Kyle Whittingham ‘brutally honest’ with Michigan coaches as staff building begins

ORLANDO, Fla. — Kyle Whittingham’s arrival at Michigan is expected to have a seismic impact on the coaching staff, and the new head coach is not shying away from the changes on the horizon.

During his introductory news conference on Sunday, the 66-year-old Whittingham said he’s already had “brutally honest” conversations with the staff assembled by former coach Sherrone Moore. Moore was abruptly fired on Dec. 10 for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a staffer, prompting Michigan to look for a new coach. They landed Whittingham on Friday.

“They’re all experienced coaches,” Whittingham said. “They all know the deal. What really sucks is that you can win nine games, possibly 10, and be out of a job. That’s just the reality of the profession.”

Whittingham, who spent the last 21 seasons as head coach at Utah, plans to install a new-look staff full of coaches he knows and has a previous relationship with. Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck is believed to be the frontrunner to become the Wolverines’ offensive coordinator, while BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill is reportedly planning to join the Michigan staff in the same capacity. Neither hire has been made official yet.

“I can’t give you any names just yet,” Whittingham said. “Guys are still working bowl games and playoffs.”

Before his firing, Moore had already dismissed special teams coordinator JB Brown and replaced him with veteran assistant Kerry Coombs. Coombs’ contract status remains in limbo because he signed a memorandum of understanding, not a fully-executed contract, with the school days before Moore’s termination.

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Michigan also saw its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chip Lindsey depart for Missouri last week, forcing co-coordinator and tight ends coach Steve Casula into play-calling duties for Wednesday’s Citrus Bowl matchup against Texas (3 p.m., ABC).

That leaves Casula and the rest of the staff in limbo as Whittingham works to fill his staff.

“The first opportunity I had to speak to the guys, I touched on that subject,” Casula said. “It’s going to be easy to think about what’s next. I stressed to think about what’s been best about their experience here and how blessed we are to be here.”

Everyone on Michigan’s staff has at least a year left on their existing contract, some for huge sums of money. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is owed $2.7 million in 2026. Running backs coach Tony Alford has two more years left.

“The key is to get guys in that you trust, that you’re familiar with and do things your way,” Whittingham said. “I know what I expect, what my expectations are, but at the same time I’m not precluding the chance that we will keep some coaches from the current staff.”

In fact, Whittingham said, there’s a good a chance “a few faces stay over and help bridge that.”

“It’s much easier to be in the staff room and meeting and say, ‘I wonder how they do this (here?)’ and you’ve got a guy that’s been there, done that. That’s a big help. I would anticipate that of the 10 full-time coaches, seven or eight new guys and two or three holdovers.”