New Michigan football coach discloses what program identity will be under his watch

Kyle Whittingham discussed what Michigan football will pride themselves on

Nov 11, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham during the first half against the Washington Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Kyle Whittingham, Michigan's new football coach, vividly remembers sitting down to watch a football game when he was seven years old.

That game just happened to be one of the versions of The Game between Michigan and Ohio State with legendary coaches Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes at the helm leading their respective programs.

Unknown date; Ann Arbor, MI, USA FILE PHOTO; Michigan Wolverines head coach Bo Schembechler on the sideline with quarterback at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

At his introductory press conference on Sunday, Whittingham said seeing the winged helmets coming out of the tunnel that day with Schembechler leading the Maize and Blue got him "hooked" on Michigan football.

Being Whittingham grew up a fan of that style of football during his younger days, it's no surprise that he carried that mindset with him during his coaching career as his teams at Utah were always known for playing a tough, physical brand of football during his 21 years as head coach.

Whittingham discusses what Michigan's identity will be

When asked on Sunday what people should expect when watching the Wolverines under his watch, Whittingham brough up a style of play that fans should be familiar with.

"I've been watching Michigan football and following it for years," said Whittingham. "What you can expect—physicality will be our calling card. At Utah, the place I was, we were the most physical football team in the league, whichever league we played in. That's not going to be any different here. I believe in running the football—we were second in the nation last year (in 2025) rushing the football at Utah—and defending the run. If you can win the line of scrimmage and be physical up front, you've always got a chance. That will be the trademark and the identity of this football team. Physicality, toughness and grit."

Sep 27, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham talks to several officials during the third quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Listening to Whittingham talking about physicality at the line of scrimmage will be music to the ears of many Wolverine fans, as Michigan's best teams—both recently and historically, were dominant at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

While Michigan attempted to and did establish a similar identity the past two seasons, the Wolverines were mostly overwhelmed up front against tougher competition on a large scale.

For the Wolverines to overcome the skill position players Ohio State brings in each year, they have to win the overall battle at the line of scrimmage year in and year out against the Buckeyes and opponents similar to them.

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