Jim Harbaugh did not have much to say about Sherrone Moore when Michigan fired his former assistant. When asked about the arrest days later, the former Wolverines head coach offered a memorable short line. His tone was very different when Kyle Whittingham’s name came up. Asked if he had followed what the new head coach was doing at Michigan, he did not hesitate. 

“Yeah, I feel like it’s going to go well,” Jim Harbaugh said during an appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys. “Nothing but respect for him. And I think he’s going to do an amazing job. Wish him well. And like you, I’m the same. I mean, go blue. Forever.” 

Kyle Whittingham inherited a Michigan team coming off a 9-4 season. While the record was respectable, the overall product was not always as convincing. There were too many moments when the Wolverines looked loose with the details, something that used to be a major strength under Jim Harbaugh.

Kyle Whittingham is now trying to get Michigan back to that level. He has plenty of proof behind him. He spent 21 years at Utah and won 177 games. Sporting News has him No. 12 among coaches for 2026, up one spot from last year. At Utah, he made a habit of getting big results without a roster packed with stars.

Get the Essentially CFB Newsletter. Rivalries, rankings, recruiting, coaching moves, and game action nationwide — your complete college football briefing.

Utah beat Oregon for the 2021 Pac-12 title, then stunned USC a year later and ended its playoff hopes. Michigan has plenty to work with. And CB Zeke Berry isn’t calling it a turnaround yet, but he likes the direction. 

“I feel like where we started from day one, and how the connection is with everyone in the field, I feel like it’s really on the up slope,” he said. 

Safety Rod Moore focused on a different aspect of the change. He pointed to discipline and a shared mindset, saying everyone is focused on winning the Big Ten.

Jim Harbaugh’s message suggests he thinks Michigan picked the right man. And after the way the previous transition ended, that might be the endorsement that matters most. Still, the contrast in his comments about the head coaches is what makes things interesting. 

When asked about Sherrone Moore after Michigan fired him in December, Jim Harbaugh kept his answer very short.

“I’m still processing that,” he said. “Still processing that like a lot of people I’m sure.”

And that was basically it. It was a strange ending to a relationship that began when Jim Harbaugh hired Sherrone Moore in 2018. When he moved on to the NFL, he had even recommended Moore as his replacement. His tenure ended with a mess that had little to do with football. 

Now, Kyle Whittingham has the job of bringing the focus back to football. He has spent decades making teams tougher, cleaner, and harder to beat. He did it at Utah without the same recruiting advantages Michigan enjoys. Now he gets those advantages too. There is no guarantee the Wolverines become a national title contender right away. But a quicker turnaround is not a wild idea. And Jim Harbaugh seems to believe the man holding the clipboard is the right one.