Michigan's Hiring of Kyle Whittingham 'Terrific' For Reasons Beyond HC's Profile

Just over two weeks after firing Sherrone Moore, Michigan hit a home run in hiring former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. But the reasons why it was a home run hire for Michigan go beyond Whittingham's track record, according to FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt. 

In the latest episode of the "Joel Klatt Show," Klatt explained that he was impressed by Michigan's hiring of Whittingham because of the obstacles they faced after firing Moore. 

"This was massive, and I got to tell you, a little bit out of left field," Klatt said."I had not heard his name. It was very quiet. It was below the surface. Give [athletic director] Warde Manual a lot of credit on this one and everyone at Michigan, because this was not a name that a lot of people were floating around, including myself.

"I love this hire, but I love this hire not just because I'm very fond of Kyle Whittingham and his style of coaching and his style of play in terms of the way his teams play, but because of what Michigan was facing in this entire ordeal. There were many challenges to what's transpired at Michigan that led them to Kyle Whittingham." 

The challenges Klatt mentioned were the timing of Michigan's head coaching search, trying to find a head coach who fit the on-field identity of the program and a coach who could help reset the culture in Ann Arbor. The timing problem Michigan faced was two-fold. Not only did it essentially need a head coach in place before the transfer portal opens on Friday, but it was essentially last in line to hire a head coach in this cycle of the carousel. It missed out on Lane Kiffin and Matt Campbell. It had to take swings at Kalen DeBoer and Kenny Dillingham, with the former coaching Alabama in the College