Kyle Whittingham Sold the Michigan Wolverines on One Big Lie

Saturday night was the end. Kyle Whittingham and his Michigan Wolverines lost 15-6 to the Michigan State Spartans. They could not muster 200 yards of offense. They were physically dominated on the line of scrimmage. They were uninspired and unable to do anything of substance against a team that had not won a conference game all season.

That was what was bad on the field. Of course, that has come to be expected. Michigan’s offense has been terrible all season. Jason Beck ultimately paid the price for that on Sunday afternoon when it was reported and confirmed that he had been dismissed as the team’s offensive coordinator.

Firing Beck is slapping a band-aid on a bullet wound at this point, and feels like another act of desperation from the head coach who is trying to save his job.

When Kyle Whittingham was hired in December, the talking point that surrounded him the most was that he was going to be an adult after Michigan football had been overrun by immaturity, most notably by its recently fired head coach.

The adult in the room was candid. He talked about accountability and responsibility to everyone around him. That was true for both the coaching staff and its players. Whittingham’s words felt like a refreshing change from the drama that had preceded him.

Of course, the season has not gone as planned, and now Whittingham’s promise of accountability and structure has changed.

Michigan offensive coordinator Jason Beck looks over his play call sheet during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. Michigan State beat Michigan 15-6. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There has been a noticeable shift in recent weeks from Whittingham and the way he’s discussed everything surrounding the program.

When Whittingham got to Michigan, he was refreshingly candid. He was blunt in his assessments about the team. It felt like he was brutally honest.

That included him saying that his team was not a good football team right now after they narrowly escaped an embarrassing defeat at home to Western Michigan.

In recent weeks, however, Whittingham and his staff have started to try and shift their narrative.

Whittingham and his offensive staff benched Bryce Underwood in favor of Tommy Carr at halftime as the Wolverines trailed 6-0.

When the second half began, Michigan’s offense found life. They were aided by three takeaways from Michigan’s defense, but still found the end zone three times thanks to some throwback football. They ran downhill. They ran between the tackles. They made plays in the run game. They were different than they had been all season.

When the game ended, Whittingham denied what everyone could see on the screen or field in front of them. He stated nothing changed schematically.

That was a small change, and ultimately could have been passed off as coach speak, even if it was baffling in the moment.

The Biggest Change

The biggest shift from Whittingham has come with how he has talked about his players publicly. Most coaches know it’s taboo to criticize players in the media. Players typically do not respond well to that, and those types of discussions are thought best to be kept in house. That way it can be handled accordingly between the coach and the player he has a problem with instead of having 10 other players asked about the issue at hand.

Whittingham started in a weekly television spot with ABC’s Tina Nguyen that college football’s number one job is recruiting.

"I wouldn't say it's a complete rebuild because we've got some talented players in the program, but you're always looking to upgrade rosters and recruit," Whittingham said. "Really, college football is 80 percent recruiting. If you're having success or failure, you can trace it all back to recruiting decisions, either good or bad."

In the moment, that comment seemed relatively benign, because Whittingham’s only real recruiting efforts to date at Michigan were retaining the roster from last year’s 9-3 team.

Was he talking about making mistakes with those roster decisions?

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Normally, that would seem ridiculous, but after Michigan’s loss to Michigan State, Whittingham was defiant in that he was not giving up on the 2026 season.

“We have some serious issues," Whittingham said. "I don't know what else to say. We're not going to just give up on this season. We still have three games left and we have kids in that locker room that have a lot of pride."

One of the players who followed Whittingham to Michigan echoed his sentiments. John Henry Daley spoke with passion and disappointment in his voice about the issues that Michigan has had this season. It was evident he was still all in on this year’s team.

“We're definitely not going to give up," Daley said. "There are going to be rough times but it doesn't mean what you're doing is wrong. The setbacks are frustrating and hurt, especially rivalry games, but we're still going to show up every day."

Daley’s comments were candid and frankly refreshing. He spoke with conviction. He was believable.

Until you remember what his head coach said about him and the rest of his teammates about 20 minutes prior to that.

A Jarring Comment

Right after Whittingham said he was not giving up on the 2026 season, he was asked why he was confident in his ability to get things fixed, Whittingham shifted the focus entirely to 2027.

“Because when you look down the road, the recruiting class that we’ve put together for the ’27 class, we feel really good about, Whittingham said. “We got a portal season coming up in a month and a half, two months, and just continue to build the depth and the talent level, just continuing to add to what we got.”

The commentary was jarring.

It was as blatant a shot at the players that a head coach is ever going to give in a public setting.

It’s the oldest trick in the book for any child. Don’t blame me, it’s everyone else’s fault.

Michigan State quarterback (11) Alessio Milivojevic gets pressured as he throws the ball by Michigan (90) John Henry Daley during first half action at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Whittingham was essentially telling everyone not to blame him or his coaching staff, it’s the players who cannot get things on the field. That once he gets his guys in the building, everything will be better, and how could he be expected to win with the previous coaching staff’s players.

Guys like Jake Guarnera, who has played on one leg for most of the year. Guys like Jordan Marshall and Savion Hiter, who have fought through injuries. Guys like Rod Moore, who rehabbed vigorously for a chance at one final season of glory in Ann Arbor.

Those guys? They’re nothing to Whittingham, and he proved it by what he said.

Of course, that all flies in the face of logic when you consider Michigan won nine games a season ago with all the nonsense that was surrounding the program and with a coaching staff that was clearly in over its head.

Now, Michigan has just traded out coaching staffs that are in over their head and there’s more issues than ever before.

Michigan is going to play the final three games in an attempt to salvage their season.

Then again, that’s hard to do when the alleged adult in the room is acting more immature than the men he was supposed to lead.

Sign up for the Michigan Wolverines on SI newsletter for more free coverage

Add us as a preferred source on Google