Cole Sullivan Opens Up on Michigan’s Tumultuous December and the Arrival of Kyle Whittingham
ORLANDO, Fla. - For Michigan linebacker Cole Sullivan, the last few weeks haven’t just been challenging - they’ve been a full-blown emotional gauntlet. In the span of just over two weeks, the Wolverines saw their head coach fired, headlines dominated by an arrest, and a new era begin with the hiring of Kyle Whittingham. Through it all, Sullivan and his teammates have been doing their best to keep the focus on football - and each other.
“It’s kind of been a roller coaster of emotions, to be honest with you,” Sullivan said this week as the team prepared for their bowl game. “I’m just happy to have this staff around us, this group of guys to lean on and help us get through everything.”
Sullivan, a sophomore who stepped into the starting lineup during the final two games of the regular season, didn’t sugarcoat the impact of the past few weeks. The Dec. 10 dismissal of Sherrone Moore - following revelations of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member - sent shockwaves through the program and triggered a 16-day coaching search that ended with Whittingham’s hiring.
“I was kind of stunned for a while,” Sullivan admitted. “I didn’t know what to think.
But at the end of the day, we’re still the same team. One person doesn’t define who we are.
I’m not going to let what happened define me. And I know the rest of the team isn’t going to let that happen either.”
That mindset - one rooted in resilience - has helped Michigan’s players weather a December unlike any other. But it hasn’t been easy.
Moore’s arrest and arraignment became a national story, and the uncertainty surrounding the coaching staff’s future only added to the noise. Interim head coach Biff Poggi did his best to steady the ship, but even he couldn’t block out everything - especially with the Transfer Portal looming and assistants unsure of their next step.
“There’s been obviously a lot of outside noise on social media,” Sullivan said. “But I try to stay away from that as much as possible and just lean into, again, these guys around me, my family.”
One bright spot in the chaos? A chance to go home for Christmas. Poggi gave players some time off, and Sullivan took full advantage.
“It was nice Coach Poggi gave us some time to go home for Christmas,” he said. “I got to spend time with those people and just people who I know have my best interests at heart. And that’s what I’ve been focusing on the most.”
A New Era Begins: Whittingham Takes the Helm
With the dust finally settling, attention has turned to Michigan’s new head coach, Kyle Whittingham. For most of the roster - Sullivan included - Whittingham is still a bit of an unknown. But that hasn’t dampened the excitement.
“I’m excited,” Sullivan said. “I don’t know, personally, a lot about him.
I only know what I’ve seen on social media. He seems to be a great guy, a great coach, and I’m just super excited to meet him and get to talk to him.”
Whittingham will meet the team for the first time Saturday night in Orlando and will be formally introduced as Michigan’s 22nd head coach during a press conference on Sunday morning. For Sullivan, that meeting can’t come soon enough.
“First, I just want to see what his vision for the program is,” he said. “I’ve heard that he’s a blue-collar, hard-nosed, tough coach, and I think that’s exactly what this program has been built on.
So that’s exciting to hear. I’m also just excited to talk one-on-one with him, see what his vision is for me, for this defense, and go from there.”
One Last Ride with Team 146
Even as the program turns the page, there’s still one more chapter to write for this version of the Wolverines - Team 146. And for Sullivan, that’s something worth cherishing.
“I feel like you could either go one of two ways: We either stay together or break apart,” he said. “I’m sure - I’m dang sure - we don’t want to break apart. That was really the only choice we had.”
That unity has been the heartbeat of Michigan’s locker room during a month that tested every player’s resolve.
“The camaraderie we have in the locker room - we always tell each other we love each other,” Sullivan said. “It’s not something we just say.”
As Michigan prepares for its bowl game, the team knows change is coming in 2026. But for now, it’s about finishing strong, together. And if Sullivan’s words are any indication, the Wolverines aren’t just surviving the storm - they’re finding strength in it.