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ORLANDO, Fla. — Former University of Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham warned reporters that he didn’t like to talk a lot and was working on only four hours of sleep when he stepped to the microphone Sunday morning upon being introduced as the 22nd coach in Michigan football history.

“I am one of those rare college football coaches that doesn’t like to hear himself talk,” Whittingham said.

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But the 66-year-old coach who directed Utah’s program for 21 years and was at the school in Salt Lake City for more than 30 years won the news conference anyway — especially when he was finally coerced into saying that he dislikes Ohio State.

“I do now,” he said, after having talked about his friendship with former Utah, Florida and Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer. “I am on the right side now.”

That drew a lot of laughter, as did the time when he suggested that Meyer was a “four-letter word” in Ann Arbor.

In another bit of breaking news, Whittingham even called Utah rival BYU by its name and said he played for the Cougars in the 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl here in Orlando, a 10-7 loss for the Cougars to Ohio State, of all teams.

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Before anyone could ask, he outlined the reasons why he would step down at Utah after 21 seasons — 17 of them winning seasons — despite still wanting to coach.

“After 21 years at Utah, I stepped down a couple weeks ago,” he said. “Wasn’t sure if I was finished (coaching) or not. I knew there was a lot left in the tank. You could count on one hand the number of schools that I would be receptive to. Michigan was one of those schools. Definitely a top-5 job in the country, without a doubt. When the ball started rolling and the more I learned about Michigan, the more excited I got. I am elated to be here.”

Whittingham flew into Orlando Saturday night and met with the entire team, which is preparing to meet Texas in the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium on Wednesday. He told the Deseret News that he followed the BYU-Georgia Tech game online on the airplane ride from Salt Lake City, and noted that it was “a good win for the Cougars” over the Yellow Jackets.

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Of course, BYU and Utah fans want to know which players and coaches from those staffs will join Whittingham in Ann Arbor. News surfaced Saturday and Sunday that BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill has been targeted and will almost certainly leave Provo for the maize and blue of Michigan.

Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck is also a possibility to make the jump, as he had a highly successful first season in SLC coaching the likes of Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin.

“Putting together an outstanding staff. Can’t give you any names right now,” Whittingham said. “There are guys that are still working bowl games and playoffs and so forth and so that will be forthcoming.”

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Asked specifically in a media scrum after his remarks from the podium about whether he will reach out to a lot of BYU and Utah coaches to build his staff — which he said will be comprised of seven or eight newcomers and two or three holdovers — Whittingham said it is “to be determined” and was still days away from being finalized.

“I am working through that, but I have a plan. That’s all I can say, is a plan is in place. And we will see,” he said. “It should come to fruition in the next week or so. That’s the best answer I can give you to that.”

What about players at BYU and Utah? Will Whittingham attempt to get the cream of the crop of the Wasatch Front schools to the Big Ten?

“I know you don’t tamper with anybody. That’s not my style. If a player that we have interest in enters the portal, that is a whole different ball game,” he said. “Because now he’s in the portal, he is going somewhere.

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So why not Michigan, if it is a good fit?”

More highlights from Whittingham’s introductory press conference:

‘An enjoyable ride in Salt Lake City’

Responding to a Deseret News question about whether he was treated fairly by Utah as his tenure as the winningest coach in school history was winding down, Whittingham said he “absolutely” was.

“The administration of the university for my entire time there treated me well. Again, it was my decision to step down and I just felt like the time was right,” he said. “I have seen too many coaches hang on too long … In fact, I contemplated stepping down before last season. But we had such a frustrating season. We brought in a fifth quarterback in the middle of year (and went 5-7). I could not end on that note. So I came back and righted the ship, so to speak, and we got back on track.

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“But to answer your question, the university treated me nothing but good in my time there. The community, too. … It was just an enjoyable ride in Salt Lake City.”

Of note, Whittingham acknowledged making a mistake at Utah when he was asked how much more he has in the tank.

“Well, I signed a five-year contract. What I made (as) a mistake at Utah is when they started asking me about retirement, and I started answering questions and giving my own thing,” he said. “I am not that old. I am 66. It is not that old. I feel like I got enough energy and juice to see this through.”

Whittinghams are going from red to deep, rich blue

Accompanied by his wife, Jamie, at the news conference at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando, Whittingham said he has 11 grandchildren who are all starting to get their Michigan gear in place. He said his grandsons have changed their favorite team from Utah to Michigan on their college football video games.

