Kyle Whittingham Doesn't Hate Ohio State, Does It Matter?

Kyle Whittingham has made it clear. He does not hate Ohio State. We’ve talked about this before. It’s not overly surprising. Whittingham has coached in rivalries, but not in this rivalry.

Woody Hayes against Bo Schembechler was once compared to a war that lasted for 10 years.

Jim Harbaugh said that his team was going to beat Ohio State or die trying.

What has happened since the turn of the decade has been a run full of shots across the bow that have spilled more into immaturity. We are just two years removed from Michigan and Ohio State players getting doused in pepper spray on the field.

Whittingham is trying, for better or worse, to distance himself from that. Will it work?

The Quote

Whittingham mentioned at Big Ten Media Days that he does not believe there is a place for hatred, even if the desire to beat his rival burns over time.

#Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham on his comments about not hating Ohio State from Big Ten media days:

“Do we have a better chance of winning if I hated them? I don’t understand. Whatever gives us the best chance to win, I’m all for it. I want to beat them worst than anybody.” pic.twitter.com/e4fjLPBltT
— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) August 10, 2026

Whittingham doubled down on that comment in his media availability on Monday. He even looked and sounded a little surprised by the question.

“Do we have a better chance of winning if I hated them? I don’t understand,” Whittingham said. “Whatever gives us the best chance to win, I’m all for it. I want to beat them worse than anybody.”

We’ve talked about this on this page before. Does it really matter how Whittingham feels in this regard? So long as he wins, that is ultimately what will matter.

Understandable Fear

One of the concerns as Michigan continued to drop The Game in a streak that spanned from 2012 until 2021 was that Ohio State took the rivalry more seriously than Michigan did. Jim Harbaugh and Brady Hoke did not match the energy of Urban Meyer and Ryan Day, which was part of the reason some fans felt Michigan ultimately could not compete against the Buckeyes.

They did all the gimmicks. They cracked the Buckeye. They called them Ohio instead of Ohio State. Ultimately, it didn’t matter as the first Saturday after Thanksgiving resembled a demolition more than a football game.

Everything changed in 2021 when Harbaugh boldly claimed at media days that his team was either going to beat the Buckeyes or die trying. They focused on the Buckeyes weekly, including the installing of the “Beat Ohio” drill.

Four victories later, and the prevailing thought there was some correlation with the difference in how the Wolverines approached the game as opposed to years past.

The key was not the method, however, but that it was real.

Authenticity

College players are smart. They can smell a fraud from a mile away. If Jim Harbaugh tried to play the role of nice guy, it would have been snuffed out immediately. That’s just not who he is. He’s a glass chewer. An old school coach. He grew up in the rivalry and played in it as a former Michigan quarterback.

Of course he hated Ohio State.

Michigan tight end Colston Loveland runs against Ohio State safety Sonny Styles during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kyle Whittingham didn’t grow up in the rivalry, and he’s coached at Utah for 20 years. Michigan did not hire someone who has been in the rivalry. They didn’t hire an alumni.

They hired Kyle Whittingham.

One of the things that makes Whittingham who he is, is the authenticity he brings. No, he’s not going to give out state secrets at the podium, but the staff has been very candid at the podium during spring and fall camp.

Whittingham is a straight shooter. He’s honest, and that has shined through whenever he speaks.

That authenticity is going to play with his players. If he starts acting, or attempts to do some of the typical rivalry gimmicks, they’re not going to land. That’s not who he is. That’s going to be far more detrimental than him not hating a team on their schedule.

An Adult in the Room

One of the key phrases we’ve heard since Whittingham was hired was that Michigan had the desire to add an adult in the room in order to move past their past.

You cannot move past your past while repeating old actions. Some things are rooted in history that should not be changed.

Kyle Whittingham isn’t suggesting that Michigan change their fight song, or put red in their helmets. He’s simply asking for some stability in a program that has not been stable, and a rivalry that has become increasingly unstable over the last five years.

You cannot ask Whittingham to be an adult in this situation, and then in turn ask him to act unauthentically childish.

Kyle Whittingham is not Jim Harbaugh. He did not grow up in this rivalry. Furthermore, he’s not Sherrone Moore, who was trying to be Jim Harbaugh during his short tenure as Michigan’s coach.

Whittingham is going to be himself, and that’s ok.

As long as he does what is most important in this rivalry.

Win.

Dusty May sat down with Brian Boesch on 'Defend the Block' to discuss the perfect storm that occurred for him to exit #Michigan and head to the Dallas #Mavericks.

STORY: https://t.co/pkqUb3TolM pic.twitter.com/Q4VOu4kjU0
— Trent Knoop (@TrentKnoop) August 11, 2026

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