Michigan students surprised and disappointed by Sherone Moore news
December 13, 2025: University of Michigan students and alumni react to details of the firing and arrest of University of Michigan football coach Sherone Moore.
- Michigan State is looking at a safe and secure landing spot for Kyle Whittingham. It’s not an elite hire, but it’s not bad either.
- Utah State won 18 games in 21 years under Whittingham.
- Sherone Moore brought shame to Michigan. Whittingham will restore his reputation.
Michigan State isn’t closing out Sherone Moore’s chapter in the program’s history anytime soon.
The Wolverines have signed a contract to hire longtime University of Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. Whittingham went 177-88 at the University of Utah, a record that included two Pac-12 championships and a 10-win season in the Big 12 this year as Utah State contended for the College Football Playoff.
Here’s how to evaluate your hire:
Grade: B-
Michigan has been upgraded. They’re hiring better coaches than the ones they fired.
The Wolverines brought national disgrace to Moore. Closing the deal with Whittingham was the winner of his career. He is a symbol of stability for a university that needs to calm down scandals.
Yes, indeed, Whittingham is an upgrade over Moore.
He’s not the home run that some other obvious targets could be.
Acquiring Alabama’s Karen DeBoer or Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham would have been a big flex for Michigan. Whittingham is seen as having made a safe, if unspectacular, landing after a tumultuous few weeks.
Moore’s shame became Whittingham’s gain. He leveled up. At 66 years old, he faces one of the biggest challenges of his career. He will have the support of Michigan’s great resources while facing greater expectations than he faced in Utah.
Prior to Moore’s firing, Whittingham announced that he would be leaving the University of Utah at the end of this season, but would not be retiring. He makes way for Morgan Scully, who is waiting to replace him as coach.
As long as Whittingham’s fire still burns hot, don’t worry about his age. He is only two years older than Curt Cignetti, according to the Indiana reveal.
It’s natural to have questions about hiring a coach who has never worked within the Big Ten or on the Mountain East side.
First, can Whittingham successfully recruit the four- and five-star talent Michigan needs to pursue the highest level of success?
Whittingham found success in Utah by signing and developing three-star players primarily from west of the Mississippi River. That worked out well enough for the Utes. With that approach, they won’t be able to compete with Ohio State, Oregon, or Indiana.
How high will Michigan’s ceiling be under a coach who usually loses Utah’s games against higher-ranked opponents while winning most of its remaining games? Consider Whittingham’s final season at Utah a microcosm of his career. The Utes lost to two of the Big 12’s top teams, Texas Tech and Brigham Young, and other teams.
Last year, Utah endured a seven-game losing streak while playing a freshman quarterback and playing a schedule that included multiple ranked opponents.
Whittingham earned a reputation as a serious line of scrimmage coach. His team is built around physicality, and that should translate to the Big Ten. His brand of ball and track record of player development should maintain a stable social standing. He had a winning record in 18 of his 21 seasons as Utah coach.
Whittingham never drafted a quarterback during his time at Utah State. The future of Michigan’s quarterback position and current starter Bryce Underwood, a former five-star player, is a matter of concern.
Will Whittingham be able to assemble the kind of skill position talent found on Ohio State, Oregon or Indiana’s playoff rosters? Could he develop a Heisman Trophy winner like Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza or a first-round NFL prospect like Oregon’s Dante Moore? Even more relevant question.
Whittingham is a solid transition option. Before the season, the USA TODAY staff ranked Whittingham No. 12 on its list of college football’s best coaches. By comparison, Moore didn’t rank in the top 25.
Moore landed in jail and Michigan fell forward.
Given the timing and circumstances, Michigan could have done worse than hiring a player with a career winning percentage of .668.
Don’t expect Cignetti to tremble at the sight of Whittingham in the Big Ten. However, the Wolverines can become competent and respectable, if not elite, under his leadership.
Blake Topmeyer is USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow at X @btoppmeyer.