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“What was appealing (about Michigan) was the obvious. It is Michigan, and all that entails — the tradition, the Big House,” he said. “It is one of the most storied programs in college football. So that was a no brainer.”

The coach said he will still follow the Utes from afar and that the program is very much on solid ground. New coach Morgan Scalley will coach the Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska on Wednesday, the same day Whittingham will be in the press box at Camping World Stadium watching the Wolverines face former BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns.

“We went 10-2 this year. This (Utah) program that is in a great place right now. Excellent players, excellent coaching staff. I was able to hand the torch to my defensive coordinator, Morgan Scalley, who is an outstanding football coach,” Whittingham said. “I just felt the time was right to exit Utah, but like I said, I still have a lot of energy, and hey, if the right opportunity came I would be all in on that.”

Former players reach out to Whittingham

Whittingham said that since he announced he was stepping down at Utah, he’s received more than a thousand text messages from former Utah players and coaches. He has also heard from former Michigan players and coaches since accepting the job there.

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Former Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard texted him, for instance.

“I wish Tom Brady would, but he is a busy guy, I guess,” Whittingham quipped. “But yeah, I have heard from a handful of former Michigan players and coaches. They are excited.”

Whittingham acknowledged being “surprised” when Michigan called, and said it was a “no-brainer” to listen to athletic director Warde Manuel’s sales pitch.

At about the same time Michigan was firing coach Sherrone Moore for an inappropriate relationship with a university staff member, Whittingham was announcing he was stepping down. At that time, the Wolverines weren’t even remotely on his radar, he said.

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“It was very, very uncanny circumstances,” he said.

What would he be doing if Michigan hadn’t called?

“Skiing, reading books to my granddaughters, riding motorcycles,” he said. “I do a lot of stuff.”

And now he will be doing them on one of the biggest stages in college football, where winning remains the No. 1 priority, he concluded.

ORLANDO, FL − Football coaches are notoriously tough to crack.

They often speak in generalities at press conferences, where clichés can be a friend.

It’s all about the team. Focused on what we can control. Keep the main thing the main thing. Excited for the opportunity.

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But every now and then, there’s a needed reminder that these coaches are people, too. Wink Martindale, Michigan football’s elder statesman on the coaching staff and the defensive coordinator for the past two years, is objectively one of the toughest and most well-traveled people in the room. An NFL vet with two decades of experience at the highest level, there’s little in this game he hasn’t seen or been a part of.

The past three weeks, however, would qualify as the rare something new.

Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was fired for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer and later jailed. In the blink of an eye, U-M had to try and turn the page to the next chapter.

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Earlier this week, U-M hired Utah’s Kyle Whittingham to be the 22nd head coach in program history. Fans are understandably excited for the future, but Martindale offered a reminder about the sobering toll this entire saga has taken on those inside the program, whose days may be numbered in Ann Arbor.

‘DON’T WANT TO BREAK APART’: How Michigan football avoided mass exodus ahead of Citrus Bowl

“I don’t know if ‘handled it’ is the right word – it’s a tough situation,” Martindale said, starting to tear up. “I know what we signed up for in coaching … but it’s hard because of not only the relationships you have.

“I was just talking to [linebacker Jimmy Rolder] about it: with Twitter and everything else, it’s entertaining for people to see all this. I’m getting emotional talking about it, it’s real life. There’s little ones that have to be up-rooted from school and things like that. It sucks.”

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Whittingham was introduced to the team on Saturday, Dec. 27 and just 90 minutes after Martindale finished speaking as one of four current program members previewing U-M’s Citrus Bowl matchup against Texas on Wednesday, Dec. 31 (3:00 p.m., ABC), the new coach was in a hotel ballroom across the street being introduced.

The dichotomy was stark. The optimism, the vision, the rejuvenated vibes, it was all so different from what those who have spent the last month in Schembechler Hall experiencing.

Running back Jordan Marshall also met with media alongside interim offensive coordinator Steve Casula to discuss how the team has responded. Marshall said “it sucks” having to rebound after losing the team’s leader. He was also asked about how he viewed his future with the program and the opening message his new coach shared.

