Michigan’s tight ends room is getting a coach who knows the family business.
Freddie Whittingham is set for his first season in Ann Arbor, and the move brings him back alongside his older brother, head coach Kyle Whittingham. The two have worked together since 2012, and now that partnership is following them to Michigan. It’s also Freddie’s first crack at a football job in the Midwest, just like Kyle.
What makes Freddie an intriguing fit is the path he took to get here. He didn’t spend the last two decades grinding only on the sideline.
He went from BYU player to brief pro career, then stepped away from football entirely and spent nearly 20 years in higher education before returning to the sport. That long detour didn’t stop him from building a résumé that now looks tailor-made for Michigan’s tight ends tradition.
Freddie played at BYU as a halfback and fullback from 1984 and 1987-89, including the Cougars’ national championship season in 1984. That year, he had 25 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown while working as the team’s fullback and sharing the field with his older brother Cary Whittingham, a linebacker. He also completed a two-year mission trip before returning to finish his final three seasons as a three-year starting running back.
After college, Freddie spent time with the Los Angeles Rams in 1990 on the practice squad and then played for the San Antonio Riders in the World League of American Football in 1991. He went back to BYU after that to finish his bachelor’s degree in psychology, then built a career away from football, publishing with McGraw-Hill and Simon & Schuster.
When he came back to the game in 2012, Kyle brought him into Utah as director of player personnel. Freddie held that job through 2015, then spent from 2016-25 as Utah’s tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator before joining Kyle again at Michigan.
That background is a big reason the Wolverines wanted him. There’s already trust baked into the relationship, and Freddie’s recent track record with tight ends fits what Michigan has traditionally asked from that position: players who can both block and catch, often in 12- and 13-personnel looks. Stylistically, it’s a clean match.
The development record is hard to ignore, too. Utah has produced three drafted tight ends over the past four NFL drafts, including Dalton Kincaid in the first round in 2023. Kincaid finished his senior season with 890 receiving yards and eight touchdowns and was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2022 before becoming the first Utah tight end ever taken in the first round.
Kincaid has also pointed to Brant Kuithe and Cole Fotheringham, both of whom played under Freddie, as part of his growth. Kuithe was a second-team All Pac-12 pick in his first three seasons and later a first-team All-Big 12 selection as a senior in 2024. Thomas Yassmin also came through that same period and went undrafted before signing with the Green Bay Packers, where he still plays.
The other two drafted Utah tight ends were Caleb Lohner and Dallen Bentley, both Utah natives and both seventh-round picks by the Denver Broncos, with Lohner selected in 2025 and Bentley in 2026.
Michigan’s room gives Freddie a chance to keep that run going. He inherits four tight ends who could all matter this season, but the key is figuring out how each one fits.
Hogan Hansen, Zack Marshall, Deakon Tonielli and Jalen Hoffman all bring different tools, and the staff’s first job is sorting out those roles quickly. Hansen and Marshall matter even more because of availability.
Hansen has battled injuries through his first two college seasons, and last year he had a real opening to start when Marlin Klein missed time, only to get sidelined himself. That opened the door for Marshall and Tonielli to get more work, which helped the room.
Hoffman may be the most interesting piece in terms of how Freddie can shape the offense. He’s more of a blocker, but he’s shown he can catch the ball, too, including scoring the only touchdown in the 2025 spring game. If Freddie can get him working in the run game and play action, and help him grow as a receiver, Hoffman could give Michigan something closer to a Max Bredeson type role as a fullback.
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