Michigan Head Coach Search Rumors: U-M Targeting Former Utah Coach Whittingham

More than a week has gone by since Michigan fired Sherrone Moore, but it still hasn't found its next head coach. 

Several coaches have been linked to the Michigan job since it opened, with the likes of Alabama's Kalen DeBoer and Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham being among the more highly rumored candidates for the job. The search in Ann Arbor to find the next head coach, though, is still ongoing. So, let's dive into the latest rumors surrounding the Michigan job. 

Whittingham reportedly Michigan's top target

Kyle Whittingham, the longtime Utah Utes coach who recently stepped down from the position, is now Michigan's top target to replace the fired Sherrone Moore, per ESPN. That plan is expected to be shared with Michigan's "top officials" on Friday.

While Whittingham, now 66 years old, stepped down from his job in Utah, he made it clear that he was not retiring. Given he does not need to be convinced to unretire shortly after retiring, the expectation, per NBC, is that a deal could be reached as early as Friday afternoon, assuming the aforementioned top officials approve of the plan. 

Whittingham, a former college and NFL linebacker who first moved into coaching in 1985 with BYU, was the head coach of the Utes for 21 seasons and posted a 177-88 record in his time there while going 11-6 in bowl games. He led Utah to the Mountain West Conference championship in 2008, back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022 and four Pac-12 division championships in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021. He won coach of the year honors in both Mountain West and the Pac-12, and is the all-time leader in wins for Utah.

Louisville's Brohm "happy with" current job

Asked about his interest in the open Michigan head coaching position, Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm said that, "I don't speak on other jobs, I'm happy with this one, and happy about the victory, we're going to enjoy that."

Brown was referring to Louisville's win against Toledo on Tuesday in the Boca Raton Bowl. Brohm has been the head coach for the Cardinals since 2023, was born in Louisville and attended the school while starring as its quarterback for two seasons, including in 1993 when the Cardinals won the Liberty Bowl against Michigan State.

While Michigan would obviously be a significant opportunity for any coach who wanted to head there, given its status as one of the top schools to coach at, Brohm immediately shutting down discussion of the job checks out given his longtime affiliation with Louisville.

When will Michigan hire its next head coach?

Not only did Biff Poggi share that he's a candidate to become Michigan's next head coach and make his pitch for the job on Monday, but he also revealed when athletic director Warde Manuel would like to have a hire made by. 

"Well, Warde Manuel just spoke to the kids today. Still working through it, but hopes to have something done by … I know he wants to have something done by the bowl game," Poggi told reporters on Monday.

If Manuel's timeline is accurate, that means Michigan would have a coach hired sometime within the next 10 days. Michigan plays Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31. 

That timeline might also rule Alabama's Kalen DeBoer out of consideration for the job. DeBoer is set to coach Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Michigan has a "serious interest" in DeBoer, FOX Sports' Bruce Feldman previously reported. 

Biff Poggi says he's interviewed for the job

A new name has entered the mix to become Michigan's next head coach. Interim coach Biff Poggi said he's had multiple interviews for the job already.

"I'm being considered. I've had multiple interviews, multiple conversations," Poggi told reporters on Monday. "Nobody knows what's going to happen. I don't know what's going to happen. I just appreciate being considered, and we'll see what happens."

Poggi also made his pitch for Michigan to remove the interim tag from his name.

"Because I know what the hell I'm doing," Poggi said when asked why he should be Michigan's next head coach. "I have a long 10-year history of knowledge of this place. This place is really important to me. My wife and I had someone, one of our boys played here. We have two daughters that most of you don't know about that graduated from here. Or are graduating. This place has been great for them. 

"This place is magical. The program means a lot to me. It's one of the things I want to fix before I go smoke myself to death with cigars. It's one of the things I want to fix. I want to fix this program."

Poggi, 65, has only had one other stint as a head coach in the FBS. He coached Charlotte for two seasons, going 6-16 before getting fired with two games remaining in the 2024 season.

Poggi was named Michigan's interim head coach for the second time this season shortly after Sherrone Moore's firing. He coached the Wolverines for two games when Moore served a self-imposed suspension earlier in 2025, helping Michigan beat Central Michigan and Nebraska. He'll coach Michigan when it takes on Texas in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Eve. 

Prior to being re-hired as Michigan's associate head coach this past offseason, Poggi worked at Michigan as an analyst in 2016 and as an associate head coach for two seasons (2021-22). 

Kenny Dillingham signs extension with ASU

Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham's name won't be in consideration for the Michigan job anymore. Dillingham and the Sun Devils agreed to a five-year extension with an average annual value of $7.5 million. 

After all the rumors surrounding Dillingham's future, in the end it was all leverage leading to this extension. 

"I never got offered a job," Dillingham said about Michigan on Saturday. "None of that ever ever happened and it never got to that point." 

The level of mutual intrigue between Michigan and Dillingham isn't clear. But it was a positive for the 35-year-old coach, who's locked in with his alma mater for the foreseeable future.  

