It's been known for a while that when Nebraska takes on Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, it will be the last time that Kyle Whittingham coaches the Utes. There was a time when the longtime coach was thought to be retiring. However, he's stepping down from the Big 12 school and might instead be headed for the Big Ten and Michigan.
If the next school does turn out to be the Wolverines, the Huskers have a fascinating job on New Year's Eve. First, they'll be wishing Whittingham a farewell to his career in Utah. It will also be a sort of "welcome to the conference" moment and an introduction to the kind of football the Ute coach can expect when he helms UM.
According to Dan Wetzel and Pete Thamel, Whittingham has emerged as the leading candidate for the Michigan Wolverines. And considering they haven't made much progress, things are about to go down.
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That would make next Wednesday's Nebraska game an interesting one. The coach could finish 2025 as Utah's head man and begin 2026 one day later as the official replacement of Sherrone Moore.
Whittingham, 66, went 177-88 in 21 full seasons leading the Utes, including a perfect 13-0 season in 2008. His resume is such that he's expected to eventually be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, as his 66.8% win percentage would qualify for the Hall.
Whittingham made clear in public comments that he was not retiring, as he joked he was entering "the transfer portal." The wording of his departure as "stepping down", combined with his comments, hinted at another potential head coaching job.
It seems likely, as Michigan has been looking for a new coach for a couple of weeks now, that the announcement comes before the Nebraska game. Perhaps as soon as today.