Kyle Whittingham hasn’t overcomplicated his early days at Michigan. As he continues to put together his staff in Ann Arbor, he’s leaned on the same people and relationships that defined his long run at Utah. That familiarity showed up again this week, with Whittingham turning to a former Ute to handle a behind-the-scenes offensive role, another signal that he won’t be building Michigan from scratch. 

Former Utah Utes QB Luke Bottari joined Michigan under Kyle Whittingham’s staff as the new offensive assistant coach.

“Excited to join the Offensive Staff at the University of Michigan!” wrote Luke Bottari on X. “Thankful for the Coaching opportunity at Utah… the school where I played, earned 2 degrees, and a place I called home. However, FIRED UP for the future!! Go Blue! Let’s get to work.”

Bottari played for Utah after transferring from the College of San Mateo in 2022, spending most of his time buried on the depth chart but remaining a steady presence in the quarterback room. While he didn’t see the field in his first season with the Utes, Bottari appeared in two games in 2023 and earned a start in the regular-season finale against Colorado, a win that capped Utah’s year.

The QB graduated from Utah in 2024, appearing in three games that season and making his second career start in a November 29 win over UCF. In that game, Bottari completed 19 of 30 passes for a touchdown and added 34 rushing yards, finishing his playing career with 26 completions on 41 attempts, one passing touchdown, and two rushing scores.

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However, after exhausting his college eligibility, Bottari stayed with the program in a different capacity. He joined Kyle Whittingham’s staff as an offensive graduate assistant for the 2025 season, following a path that has become familiar in Salt Lake City. Morgan Scalley, Isaac Asiata, and Chris Curry all began their coaching careers as graduate assistants under Whittingham before eventually working their way into full-time roles.

“After a short time as a defensive assistant, I am proud to announce that I have switched back to the offensive side of the ball in a GA position,” Bottari wrote on X during his transition from player to staff.

With a season of coaching experience already under his belt, Bottari now makes the move to Ann Arbor, where his background as a quarterback is expected to be an asset behind the scenes, particularly within a staff already populated by familiar faces from Utah.

Kyle Whittingham finalizes Michigan’s offensive staff

Michigan officially announced its offensive staff for Kyle Whittingham’s first season on January 8, but Luke Bottari came as a surprise addition. Bottari will join the offensive staff, led by offensive coordinator Jason Beck. He will be accompanied by offensive line coach Jim Harding, wide receivers coach Micah Simon, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, and quarterbacks coach Joy Detmer Jr. from Utah.

Bottari’s presence adds another layer of continuity, especially in the quarterback room, where Detmer will be tasked with developing Bryce Underwood and the rest of Michigan’s young passers. Whittingham also rounded out the staff by adding Marques Hagans as the assistant wide receivers coach from Penn State and Mike Lynch as the assistant offensive line coach from Nevada.

The former Utes’ staff is occupying most of Michigan’s offensive role, which might look awkward but is widely viewed as optimistic. The Utes were the No. 5 scoring offense in the nation, averaging 41.4 points per game under OC Jason Beck. The program also ranked No. 6 in the country in total yards, averaging 478.6 yards per game. The running offense also had a massive boost, ranking No. 2 in the country, averaging 269.8 rushing yards per game. As a unit, Utah totaled 37 rushing touchdowns and led the nation with 6.1 yards per carry. At the same time, OL coach Jim Harding was seen as one of the top offensive line coaches in the country.

Compare that to how Michigan fared last year, and it’s everything that the program would have liked in Bryce Underwood’s freshman season. However, the QB’s passing game didn’t develop as he had hoped, and to make matters worse, Sherrone Moore didn’t utilize his run game effectively. Kyle Whittingham has already identified issues in Underwood’s game that he can help with. For the Wolverines, after the Moore nightmare, it’s like the grown-ups have taken over.