Kyle Whittingham carried out his first press conference as the pinnacle coach of the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday morning in Orlando, only a few days earlier than the workforce takes on Texas within the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
From recruiting to his general workforce philosophy, listed below are 5 of my largest takeaways from his opening presser.
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1) Whittingham particulars why he was concerned with Michigan
As can be the case with 99 p.c of coaches desirous to be the pinnacle coach in Ann Arbor, Whittingham detailed the way it was a “no-brainer” to have an interest within the gig.
“Well, what was appealing was the obvious, it’s Michigan,” Whittingham stated. “That says it all. Michigan and all that entails. The tradition, the Big House. It’s one of the most storied programs in all of college football, so that was a no-brainer.”
2) Whittingham has “a lot left in the tank”
Being a 66-year-old coach, many followers and pundits alike have questioned how lengthy Whittingham would be the head coach at Michigan for. By the sounds of it, Whittingham doesn’t plan on quitting anytime quickly.
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“I wasn’t sure if I was finished or not,” Whittingham stated, reflecting on leaving Utah. “(I’ve got) a lot left in the tank … (Michigan is) definitely a top-five job in the country without a doubt … I’m just elated to be here.
“I still got a lot of energy and if the right opportunity came, I’d be all in on that.”
Whittingham signed a five-year take care of the Wolverines, so it doesn’t sound like he plans on having an early retirement by any means. Very reassuring to listen to this from him.
3) The rapid priorities
When requested what his first plans as head coach of the Wolverines shall be, Whittingham was fast to present one other nice reply — roster retention, which incorporates the present gamers and the incoming recruits within the 2026 class.
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“Roster retention is job No. 1,” he stated. “It’s all about players. If you got good players, you got a chance.”
Whittingham additionally talked about later within the press conference that he met with quarterback Bryce Underwood earlier this morning for 45 minutes. He stated he did “a lot of listening” and needed to find out about Underwood and his household, and what thinks are necessary to him.
“It was a great conversation,” Whittingham stated. “Special young man. The quarterback has to have that ‘it’ factor, and Bryce has that ‘it’ factor. His ceiling is very high, and the offense we’re going to bring in here, I think is going to suit him to a T.”
4) Speaking of the offense he’s going to usher in…
Whittingham didn’t present any particular names, however he did point out he’s planning on bringing in guys he has labored with previously and that “you gotta bring in guys you’re familiar with and you trust, that’s always a starting point.” Some of the names which were linked to Whittingham to date embody Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck, BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill and Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding, to call just a few.
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At the identical time, Whittingham acknowledged there are “some excellent coaches” at the moment with this system and that “there will be some faces that stay on” to assist bridge the staffs collectively. “I would anticipate 7-8 new guys and 2-3 holdovers” is what he stated, particularly, about what he expects the teaching employees to appear to be.
One of the rumored holdovers is operating backs coach Tony Alford. When requested about him, particularly, Whittingham referred to as Alford a “tremendous football coach.” Whittingham labored with Tony’s brother, Aaron, at Utah earlier than he handed away in 2013, so he has familiarity with Tony and his household.
“I have a ton of respect for Tony and we’ll see how things work out in that direction,” Whittingham stated.
5) Recruiting the state of Michigan shall be one other precedence
When requested by Maize n Brew’s Matt Hartwell about recruiting the state of Michigan, Whittingham stated he and his employees will emphasize creating relationships with highschool coaches to have the ability to recruit the very best gamers within the Mitten State. He additionally talked about dividing up the state amongst his teaching employees to get “plenty of coverage.”
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“You always want to take care of your own backyard,” Whittingham stated.
He additionally spoke about casting “a wide net” on the recruiting path and going “coast to coast” to seek out the very best gamers potential for the workforce. It appears like that can even be mirrored in his teaching employees, as he talked about his want to have a “diverse staff rooted in many different places in the country” to have the ability to recruit from the West Coast to the East Coast.
Other fast notes…
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Whittingham “didn’t have any hesitation” taking this job regardless of all the problems inside the program and athletic division, and with there not being a full-time president in place as of right this moment. (*5*)
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On what to anticipate from his groups at Michigan: “Our team will fall in line with what Michigan is used to … what you can expect, physicality will be our calling card.” He detailed how he believes in operating the soccer and defending the run” and that in case you management the road of scrimmage, issues ought to work out most of the time. “Physicality, toughness and grit” are three phrases he used as effectively.
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When requested in regards to the assets he could have at Michigan, Whittingham stated it’s “absolutely” thrilling and that “job No. 2 is to get with the right folks and get the resources we need to put the roster together and build it from there.” NIL will certainly be a focus for Whittingham shifting ahead with the “top tier” assets he could have.
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Expectations 12 months in and 12 months out shall be to make the College Football Playoff. “That’s my expectation … that’s the bar.”
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“Family culture, without a doubt” is what you may count on out of a Whittingham-led program. “I believe in family.” One of his mantras is: “We love the players, the players love each other.” It is “about the football team, there’s nobody above the team … if we’ve got everyone on that page, that’ll be a very positive thing.”
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“My culture is going to be with the players. That’s what I’m concerned with, the players.” He additionally talked about the way it’s as much as the older gamers to set the usual for the youthful gamers and the incoming recruits, saying the gamers are there to set the usual. “You will become us.”
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