Michigan
Kyle Whittingham knows what Michigan football needs
Kyle Whittingham says appeal of Michigan football job was obvious
New Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham said the appeal of the job was obvious on Sunday, Dec. 28, in Orlando.
Michigan football is primed to win now, new coach Kyle Whittingham said this week on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
The Wolverines have made far too many headlines off the field, which is why Whittingham told Patrick the organization needs to simply get back to focusing on the reason they’re all together as a team − football.
“The place doesn’t need a rebuild, it needs a reboot of trust and getting rid of the drama and just get back to playing Michigan football without all the distractions,” Whittingham said. “It didn’t come from the players. The players were not involved. It was not some player issue – it was just the peripheral.
“Guys here have a great attitude, I met with everyone of them last week at the bowl site. Quality young men, care about academics, excited to be at Michigan, but they’ve dealt with a lot over the last few years.”
Whittingham, 66, takes over as the 22nd head coach in program history after a pair of scandals rocked the previous two men who held his job.
Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines from 2015-23 − and left on top by winning a national championship − but also was found to have a lack of institutional control in his program by NCAA investigators after two separate NCAA violations occurred under his watch: impermissible recruiting and illegal sign-stealing.
More recently, Sherrone Moore was fired in scandal after he was found to have had a relationship with a subordinate and was subsequently arrested after he allegedly went to her house and threatened his own life − he was jailed for two nights and charged with felony home invasion, misdemeanor stalking and misdemeanor breaking and entering.
Patrick asked if there was any selling point Whittingham needed to hear specifically from Michigan. Whittingham said when he stepped away from Utah in mid-December there were only a handful of program’s he would have even entertained. He called Michigan “a special place.”
“Needed to hear that Michigan was what I thought it was,” he said. “Hey’re committed to winning here, we do have some challenges with entrance requirements, there is a little bit of a hurdle there, but talk about athletes, resources, tradition − it’s all here at Michigan.”
Whittingham also quipped about the irony of previously being a team that wore red (Utah) whose primary rival wore blue (BYU) to flipping that. It’s also not lost on him that his mentor, Urban Meyer, went 7-0 against Michigan in his tenure in Columbus − Whittingham joked at his opening press conference that Meyer’s name alone might be considered a “four-letter word” in Ann Arbor.
“Blue was our rival at Utah for years,” he said. “Now I’ve got to get used to saying, ‘Go Blue.’”
Whittingham is in the throes of one of the busiest times on the college football calendar. The transfer portal opened for a 15-day window Jan. 2-16, setting off a scramble to both retain players, scout the database and find appropriate fits for the team.
Whittingham has only known his roster and coaches for approximately 10 days – he said while down in Florida he was going to “lock himself” in a room at Schembechler Hall in Ann Arbor to watch film on the players on his roster. He has been able to keep Bryce Underwood, Andrew Marsh, Andrew Babalola, Blake Frazier, Evan Link, Jake Guarnera and Zeke Berry − the last two of whom had put their names in the transfer portal before indicating their return to U-M for 2026.
With money flowing, back-channeling frequent and poaching at an all-time high, Whittingham doesn’t see college football’s current model as something that will last as currently constructed for more than a handful of years.
“It is not sustainable, there’s no question about that,” Whittingham said. “Something’s gotta give. Within a 2- to 4-, 5-year window, you’re going to see a major overhaul of Division I football. I think it’s going to become more of a minor league NFL model. I think you’re gonna see a salary cap, collective bargaining, players as employees.
“I think all that’s coming because we cannot maintain this pace.”
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
Following claims of toxic mold at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, the Michigan Department of Corrections says testing did not show “evidence of systemic black or toxic mold conditions.”
MDOC says it hired Mold Quest International, a third-party contractor, to conduct testing in 2022 and in February and March 2026. Follow-up testing was conducted in May 2026. According to the report, the air quality was “normal at nearly all locations tested, and the limited HVAC vent locations that exhibited minor growth indicators have since been resolved via staff cleaning efforts.”
