2026 Michigan Season Preview: Kyle Whittingham Takes Over as New Head Coach

The Michigan Wolverines open the 2026 college football season on Saturday, September 5, vs. the Western Michigan Broncos. Michigan football enters a new era under head coach Kyle Whittingham, and he’ll firmly be in the spotlight for his debut in the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on NBC.

Following 21 seasons as Utah’s head coach, Whittingham looks to bring much-needed stability to the Michigan program. One of college football’s greatest traditions has experienced back-to-back deflating campaigns after 2023's national championship, but Whittingham could bring an instant lift to the program.

Who is Michigan football’s new head coach? Let’s analyze Kyle Whittingham’s career, showcasing what he could bring to Ann Arbor in a 2026 Michigan season preview. Then, we’ll address how the coaching move may impact season-long projections on PrizePicks.

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As New Michigan Head Coach, Kyle Whittingham Seeks Stability

After Michigan won its first national championship since 1997, head coach Jim Harbaugh made his exit by taking the Los Angeles Chargers’ head job. This coincided with the wild Connor Stalions scandal, who was a former low-level staffer involved in scouting and sign-stealing.  

Ahead of the 2025 season, the NCAA finally announced the Wolverines’ punishment, which included over $30 million in fines, and head coach Sherrone Moore served a self-imposed two-game suspension, followed by an additional one-game suspension.

Former head coach Jim Harbaugh was handed a 10-year show-cause order by the NCAA. This follows his previous four-year order, adding up to a 14-year ban from college athletics.

Moore’s first two seasons weren’t anything to write home about, featuring 8-5 and 9-4 finishes with only one bowl win. Following the 2025 regular season, Moore was arrested on December 10 for three crimes, including third-degree home invasion, stalking in a domestic relationship, and breaking and entering. 

Following the news, UM quickly dismissed Moore, leaving the head coaching job open. Considering this occurred late in the coaching carousel, the Wolverines were fortunate to land Kyle Whittingham, all things considered.

Frankly, it's still surprising Whittingham left Utah. He was the defensive coordinator of the program from 1995 to 2004. Urban Meyer led the Utes to 10-2 and 12-0 finishes in 2003 and 2004. When Meyer left for Florida, Whittingham took over as Utah football’s head coach.

The rest is history, with Whittingham building up the program from 2005 to 2025. His achievements feature a long list, including eight double-digit win seasons, 18 of 21 seasons were a winning campaign, 11 bowl wins, a 2-2 record in New Year’s Six bowl games, three National Coach of the Year awards, and three conference titles.

Whittingham may have ruffled some feathers with his comments surrounding the rivalry with Ohio State — a game that often decides these programs’ success. However, his ability to add stability to this program is undeniable.

Here’s how Whittingham can impact Michigan football in the 2026 season, featuring projections from PrizePicks.

2026 Michigan Football Preview Under Kyle Whittingham

Going from Utah to Michigan, Whittingham should have far more talent at his disposal. Entering the season ranked #16 in the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll and sixth in our Big Ten Power Rankings, this squad has legitimate expectations.

Whittingham avoided major roster turnover by limiting his transfer portal haul to 16 players, keeping former #1 QB recruit Bryce Underwood in the fold. Further, Whittingham even kept the commitments of two 5-star recruits from the 2026 class, EDGE Carter Meadows and RB Savion Hiter.

The Wolverines had a major transfer departure in RB Justice Haynes, who logged 122.4 rushing yards per game over seven appearances in 2025. Following Haynes’ transfer to Georgia Tech, Michigan still has a strong running back room headlined by RB Jordan Marshall, who posted 932 rushing yards and 10 TDs last season, and 5-star freshman Hiter.

UM has built a reputation for leaning on the run game, and don’t expect that to go anywhere. In fact, under Whittingham, Utah had a 59.6% rush-play rate (87th percentile) and racked up 265.8 rushing yards per game (99th percentile) in 2025.

Whittingham brought former Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck to Ann Arbor, suggesting a heavy rush-play rate will likely continue. Furthermore, Beck helped develop Utes QB Devon Dampier into a star last season, shifting our attention to Underwood’s sophomore campaign.

Underwood is oozing with talent, truly carrying the potential to be the first overall pick in an upcoming NFL Draft. Furthermore, his dual-threat ability adds another wrinkle to this run game. 

On defense, Whittingham brings a well-versed background. Some of his units at Utah featured memorable secondaries, such as holding teams to 6.1 yards per passing attempt (93rd percentile) last season. Michigan CBs Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry, and Smith Snowden are all three-year starters, and S Chris Bracey and S Mason Curtis are expected to round out a strong secondary. 

Defensive coordinator Jay Hill led BYU’s defense from 2023 to 2025, which included holding teams to -0.14 adjusted EPA per play (84th percentile) last season. Similar to the offense’s run game, the defense has true upside — especially if the uber-talented freshman Carter Meadows emerges in the pass rush. 

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Expectations for Michigan Led by Kyle Whittingham in 2026

Considering how the 2025 season ended, Michigan football is in a promising place headed into Week 1’s battle with Western Michigan. The Wolverines are heavy 27.5-point favorites to open the 2026 season, per PrizePicks. 

Furthermore, Michigan has a 3.33x payout to qualify for the College Football Playoffs. This could be a tall task in Whittingham’s first season — especially considering 2026’s schedule with games against #10 Oklahoma (September 12), #22 Iowa (September 26), #18 Penn State (October 17), #6 Indiana (October 24), #2 Oregon (November 14), and #1 Ohio State (November 28).

Winning the Big Ten over teams like Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana would be a shock, proven by Michigan’s 11.11x payout to win the Big Ten championship. However, we can’t completely write off contending for a playoff spot.

Considering the schedule gauntlet, nine or 10 wins could be enough to qualify for the playoffs, and that would be a major win since the Wolverines failed to reach the 12-team playoff in the past two seasons. PrizePicks gives Michigan a 1.44x payout to reach 8+ regular-season wins and a 2.04x payout for 9+ wins.

Wolverine fans should truly be excited for Whittingham’s first season, as the long-time Utah head coach could bring stability and consistency to this program for years to come.

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During Kyle Whittingham’s first season as Michigan’s head coach, the development of Bryce Underwood is likely the X-factor. He holds the potential to become one of college football’s best QBs, and if Underwood taps into that alongside a strong run game and defense, the Wolverines immediately become a true playoff contender.

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Keep it here with the Playbook for continued CFB picks, predictions, futures, and more as we jump into the 2026 season.