Joel Klatt: Michigan's next head coach will be one of these 3 candidates

FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt believes that Michigan is targeting three people to become its next head coach: Alabama's DeBoer, Arizona State's Dillingham and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea. 

Yes, Klatt knows that DeBoer stated his commitment to Alabama on Sunday. However, he doesn't think the statement was ironclad. 

"It seems cut and dry," Klatt said on the most recent episode of his podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show." "Maybe I'm crazy. I don't know. Until there's ink on a contract, and he's signing an extension at Alabama, I think there's still going to be smoke in the air. So, we'll see what goes on with Kalen DeBoer."

Of course, the obstacle for Michigan to try and hire DeBoer, at the moment, is that he and No. 9-ranked Alabama are set to play No. 8 Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday. If Alabama wins that game, it would play Indiana in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. That's a day before the transfer portal opens, so possibly waiting for DeBoer would cause some complications on Michigan's end.

When the news broke of Sherrone Moore's firing at Michigan, Klatt had Lea and Dillingham on his list of three coaches he thinks could end up getting the job. Both coaches recently got extensions, with Dillingham receiving a deal following the end of the 2024 season and Lea signing an extension in November. Klatt also recognized that Michigan might face other complications in trying to hire Dillingham and Lea, but that shouldn't stop it from pursuing those two coaches. 

"Kenny Dillingham, I think is interesting, and Clark Lea, I think, is interesting as well," Klatt said. "We knew this was not a great time for Michigan. They're at the tail end of this thing, as far as the coaching carousel goes. So, it's going to be difficult for them. I think they shouldn't be scared by extensions. OK, so a guy signed an extension. Great, go talk to them, see what you've got. There's problems with all three of these guys. DeBoer has a game on Friday, so he's only going to dig his heels in at Alabama. 

"Dillingham is at his alma mater, and they're reportedly working on an extension with Dillingham at Arizona State. There's also some family dynamics that might keep him in the Phoenix area. Clark Lea already signed an extension at his alma mater, but you've got to kick the tires on a guy you might feel is a good fit. So, those are three names that you keep an eye on."

Dillingham, as Klatt alluded to, is an Arizona native and an Arizona State alum. The 35-year-old has already had great success at his alma mater, going 22-16 in his three seasons as Arizona State's head coach. He also helped Arizona State win a Big 12 title in 2024, reaching the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff before posting an 8-4 record this year.

Lea, meanwhile, has slowly built up Vanderbilt. The Commodores went 10-2 in Lea's fifth year at the helm, marking their first 10-win season in program history. He's also won SEC Coach of the Year in each of the last two seasons. Lea has gone 26-35 in his five seasons at Vanderbilt, but has a 17-8 record in the last two years. 

Michigan has "serious interest" in Kalen DeBoer

Alabama's season is still ongoing, but that isn't stopping Michigan from pursuing Kalen DeBoer. Michigan has "serious interest" in hiring Alabama's head coach, FOX Sports college football insider Bruce Feldman said on the most recent episode of the "Bear Bets" podcast.

"What I've heard is that [DeBoer] does like it at Alabama and I know the AD (athletic director Greg Byrne) really likes him and the leadership likes him and thinks he's the guy they want to lead the program," Feldman said. "But if they lose, man, I wonder if that changes the calculus for a lot of people — including DeBoer. 

"There's serious interest, from what I've been told, at Michigan for DeBoer. He's really a good offensive coach and they at Michigan have been dreadful on offense. They were horrible last year and weren't that much better this year. I think that's something they'll look at."

Alabama is playing Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, throwing a wrench into Michigan's possible pursuit of DeBoer. Earlier in the week, DeBoer also stated that he was committed to Alabama amid the Michigan rumors. 

Still, the buzz surrounding DeBoer's possible candidacy to become Michigan's next head coach hasn't slowed down. DeBoer has already dealt with some hot-seat chatter in Alabama despite posting a 19-7 record in his first two seasons with the Crimson Tide as he replaced Nick Saban.

Even with the hot seat chatter surrounding DeBoer, he's one of the more accomplished active head coaches in college football. He led Washington to the national championship game in his second season as head coach in 2023, where it lost to Michigan. He's gone 123-19 in his career as a head coach, having successful stints at Fresno State and Sioux Falls, a Division II program.

If DeBoer turns down Michigan's overtures, Feldman has a couple of other coaches who might be strong candidates for the Michigan job.

"The names that I think are at play here are Jedd Fisch, a former Michigan assistant under Jim Harbaugh and did an amazing job at Arizona," Feldman said. "He just led Washington to nine wins in Year 2. He's also a really good offensive coach. I think he's in play for the job. Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State is in the mix, I believe."

Fisch, as Feldman mentioned, just went 9-4 at Washington after going 6-7 in his first year with the program. He went 16-21 over his three years as Arizona's head coach. However, the Wildcats went 10-3 in Fisch's final season with the program, improving each year.

Dillingham has gone 22-16 in his three seasons as Arizona State's head coach, helping the Sun Devils win the Big 12 Championship in 2024.

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