“Good energy, did what a coach is supposed to say, said the right things and brings the intensity for sure – really like that about him,” Marshall said. “Somebody that when I talk to the guys they’re like ‘this guy seems like he’s gonna be good’ but it’s supposed to be like that after the first impression. For me, I’m going to keep getting to know him, keep getting to know his staff.

“I want to be at Michigan. If everything works out, I want to be here. I love this place, truly.”

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Casula said he’s tried to lead by example, but he’s well aware there will be changes to both the roster and the coaching staff in the coming days and weeks.

Former offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey has already left for Missouri and Whittingham appears close to adding his first defensive member to the staff in BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill.

Despite what seems to be coming down the track, Casula said Martindale have reminded everybody on staff they’re “professionals” and there remains an expectation that U-M is going to go win this game. It’s why everybody is doing their best to put the “human element” to the side and rally together as a group for one last ride.

“I’ve tried on a personal level to practice what I preach,” Casula said. “There’s unknown, all that, sure, all that kind of stuff. But if you get a chance to really know our young people, our players, it’s not difficult to be motivated to go do your best for them.”

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Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football coaches, players on program turmoil: ‘It sucks’

Welcome back to Earth, San Antonio Spurs.

Lauri Markkanen scored 29 points and Keyonte George had 28 as the Utah Jazz cooled the Spurs 127-114 on Saturday at the Frost Bank Center.

The loss snapped an eight-game regular-season winning streak for the Spurs, who were coming off consecutive victories against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

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“A guy who used to coach here used to say the basketball gods,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, referring to his predecessor, Gregg Popovich. “We didn’t obey them tonight.”

It was a letdown one could see coming from two counties over, even with the now 12-19 Jazz coming off a victory against Eastern Conference-leading Detroit.

Utah started Saturday hot, making its first seven field-goal attempts, and never cooled off.

The Jazz shot 54.2% from the floor and made 17 of 37 3-point attempts in building a lead that got as high as 17 points.

The Spurs battled back in the second half and briefly tied the game at 106 with 7:43 to go, but the Jazz dug deep to close out the game.

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It was the Spurs’ first loss this season against a team with a losing record. They had been 13-0 heading into Saturday.

Making his first start since Nov. 14, Victor Wembanyama had 32 points to go with five blocks. Keldon Johnson added a season-high 27 points – the most for any Spurs player off the bench this season – to go with 10 rebounds, while Dylan Harper added a season-best 12 assists.

It was the Spurs’ first loss since a Dec. 16 defeat against the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup final, a game that does not count in the regular-season standings.

It was their first loss in a game that counted since Dec. 5 at Cleveland.

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Those are the Spurs’ next two opponents on the current homestand.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s defeat, which dropped the Spurs to 23-8:

1. Human nature wins again

From the get-go, the game was set up to be a trap.

The Spurs were riding an eight-game regular-season winning streak that included consecutive victories over Oklahoma City, including a rousing Christmas Day win on the champs’ home floor two days earlier.

Before the game against the sub-.500 Jazz, the Spurs talked about guarding against a letdown.

“Those were two great wins for us against the team that won the Finals last year,” Harper said. “Going into this game, it was about keeping that same intensity and the same level of focus and be overall fully prepared.”

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Human nature, however, remains undefeated.

The Spurs started off solidly enough, carving a 40-32 lead after the first quarter.

The second quarter, however, was a disaster.

Utah outscored the Spurs 38-18 in the frame to take a 10-point lead into intermission. The Jazz shot 68.4% in the first half, including 9 of 15 from 3-point range (60%).

Nurkic and Markkanen combined for 27 before halftime, helping the Jazz find their footing early.

2. Wemby back in starting lineup

It was only a matter of time before Wembanyama’s Sixth Man of the Year campaign came to an end.

After coming off the bench for seven consecutive games, including the NBA Cup loss against New York in Las Vegas, Wembanyama was back where he belongs in the Spurs’ starting lineup Saturday.

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His shifts remain funky, however.

Wembanyama came out of the game 5:13 into the first quarter, and did not return until the start of the second period.

He finished the first half at 12:24, ostensibly leaving some minutes on the table for a second-half stretch run.

Wembanyama took over for stretches in the second half, and finished with his first 30-point game since Nov. 12 against Golden State. His five blocks were his most since Nov. 10 at Chicago.

Wembanyama eventually got up to 28 minutes, his most in eight games since coming off the injured list.

