Newly appointed Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham revealed that his relationship with Urban Meyer goes back multiple decades.
In a stunning turn of events, the Wolverines turned to Whittingham, the longtime head coach at Utah, as the next leader of the program after Sherrone Moore’s departure.
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Michigan has been riddled with scandals for years now, dating back to the Jim Harbaugh era. A clean slate and a fresh start were needed for the school, and hiring a complete outsider in Whittingham is what they hope will be the remedy.
Whittingham was introduced on Sunday at a press conference, where he spoke publicly for the first time since being hired.
The new coach revealed that he has reached out to former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer for advice and guidance on the job — an interesting development given the inherent rivalry between the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
“First of all, you’ve got to bring in guys that you’re familiar with and you trust and you’ve worked with,” Whittingham said.
“I think that’s always a starting point. I’ve had some good resources — you know, Urban Meyer, I don’t know if that’s a four-letter word in this room or not. But Urban and me are very tight. Got some council from him. He’s been a few places and the key is to get guys in you trust.”
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Whittingham was the defensive coordinator at Utah before taking over as head coach. He actually succeeded Meyer, who bailed from the school after accepting a major head-coaching gig in the SEC with the Florida Gators.
Meyer left the program in good shape, and Whittingham would continue to build up the platform left by his mentor.
Now, Whittingham is stepping into one of the biggest spotlights in the nation at Michigan, where he will have immediate pressure to win games, and he is inheriting a situation much less ideal than what he got at Utah.
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