scheduled for Sept. 5.