Saturday’s outcome did add to one of the more head-scratching streaks of the Spurs’ season. The team has now lost each of Wembanyama’s last three starts.

3. Johnson stays hot from 3

The Spurs lost, but not for lack of trying from Keldon Johnson.

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After a rough November from the 3-point stripe, in which Johnson shot 27.5%, he has exploded in December.

In 12 games this month, Johnson is making 48.5% from beyond the arc. He added a 4-of-5 showing Saturday.

Johnson was already one of the NBA’s best at converting two-point shots. If his 3-point stroke can remain serviceable, his name will remain firmly entrenched in the Sixth Man of the Year race now that Wembanyama is out of the running.

This article originally published at 3 takeaways as Spurs crash back down to Earth with home loss to Utah Jazz.

The Utah Jazz picked up their second-straight win on a SEGABABA (second night of a back-to-back) against the San Antonio Spurs with a final score of 127-114.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the night:

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Keyonte George, once again

George’s third-year leap is real. His name should be right at the top of any Most Improved Player of the Year ballot, in consideration for an All-Star slot, and, if this type of play continues, be involved in All-NBA conversations.

After a slow first-half, George led Utah’s offensive creation in the fourth, finishing the night with 28 points, five rebounds, and six assists. In his first two seasons, George was at risk of turning in to a shot chucker rather than an offensive engine. But again and again, through tightening up his handle this offseason (among many other improvements), George has shown the ability to break down opposing defenses, touch the paint, and then either finish with a soft floater or find an open teammate.

Together with Lauri Markkanen (who finished the night with 29 points, five rebounds, and three steals), the duo is truly emerging as a threatening core. When George plays at this level, the Jazz seem closer to playing competitive than originally thought.

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Collier, Clayton Jr. bench play

Speaking of breakout seasons, both Isaiah Collier and Walter Clayton Jr. have played impressively as of late.

Collier, who struggled to start the season after a hamstring injury, has played extremely composed over the last month. Tonight’s stat-line won’t blow anyone away: seven points, four assists, and four turnovers. Obviously, thats too many turnovers, but Collier has truly solidified three NBA-level skills: speed with the ball, passing, and controlling an offense. Last season, the first two skills were often put on display, but Collier often struggled actually controlling the tempo of an offense under his command. This season, he’s gotten much better at leveraging his speed and strength to change tempo, navigate screens, touch the paint (despite defenders going under) and finding teammates with an advantage. The shooting must improve, but he has a real foundation.

Clayton Jr., who has been in-and-out of the rotation as of late, exploded off the bench with 17 points, two rebounds, and five assists. Clayton Jr. hit open threes, found teammates on lobs (shoutout to Cody Williams for an impactful game), and repeatedly put Spurs defenders on their back-foot. This type of poise is why the Jazz lauded him so heavily out of college and it is great to see it in effect.

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Play-In vs. Lottery update

Tonight’s win put the Jazz in no man’s land for making either of the pro-tank or pro-win fanbases happy. Their 12-19 record gives them the 8th best lottery odds, treacherous territory for losing their top-8 protected first-round pick to the OKC Thunder.

On the flip-side, as the 11th seed in the Western Conference, the Jazz are just outside of the Play-In. If the season ended today, there is chance the Jazz would miss all post-season play while losing their draft pick. Not great.

However, taking a glass half full perspective, the Jazz have the ability to choose their route now with ease. On the tank side, only a couple of games separate the Jazz from bottom-five territory. On the win-now side, the Jazz are wining games because of the great play of their youth and could quite easily pass the slipping Portland Trail Blazers for a Play-In spot and become post-season bound.

The Jazz should probably lose. Still, there are worse things than winning games because your draft picks are starting to pan out.

The Spurs didn’t play up to the standard they had recently set and learned the hard way that no team should be taken lightly in the NBA. The Utah Jazz, who defeated the East-leading Pistons on Friday, took care of the second-best team in the West on Saturday, thanks to fantastic outside shooting and superior energy. Victor Wembanyama returned to the starting lineup and finished with 32 points, but his contributions weren’t enough to make up for the absence of De’Aaron Fox, who was out with an injury.