The report also noted that the “overall indoor air quality exposure at the facility, with respect to fungal contamination, falls within acceptable norms for facilities of this type.”
“The safety and wellbeing of the people in our care is our top priority and that starts with ensuring our facilities are clean, safe, and humane. That’s why we have taken several deliberate steps in recent weeks to improve conditions at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility,” MDOC Director Heidi E. Washington said in a statement. “When I committed to transparency and releasing the summary of environmental findings, I meant it. At the same time, I want to be clear that we recognize this is an ongoing responsibility. We will continue to closely monitor the conditions at the facility and conduct regular cleanings.”
This comes as women who were formerly incarcerated and Michigan lawmakers have been expressing concerns over conditions at the facility. A class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 alleged that the prison was “operating under a state of degradation, filth and inhumanity.” It was eventually dismissed, and then an amended complaint was filed.
In the last month, three women have died. Their causes of death are currently unknown, but an investigation is ongoing.
The family of Khaira Howard, who died on May 13, claims the 28-year-old was denied proper medical care while in prison. They claim red flags started almost immediately once she was transferred to the Washtenaw County facility. Meanwhile, two women who served sentences at the prison claimed waiting to see a doctor was just one barrier to getting healthcare.
The MDOC says it has taken “meaningful actions” at the facility to improve health and safety, such as bringing in additional healthcare staff, improving communication processes, and working to hire more full-time medical staff.
Note: The video above originally aired on June 9, 2026.
CHIPPEWA COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — A Wisconsin man is facing felony charges in Chippewa County after Michigan State Police say he stole a vehicle in Green Bay and forced another man to travel with him to Michigan at knifepoint.
According to MSP, troopers were notified by Green Bay police on Tuesday, June 9, that a suspect who had allegedly stolen a vehicle was believed to be headed toward the Sault Ste. Marie area.
Troopers later located the stolen vehicle on M-28 near M-221 after it broke down, but the suspect was no longer with it.
A short time later, police were called to a Dollar General in Kincheloe after a man ran into the store and asked an employee to call 911, reporting that he had been kidnapped.
Investigators say the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Blaze Gugin, was found inside the Pizza Patch restaurant in Kincheloe and was taken into custody without incident.
Police allege Gugin stole the vehicle in Wisconsin and then threatened his adult male roommate with a knife, forcing him to travel from Green Bay to Chippewa County. After the vehicle broke down, investigators say the two hitchhiked to Kincheloe.
Gugin was arraigned June 10 in 91st District Court on charges of unlawful imprisonment and receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle.
His bond was set at $250,000 cash with tether and other conditions. He is scheduled to return to court June 22.
The owner of the stolen vehicle has been notified so arrangements can be made for its return.
The case remains under investigation.
NASA announced this week the four-man crew that will embark on the Artemis III mission, and one of those astronauts has ties to Michigan.
Mission specialist Andre Douglas, who served as a backup crew member for the recently completed Artemis II mission, received a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering from the University of Michigan in 2012, according to NASA.
Douglas will now join fellow astronauts Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano and Frank Rubio. Bresnik will serve as commander with Parmitano as the pilot.
The crew is expected to launch into Earth orbit in 2027 to test rendezvous and docking procedures with moon landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin before the U.S. sends astronauts back to the moon in 2028.
“To get an opportunity to serve in the Artemis program as someone who kind of just came in the door not too long ago, it’s a huge honor,” Douglas told CBS News.
According to NASA, Douglas was born in Miami and grew up in Virginia, graduating from Western Branch High School in Chesapeake. Douglas received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2008. After earning his master’s degrees from U of M, Douglas later earned his doctorate in systems engineering from Georgia Washington University in 2021.
NASA selected Douglas to join the 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class, and he reported for duty in 2022.
The Artemis III crew will carry out a mission similar to the Apollo 9 flight in 1969. During that time, three astronauts tested the spindly lunar excursion module in Earth orbit.
Note: The video above previously aired on June 9, 2026.
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