Kenny Dillingham had the kind of decision most coaches only dream about, and in the end, he still never felt like Michigan was where he was headed.
When Michigan went searching for a replacement after the scandal involving Sherrone Moore in December led to his immediate termination in Ann Arbor, Dillingham quickly became one of the names tied to the opening. On paper, it made sense.
He was young, he had already shown he could lift a program, and he had a real connection with his players. But the Arizona State coach stayed put, and Michigan eventually turned to Kyle Whittingham, who had just mutually parted ways with Utah.
A few months later at Big 12 Media Days, Dillingham explained why the whole thing never quite lined up for him.
Michigan reached out while he was out to dinner in Arizona, and the timing was as ordinary as the moment was massive. Dillingham said his family was immediately willing to go with him if he chose to leave, but his own instinct kept pulling him back to Scottsdale, where he has already started building something with Arizona State and has the administration behind him.
"That’s good intel; I know exactly who was at that dinner at the Fat Ox,” Dillingham told USA TODAY Sports at Big 12 Conference Media Days. “Great opportunity; Michigan found the perfect guy for them. They really did, because Kyle Whittingham is somebody that I've looked up to.”
The most interesting twist is that Dillingham also leaned on Whittingham while he was weighing the Michigan call. He reached out early in the process to ask about the decisions Whittingham had made over the years and how he handled family considerations.
"I actually called him early in the (Michigan) process to talk to him about his choices and his family and things that he'd never sacrificed," Dillingham said during his Big 12 Media Days interview.
That call ended up looking even stranger once Michigan landed on Whittingham, a coach Dillingham had admired for years, including back when both were in the Pac-12 before moving to the Big 12. In the end, Dillingham stayed home, and Whittingham became the next man up in Ann Arbor.
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Michigan Hit With Another Ugly Twist In Sherrone Moore Fallout
A new lawsuit has pushed Michigan back into the legal spotlight around the Sherrone Moore fallout, this time from a former athletics department executive assistant who says the university has not been forthcoming about what happened behind the scenes. Paige Shiver alleges the school violated the states Freedom of Information Act by withholding public records tied to an internal investigation, including investigative files, text messages and other internal communications.
Her complaint goes beyond records access, too, adding claims of sex discrimination and a hostile work environment as the university continues to deal with the aftermath of Moores dismissal. Moore was fired over an inappropriate relationship, then later faced criminal charges and probation, and the latest filing suggests the controversy is still creating fresh legal and reputational problems for Michigan. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Made A Hire That Could Shape Bryce Underwood Fast
Kyle Whittinghams arrival in Ann Arbor has already started to reshape the staff around Michigans most important long-term project, and the next move came quickly. On Jan. 2, he brought in Jason Beck as offensive coordinator, pairing himself with a coach he knows well from Utah and one whose background leans heavily toward quarterback development.
That matters because Michigan is trying to accelerate Bryce Underwoods growth while also giving its young offense a clearer structure. Beck has spent years coaching quarterbacks at multiple stops, and his work under Whittingham gives the Wolverines a built-in level of familiarity at a time when continuity can be just as valuable as scheme. The bigger question now is how fast that fit translates once the offense gets on the field. [Read more 🡒]