Some complacency was expected from the Spurs after coming home after most of a month on the road and defeating the best team in the league three times. The signs that the Silver and Black were not playing with high intensity were there early in the first frame, as they settled for jumpers instead of attacking the worst defense in the league. A timeout from Mitch Johnson temporarily fixed things. The team started to touch the paint more, either getting buckets at the rim or finding open shooters. The result was a 40-point quarter that gave San Antonio an eight-point lead.

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While Johnson deserves praise for snapping his players out of their earlier stupor, he also deserves the blame for what turned out to be a disastrous second frame. He went deep into his bench, giving minutes to Carter Bryant, Lindy Waters III, and Jeremy Sochan, guys who had been out of the rotation recently. The players did their best but any sense of cohesion went out the window. The Jazz, who are a good offensive team, got going, and by the time the starters were back in, Utah was confident and in control of the game, while the Spurs went back to settling on offense. The visitors won the frame 38-20 and had a 10-point lead at the break.

If San Antonio was expecting the Jazz to just fade, they were sorely mistaken. They are a team with a bad record but well-coached and with weapons on offense. While the Spurs went back to playing hero ball a little too much, the visitors just executed and grew their lead. Eventually the Silver and Black started to look poised for a comeback after a good stretch by Wembanyama, but when Castle had to check out with what seemed like a calf injury after a dunk, it was hard to remain optimistic. Fortunately, the reigning RoY was healthy, and Harper, Champagnie and Wembanyama did enough to keep the Spurs within striking distance heading into the fourth.

The big run finally came and San Antonio tied the game. There was a dunk that was absurd even for Wembanyama’s standards that galvanized the crowd. All the ingredients were there for the Spurs to do what they have done before: play with their food but get the win in the end. The Jazz had other plans, as they continued to hit threes and clog the paint. The Silver and Black got close but simply couldn’t out-talent their opponent this time. The winning streak stops at eight, and the team will have to figure out how to play every game with the same energy.

Observations

• The Jazz have beaten some good teams this season. The list includes the Pistons, Celtics, Rockets and now Spurs. The Spurs hadn’t lost to bad teams, but they had taken opponents that were bad on paper lightly. A loss against an inferior team was bound to happen. Hopefully, they’ll learn from this.

• Julian Champagnie had shockingly similar numbers as a starter vs. coming off the bench coming into this game. The only significant discrepancy was in turnovers, as he tends to cough the ball up more as a sub. Luke Kornet has curiously done better on offense as a sub than as a starter. The trend continued for Champagnie, who was a disaster as a scorer but didn’t turn it over, but not for Luke, who only scored seven points and had one assist.

• Wembanyama has a tendency to give some of his assignments, who are questionable shooters, an almost excessive amount of room to shoot threes. It makes perfect sense, since it’s statistically a low percentage shot, and it allows Wemby to stay close to the paint. But when they go in, as one did for Jusuf Nurkic in the first quarter, they sting as a viewer in the moment. Fortunately, Wemby sticks to his process instead of overreacting to a single play.

• Bryant, Sochan, and Waters looked a little lost out there. It’s understandable for Mitch Johnson to give players who are out of the rotation some run while saving the legs of his main contributors, but it would probably make more sense to do so in lineups in which their roles are more clearly defined. Bryant, the only one who got a second stint, looked a lot better while playing alongside mostly starters.

• Lauri Markkanen would look great in Silver and Black. Alas, he’s probably going to be too expensive to acquire because of nights like this one. The Finnisher dropped 29 points on 16 shots.

• The Jazz came into the game ranked 19th in three-point shooting percentage. On Saturday, they connected on 17 of 37 threes. The Spurs’ shoddy defense helped them, but their shooters were just on fire. San Antonio, meanwhile, only shot 23 percent from outside. It’s almost impossible to win when the three-point discrepancy is that big.

• Keldon Johnson continues to be one of the most efficient scorers in the league, finishing with 27 on 14 shots. Only a handful of guys who shoot threes boast a better effective field goal percentage. KJ’s fantastic year has been amazing to watch.

The Spurs will face the confounding Cavaliers on Monday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

The Utah Jazz are entering San Antonio to take on the San Antonio Spurs, who are looking like the premiere team in the league. How nice it is to have lottery luck, right?

Utah has some swagger of their own coming off a game-winning shot from Keyonte George that knocked off the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.

Utah absolutely has an on-ball star on their hands that can help lead them to wins at the end of games. The question is, can they get a star to pair with him in the upcoming draft? Utah has to get some lottery luck to make sure, but they’ll need to figure out how to lose more of these games if they’re going to do it. But with someone as good as Keyonte George, that’s going to be very difficult.

