The questions around Kyle Whittingham are getting harder to ignore in Ann Arbor.
What was supposed to be a clean reset for Michigan after Sherrone Moore was let go in December has instead turned into a season full of second-guessing. Whittingham arrived with a decorated résumé and the kind of profile that made him look like the most qualified candidate Michigan could have targeted. With a talented roster in place, including five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, the expectation was that he would steady the program, cut through the noise and bring some discipline back to the field.
Seven weeks in, that hasn’t happened.
Whittingham’s first public remarks about the Ohio State rivalry raised eyebrows right away. Since then, he has also downplayed the Minnesota trophy game and continued defending Jason Beck even as the offense has fallen behind last season by every statistical measure. The frustration reached a new level after Michigan’s 13-6 loss to Indiana, a game in which the defense held up but the offense never found the end zone and the Wolverines let a chance at a signature win slip away.
Afterward, Whittingham leaned into the idea of a moral victory.
“If that’s a number six team in the country, then we’re a pretty good football team even though we’re sitting at 4-3,” Whittingham said.
That kind of comment does not sit well at Michigan, a program that has long sold itself as one that answers to nobody. Instead, it made Whittingham sound content just to be part of the moment.
The louder the criticism gets, the more the conversation has shifted from whether Whittingham can build something to whether he fully understands the size of the job he took. Devin Gardner has been among the most outspoken voices, and he has made it clear he was never sold on the hire. He pointed to Whittingham’s handling of the Ohio State rivalry and the Michigan-Minnesota game as examples of why the messaging has bothered him.
“I’m not surprised. What have we seen from Coach Whittingham?”
Gardner said. “The devaluing of the rivalry against Ohio State.
That’s just a fact, it’s not that important. It’s important but is it?
I don’t hate them. I saw some comments about the jug how it’s not that big of a deal kind of.
That’s not something you say. I don’t know if it’s just I’m a little older and I don’t care about winning the press conference.
Or I’m a little older and I don’t care that what I say has an impact because I’m dealing with 18, 19, to 22 (year olds). Because now if you’re 18, 19, 22, you’re thinking ‘yeah we are pretty good’.”
Gardner’s co-host Jake Butt has also been more direct in his criticism.
There have even been outside reports wondering whether Whittingham could be one-and-done in Ann Arbor, with some industry sources fueling that speculation.
The sharpest criticism, though, has come from Jon Jansen. A former Michigan captain, Jansen is around the program regularly as the color commentator on the Michigan radio broadcast, and his words carry real weight.
He took aim at Whittingham’s defense of Beck with unusually blunt language.
"It would not be an overreaction if this happened," Jansen said about Whittingham potentially replacing Beck on the radio last week. "I think the moment has passed.
If you're going to do it, you're going to do it like Oregon did. But you have to be able - you inherit a certain talent and skill set by your offensive line, by your running backs, by your quarterbacks.
And if you refuse to call plays that they are good at, then I don't know what you're doing. I really don't."
That kind of criticism does not come from nowhere. It comes from someone who knows the building, knows the program and clearly believes something is off.
And Jansen may not be alone. There are writers around the team who are firmly in Whittingham’s corner, and there are plenty of frustrated fans who are tired of losing and saying so loudly. But when someone as connected to the program as Jansen speaks that plainly, it suggests the unease runs deeper than the usual noise.
At this point, the mood around Whittingham feels like it is changing. What once looked like a hire meant to stabilize the program is starting to look, to some, like buyer’s remorse.
If the losses keep piling up, that conversation is only going to get louder.
And if Michigan loses to Rutgers on Saturday, things could turn ugly fast.
In Other News...
Bryce Underwood Could Force A Tough Michigan Decision Soon
Bryce Underwoods path at Michigan has already taken an unexpected turn, with the former five-star quarterback recruit getting benched in favor of Tommy Carr after struggling against Penn State. For a program that has spent so much time building around quarterback stability, the situation has quickly become one of the more intriguing personnel questions on the roster, especially with Underwood still carrying the kind of athletic profile that can tempt a staff to find another way to use him.
Michigan has not made any official decision about a position change, and no approach has been set in stone, but the idea is clearly on the table as the Wolverines sort through their quarterback situation. Underwoods future role now feels like one of those early-season decisions that can shape more than just depth-chart order, because if the staff decides his best path is somewhere other than quarterback, it would say plenty about where things stand behind center. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Escaped Rutgers But The Real Frustrations Arent Going Away
Michigan got what it needed against Rutgers, but not in the cleanest way. The Wolverines squeezed out a 28-21 win after letting a late-game lead slip away long enough to make things uncomfortable, even with Tommy Carr turning in a strong night through the air and on the ground. His 266 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns gave Michigan enough punch to survive, but the overall feel of the game was less about control than escape.
For a program that still has bigger ambitions in the 2026 season, the concerns did not disappear with the final whistle. The defense had stretches where Rutgers found room to answer, including the fourth-quarter tie that briefly changed the tone of the night, and the offense again left questions about consistency and coaching direction. A win is a win, but this one did little to quiet the frustration around how Michigan is being put together week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Still Have One Big Question About This Team
Michigans football profile has drawn a mixed bag of reaction lately, with praise from some corners and sharp criticism from others. Utah State coach Bronco Mendenhall singled out offensive coordinator Jason Beck for the work being done on that side of the ball, while former Michigan players and analysts have pushed back on Kyle Whittinghams coaching style and the way he has handled his public comments.
Greg Schiano added another layer to the conversation by calling Michigans defense elite and pointing to several of its key players as the reason for that reputation. For fans, the contrast is what makes the bigger question linger: if the defense is playing at that level and the offense is drawing positive notice, why does the overall picture around the program still feel so unsettled? [Read more 🡒]