CBS Says Michigan Coach Kyle Whittingham Could Be One and Done, Why That's Unlikely

The Michigan Wolverines are not having the season that anyone around the program was hoping for when fall camp concluded.

The buzz out of camp was that the team had a lot of talent, and their quarterback had taken the jump under the highest-paid offensive coordinator in college football.

Combine a better offense with a defense that is usually excellent, Michigan had their eyes on challenging for the Big Ten title.

Instead, they nearly escaped defeat opening weekend against Western Michigan, and had to be awarded another second to do so.

They rebounded with consecutive wins against Oklahoma and UTEP to escape non-conference play at 3-0, looking to carry momentum into Big Ten play.

They did not. Back-to-back losses against Iowa and Minnesota have derailed Michigan’s season, which took another turn last week when Bryce Underwood was benched in favor of Tommy Carr.

Pundits around the world have noticed Michigan’s struggles, as CBS Sports recently handed out grades to all the teams in the Big Ten. To nobody’s surprise, the Wolverines have not graded out well.

Austin Nivision gave the Wolverines a D-Plus with the following thoughts.

“By just about every possible metric, Michigan's offense is meaningfully worse than it was last year, Nivison said. “That's saying something because the Wolverines weren't exactly lighting it up last fall. Bryce Underwood has regressed, and Kyle Whittingham finally benched him in last week's win over Penn State. Freshman quarterback Tommy Carr gave the offense a spark it had been looking for, and hopefully that's a sign of things to come because the defense is too good to waste. If Whittingham can't get the offense fixed, Michigan will be scrapping to reach a bowl, and there's a possibility he could be one-and-done.

The Money Line

The big line from Nivison came at the end where he said that Whittingham could be one-and-done as Michigan’s head coach.

Is that a serious possibility that the Wolverines would consider? The Wolverines hired Whittingham with the impression they were hiring a proven winner with experience. That came on the heels of hiring someone with no head coaching experience in Sherrone Moore, who proved to be a disaster for multiple reasons.

Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham reacts next to quarterback Bryce Underwood after the 20-19 loss to Iowa on the game's final play at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Wolverines, by hiring Whittingham, went against the conventional route of modern college football. Most programs are aiming younger and more energetic with their hires.

Whittingham’s biggest detraction as a candidate was his age, and he was flirting with retirement late in his career at Utah.

What Would It Take?

For the Wolverines to fire Whittingham and eat a significant buyout of his contract, the season would have to end in absolute disaster. What does a disaster look like?

Bowl eligibility may not be what the expectations were to start the season, but it’s hard to envision the powers that be at Michigan, whoever they are at that time, moving on after six or seven wins.

The benchmark for a firing would likely have to be a five-win season that includes losing both rivalry games. A loss to Michigan State at home, considering the state of their program would be inexcusable.

A season-ending loss against Ohio State in blowout fashion, considering Whittingham’s comments early in the season about not hating the Buckeyes, could land poorly.

Four or five wins with the aforementioned scenario from above playing out? That could lead to Whittingham being shown the door at the end of the season, and allowing the Wolverines to conduct a full coaching search this time around.

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