In recent years, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University football teams have been under heavy scrutiny. With underperforming seasons, scandals, and a turnover in head coaches, both teams are now under new and fresh leadership. Here is an introduction to both head coaches.
Kyle Whittingham – Michigan
Due to the firing of Sherrone Moore for violating the university code of conduct, the Wolverines were left with an unexpected coaching search late into the hiring season. After a two-week search for a new head coach, the Wolverines hired Kyle Whittingham on Dec. 26, 2025, to be their 22nd head coach in program history. Whittingham spent 31 years at the University of Utah, and spent 20 of those years as their head coach. He stepped down as their coach on Dec. 12, 2025, just two days after Moore’s firing. This came as a surprise to many since there were no prior rumors of interest between the two separate parties. Whittingham had widespread success at Utah, making 17 bowl games, winning three conference championships, developing more than 50 players into the NFL Draft, and finishing ranked second in the country in 2008.
Junior Cameron Duerr added on to this by saying, “I think that [Whittingham] was one of the best coaches on the market. He has been coaching for decades at Utah and has made them a very successful program.”
Whittingham has a hard-nose coaching style that favors running the ball and winning games on the line of scrimmage. Whittingham wasted no time filling out the Wolverines’ coaching staff, hiring Jay Hill, previously from BYU as defensive coordinator. Whittingham also brought various coaches with him from Utah, such as Jason Beck for offensive coordinator, Jim Harding for the offensive line and assistant coach, and Koy Detmer Jr. to be the quarterback coach.
In today’s college football landscape, transfers are inevitable for every program. Whittingham had to act quickly to retain players, spending over 20 hours meeting with each member of the team. He retained key players such as quarterback Bryce Underwood, offensive lineman Blake Frazier, and defensive back Zeke Berry.
Duerr touched on the additions and retention of the coaching staff and players by saying, “A lot will change with the program with losing talent. But I have trust in Whittingham to add the talent back through the portal. I also think the additions of the whole new coaching staff will cause a large impact since there will be a whole new playbook.”
Overall, Whittingham is tasked with restoring the image that was damaged by Moore and bringing back the Wolverines to their winning ways.
Pat Fitzgerald – Michigan State
After two years of very little success under Johnathon Smith, and finishing with a record of 9-15 over the past two seasons, the Spartans fired him on Nov. 30, 2025. Just one day later, the Spartans hired Pat Fitzgerald on a five-year, $30 million dollar contract to be their next head coach. Fitzgerald spent 21 years at Northwestern University, with 16 of them being the head coach, before being fired due to hazing allegations, which the two parties recently settled. Fitzgerald claimed to have no knowledge of the hazing, even going on to sue Northwestern for $130 million dollars. Looking for new beginnings back in the coaching industry, Fitzgerald hopes to bring the same toughness on the offensive and defensive lines, grit, and success he had at Northwestern up to East Lansing. Fitzgerald coached Northwestern to 10 bowl games, an appearance in two Big-10 championship games, and putting numerous players into the NFL. One of the first things Fitzgerald did in East Lansing was to bring back much needed excitement back into their program. He went to numerous Spartan athletic events and hyped up the crowd in order to bring support back into the football program. He then filled out his coaching staff by hiring Nick Sheridan to be the offensive coordinator, who previously coached at Alabama and Washington, LeVar Woods to be an assistant coach who previously held that position at Iowa, and retained defensive coordinator Joe Rossi.
Sophomore Drew Sermo added onto the coaching hires, saying, “I think he [Fitzgerald] is doing an amazing job hiring coaches so far. The culture he is building should lead us back in the right direction!” Unfortunately for Fitzgerald, some of the Spartans’ best talent entered the transfer portal, such as wide receiver Nick Marsh, defensive lineman Jalen Thompson, and their quarterback of the last two years, Aidan Chiles. The upside of hiring Fitzgerald is that he will bring back a much-needed toughness to a program that has lacked that greatly. He will try to accomplish this by retooling the offensive and defensive lines. Fitzgerald had success at Northwestern and looks to lead the Spartans back to their first winning season since 2021.
With both programs being under heavy scrutiny recently due to performance, scandals, and poor actions by coaches, Fitzgerald and Whittingham should re-establish the relationship with their fanbase. There is a ton to look forward to with both coaches leading their respective programs this upcoming fall.