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One thing that will help is not having players like Kevin Love and Svi Mykhailiuk adding points night after night. It would be a smart thing for the Jazz front office to make a move here soon…

That said, Utah on the road is a completely different team. Tonight they take on Spurs team that looked dominant against the reigning champion, Oklahoma City Thunder. Utah comes into this resting Kevin Love, something they might have wanted to do last game….

The other scratch is Ace Bailey who has a hip flexor injury. We’ll see how long they rest him but they shouldn’t rush him back with no reason to risk injuries.

How to watch

When: 6:00 PM MT

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Where: San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center

Channel: KJZZ, Jazz+

The University of Michigan on Friday hired outgoing Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to lead the scandal-plagued Wolverines football program, a little more than two weeks after the shocking dismissal and arrest of coach Sherrone Moore.

The program announced the hiring decision Friday night and said Whittingham’s five-year contract will run through the 2030 season.

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said that throughout the search for a new coach, Whittingham “consistently demonstrated the qualities we value at Michigan: vision, resilience, and the ability to build and sustain championship-caliber teams.”

“Kyle brings not only a proven track record of success, but also a commitment to creating a program rooted in toughness, physicality, discipline and respect — where student-athletes and coaches represent the university with distinction both on and off the field,” he said in a written statement announcing the deal.

Whittingham announced two weeks ago that he was stepping down as Utah’s winningest coach — though the 66-year-old didn’t rule out coaching again.

“My family and I are thrilled to join the University of Michigan community, and we look forward to helping our players grow, develop, and reach their highest potential — on the gridiron, in the classroom, and as leaders,” Whittingham said in the statement Friday. “It’s a privilege to be part of something that inspires pride in every Wolverine fan.”

It’s been widely reported that Whittingham was leaving his post at Utah after more than two decades to make way for defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley, who had been hired in July 2024 as the “head coach in waiting.”

Had Whittingham returned for the 2026 season, it would have marked a third year of Scalley as a named successor. Scalley will now take over the program, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement.

Harlan thanked Whittingham for his contributions and wished him the best in his new role.

“After discussions with Coach Whittingham, his representatives and the University of Michigan, we have granted their request to allow him to join the Michigan program immediately,” he said.

Michigan President Domenico Grasso described Whittingham as “exactly the right fit for the University of Michigan at this time.”

Michigan, major college football’s winningest program, is seeking to right a ship that’s been rocked by scandal.

After two seasons as head coach, Moore was “terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” the school announced on Dec. 10.

“Following a university investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” the school said. “This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and UM maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”

After he was fired, Moore allegedly confronted the female staffer and threatened to harm himself, telling her “my blood is on your hands” and that she had “ruined my life,” prosecutors said.

Moore, 39, was charged with home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering.

On Nov. 20, 2023, Michigan suspended football analytics assistant Connor Stalions after the school found that he allegedly had opponents’ sidelines videotaped so that the Wolverines could decode signals.

Michigan dominated the Washington Huskies, 34-13, on Jan. 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium in Houston to win the national title — though the sign-stealing scandal has taken some luster off that championship ring.

The NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers hired Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh two weeks later.

Former assistant football coach Matthew Weiss was indicted and accused of breaking into the digital accounts of 3,300 students to download their intimate photos and videos, federal prosecutors said March 30.

The Wolverines, in hiring Whittingham, get a coach who has led a generally scandal-free program that’s been winning two-thirds of its games without the glamour or resources of West Coast peers like USC and Oregon.

His long run as head coach of the Utes began when Urban Meyer left Utah to take the top job at Florida at the end of 2004.

Whittingham was 177-88 (.668) at the helm in Utah with three 10-win seasons in the past five campaigns.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Whittingham would bring any of his Utah assistants with him to Ann Arbor, a common practice when head coaches switch jobs in college football.

Whittingham’s deputies include 14th-year cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah, whose student-athletes played a key role in Utah’s strong pass defense this season.

Shah is married to former “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Jen Shah.

No. 15 Utah will play Nebraska on Wednesday in the Las Vegas Bowl. Michigan, led by interim coach Biff Poggi, will face No. 13 Texas that day in the Citrus Bowl.