Michigan’s first season under Kyle Whittingham has reached a point where a one-year stay no longer feels far-fetched. The Wolverines are 4-3, the offense has sputtered badly, and industry buzz is beginning to circle a coaching change that seemed unlikely not long ago.
The biggest problem sits on one side of the ball. Jason Beck, the offensive coordinator, is the highest-paid at his position across college football and the NFL, but Michigan’s offense has still been described as one of the worst in the sport. Whittingham’s reluctance to make a change there, at least through seven games, is now being tied directly to his own future.
CBS Sports’ John Talty reported that Michigan could be among the openings in the sport depending on how the next few weeks and months unfold. Even so, there are still moving parts beyond the field, including an incoming university president and an outgoing athletic director.
That administrative transition may end up mattering as much as the results. Warde Manuel is on the way out, and Whittingham was hired as a bridge coach. Multiple industry sources believe it is at least possible that Michigan could enter the head-coaching market again for a second straight cycle, though it remains too early to say that definitively.
Whittingham, 66, has lost three of his last four games. Michigan’s three losses have come against Iowa, Minnesota and Indiana, and the team still has Oregon, UCLA and Ohio State ahead. There is a real possibility the Wolverines finish 6-6, which would only sharpen the questions around the program.
One source put the uncertainty bluntly: “I think they know this isn't the long term,” said one industry source. “It's just do you rip it up after one year?”
Michigan is also conducting its athletic director search with Turnkey ZRG assisting, and sources believe the school wants that process settled before any football decision is made. But a new AD would also want to come in with a clear show of support for the football program, and that could put Whittingham in an especially vulnerable spot if the season keeps sliding.
For now, nothing is locked in. But in Ann Arbor, the idea of a coaching change after one season is no longer being treated like a crazy thought.
In Other News...
Michigan Enters Rutgers With Two Availability Questions Fans Will Watch
Michigan heads into Rutgers with a few notable availability questions still hanging over the lineup, most of them on the defensive side and up front. Starting right tackle Blake Frazier is questionable after sitting out the previous game, while safety Rod Moore is in the same category along with Jordan Young and Enow Etta. On the brighter side, linebacker Troy Bowles and center Jake Guarnera are both listed as probable, which gives Michigan at least some stability as it prepares for a road test.
The matchup also comes with its own set of injury concerns on the other sideline, since Rutgers will be without starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan and leading receiver KJ Duff. For Michigan, the bigger issue is still how much it can count on its own depth, especially if Frazier remains unavailable and the secondary keeps shifting around. Those final availability calls could shape how the Wolverines manage the game plan once kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Heads To Rutgers With Its Identity Under Real Pressure
Michigan heads to Rutgers still searching for a cleaner version of itself after the overtime loss to Indiana, and the questions around this team go well beyond one rough afternoon. The quarterback situation remains unsettled, the rushing game has not looked like the reliable anchor Michigan usually leans on, and the offense is still trying to sort out what changes fit best under the new coordinator. Even the line, long a point of pride in Ann Arbor, has become part of the conversation as the Wolverines try to turn more drives into something more sustainable.
Rutgers offers a chance to reset a few of those storylines, at least on paper. The Scarlet Knights have been one of the countrys weaker run defenses, which should give Michigan a path to simplify things and play to its strengths if it can finally do so consistently. The bigger question is whether the Wolverines can carry that opportunity into a steadier performance after a stretch of close losses that has started to test the teams confidence as much as its execution. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Has A Troubling Availability Question Ahead Of Rutgers
Michigan heads into its meeting with Rutgers with a few important moving parts on the availability report, and the most notable ones sit right in the middle of the roster. Safety Rod Moore is among the players listed as questionable, while left tackle Andrew Sprague has already been ruled out, leaving the Wolverines to sort through some real uncertainty on both sides of the ball as the week unfolds.
There is at least a little balance to the injury picture, since Rutgers is dealing with its own issues, including a missing starting quarterback and a doubtful top receiver. Still, Michigans focus is on who it can count on, and safeties coach Tyler Stocktons recent comments on Moores status only added to the sense that this is a situation worth watching right up until kickoff. [Read more 🡒]