Multiple Utah assistants set to join Kyle Whittingham in Michigan

Wolverines set to bring in several of Whittingham's former assistants at Utah

Now-former Utah Utes offensive coordinator Jason Beck will join Kyle Whittingham's Michigan Wolverines staff. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

As Kyle Whittingham traded in his crimson and white for blue and maize over the holiday break, it felt like only a matter of time before some of his former Utah assistant coaches join the 66-year-old on the next chapter of his career in Michigan.

Turns out, the moment Utes fans spent days worrying about came less than 24 hours following the conclusion of the team's 2025 season.

Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck, along with tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr. and wide receivers coach Micah Simon, are set to follow Whittingham to Ann Arbor to be part of his first coaching staff with the Wolverines, according to reports.

Whittingham, who was recently named the next Michigan head coach after stepping down at Utah earlier in December, acknowledged during ESPN's "College GameDay" that while the deal was not official, hiring Beck to be the Michigan offensive coordinator was "huge" for the Wolverines.

Beck revitalized the Utes offense in his one season in Salt Lake City. Under his guidance, Utah put up 41.3 points per game — the third time since 1930 that Utah averaged over 40 points per game — and totaled 482.9 yards of offense per game, ranking No. 4 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in that category.

For context, the 2024 Utes averaged 23.6 points (No. 102 in the FBS) and 329.8 yards of offense (No. 115).

The 2025 squad was fueled by quarterback Devon Dampier, who followed Beck from New Mexico to Salt Lake City via the transfer portal last offseason. Dampier's trusty receiver, Ryan Davis, also made the move to join the Utes after a career-year with the Lobos.

With Davis as his No. 1 option once again, Dampier threw for 2,490 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and tossed five interceptions (he had 12 picks in 2024). Beck heavily utilized the dual-threat quarterback's legs too, as Dampier finished second on the team with 835 rushing yards on 146 attempts, becoming the first Utah quarterback since Alex Smith in 2004 to record over 2,000 passing yards and 600 rushing yards in the same season.

Beck's reputation as a creative play-caller didn't prevent him from playing to Utah's strength on offense, which happened to be running the ball. With a stout offensive line bookended by two potential first round NFL draft picks in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, the Utes totaled 3,462 rushing yards — breaking the school record of 3,263 set in 1984 — and finished second in the FBS in rushing yards per game (266.3).

Beck will bring his RPO offense with him to Michigan, where he'll potentially have former five-star recruit Bryce Underwood to lead his offense from under center. It's been speculated Dampier could be part of the mass exodus out of Utah once the transfer portal opens Jan. 2, though as far as his path to Michigan is concerned, Whittingham has made it clear he wants Underwood to be the Wolverines' signal-caller in 2026.

Beck, a former BYU quarterback, is set to join a Michigan staff that includes now-former Cougars defensive coordinator Jay Hill. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Hill — previously an assitant under Whittingham at Utah — has agreed to a deal to become Michigan's defensive coordinator.

Freddie Whittingham, Kyle's brother, spent the past 10 seasons as the Utes' tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. During that time, he helped coach several standouts, including 2023 first round draft pick Dalton Kincaid and four-time all-conference selection Brant Kuithe.

Like Beck, Detmer leaves the Utah program after spending one season in Salt Lake City. The former BYU quarterback was an offensive analyst at New Mexico in 2024 and coached with Beck when they were at Syracuse together. Simon was also part of New Mexico's staff before joining Utah for the 2025 campaign.

Members of Utah's offensive coaching staff left the Utes the day after Morgan Scalley's first win as a head coach, a 44-22 victory over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Utes dominated the Cornhuskers behind 535 total yards of offense, including 458 from Dampier, who also recorded five total touchdowns.