Oklahoma’s Return Trip to Michigan Taking Shape Following Turmoil

The Sooners hosted the Wolverines for Part 1 of the home-and-home between OU and Michigan in 2025, and they’ll make the return trip to Ann Arbor in 2026.

The personnel on the opposing side will look much different than likely anyone would have guessed.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Michigan will hire Kyle Whittingham — the longtime coach at Utah — to be its next head coach on Friday. Whittingham will reportedly replace Sherrone Moore, who the Wolverines fired on Dec. 10.

Whittingham spent 21 years as Utah’s coach, leading the Utes to a 177-88 record. He won three conference titles — two Pac-12 and one Mountain West — and won the Sugar Bowl over Alabama in 2008 during his tenure at Utah.

In his final season in Salt Lake City, Whittingham and the Utes went 10-2 in the regular season and finished No. 15 in the College Football Playoff rankings. He announced on Dec. 12 that he would be stepping down from his role with longtime defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley taking over the head coaching reins.

Whittingham will reportedly take over a program that presumably will return many of its key players.

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True freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood led the Wolverines’ offense in 2025, and he finished the regular season with 2,229 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions on 61.1 percent passing. Running backs Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall also have eligibility remaining, too, as well as key defenders TJ Metcalf, Brandyn Hillman and Cole Sullivan.

The transfer portal will officially open on Jan. 2 and — of course — any of these players could opt to depart from the program when it does.

Per a University of Michigan statement, there was “credible evidence” that Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore was arrested on Dec. 10 — the day of his firing — on three charges: home invasion, stalking in a domestic relationship and breaking and entering.

Oklahoma beat Michigan 24-13 on Sept. 6. OU quarterback John Mateer logged three total touchdowns on 344 total yards of offense, and the Sooners’ defense held Underwood to just 9-of-24 passing.

The Sooners have never played in Ann Arbor, and the 2025 game was only the second meeting ever between the historic programs. OU leads the all-time series 2-0.