David Pollack reveals biggest question facing Kyle Wittingham at Michigan

The Kyle Whittingham era at Michigan has officially been underway for just over 70 days. Whittingham, who had spent the previous 21 seasons at Utah, succeeded former head coach Sherrone Moore in Ann Arbor. Moore was fired for cause on Dec. 10.

The program is seeking stability from the top down after numerous scandals over the past few seasons. In that aspect, Whittingham was a slam dunk hire for the program. He has proven over the course of his career that he is an unproblematic winner, something Michigan is thirsting for.

Deep into the college football offseason now, David Pollack revealed his biggest question about Whittingham’s ability to win at Michigan on his ‘See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack‘ podcast.

“Here’s the only thing I’ll say about (Kyle) Whittingham… I think it would be easy to say yes (as to whether he will or won’t succeed at Michigan) when looking at his track record,” Pollack said. “But, he’s also with a different clientele and a different group of kids. And so, how does his style work with theirs?

“He’s used to Utah kids. Under-recruited kids. Not guys that everybody wanted. He’s gonna have some divas. He’s gonna have some personalities to massage and work. I wonder about that, but I don’t think they’re worse. It can only get better and the stability will get better.”

The San Luis Obispo, CA native has been extremely busy ensuring that the Michigan program will remain one of the most prominent in the country upon his arrival. Whittingham retained freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, brought over a plethora of coaches from his Utah staff, and hauled in some highly ranked players from the Transfer Portal.

A few of these names include Utah transfers EDGE John Henry Daley (No. 12 ranked player in Portal), CB Smith Snowden (No. 50 ranked player in Portal), and WR JJ Buchanan (No. 57 ranked player in Portal).

Kyle Whittingham talks Ohio State rivalry, importance of ‘The Game’

A major factor in being successful at Michigan is whether or not you are able to knock off rival Ohio State in ‘The Game’ on a year-by-year basis. Former head coach Jim Harbaugh was seen as a bit of a disappointment after losing his first five matchups, but turned things around by winning his final three and a National Championship.

“It’s such a national game and has such prominence that I feel like I’ve known it for years and years,” Whittingham said. “It is ‘The Game’ in the country and the biggest rivalry in the country. So, it’s not hard to be educated about that when it’s been so front and center my whole college career. It doesn’t take much studying up on that game to figure out what it’s all about.”

During his introductory press conference, Whittingham was asked if he holds a strong dislike for Ohio State now that he was the head coach at Michigan. “I do now, I guess,” Whittingham said with a chuckle. “But, like I said, I followed them for quite a while. Me and Urban (Meyer) were on the same staff at Utah. I was his defensive coordinator. So there was a real tight bond there, and I followed his career and obviously stayed in touch throughout the course of his career. And he had great success there. But now I’m on the right side of the deal.”

As a head coach, Whittingham has not faced Ohio State since the 2022 Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes held off the Utes 48-45 in an all-time classic, which saw superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba hauling in 15 receptions for 347 yards and three touchdowns.