Michigan’s Secret Edge Tied to Kyle Whittingham Reviving Jim Harbaugh’s Culture, Says Analyst
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Feb 21, 2026 | 2:35 PM EST
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NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Southern California at Michigan Jan 2, 2026 Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Michigan Wolverines football head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks to the crowd during a time out in the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Crisler Center. Ann Arbor Crisler Center Michigan USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRickxOsentoskix 20260102_lbm_aa1_099
Imago
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Southern California at Michigan Jan 2, 2026 Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Michigan Wolverines football head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks to the crowd during a time out in the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Crisler Center. Ann Arbor Crisler Center Michigan USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRickxOsentoskix 20260102_lbm_aa1_099
Imago
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Southern California at Michigan Jan 2, 2026 Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Michigan Wolverines football head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks to the crowd during a time out in the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Crisler Center. Ann Arbor Crisler Center Michigan USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRickxOsentoskix 20260102_lbm_aa1_099
Imago
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Southern California at Michigan Jan 2, 2026 Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Michigan Wolverines football head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks to the crowd during a time out in the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Crisler Center. Ann Arbor Crisler Center Michigan USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xRickxOsentoskix 20260102_lbm_aa1_099
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When the transfer portal window closed, the Wolverines weren’t exactly making headlines. With just 19 transfers, the class ranked somewhere in the 60s. But if you look back, Michigan at its best has never really been about winning in January. And now Kyle Whittingham is following that same old blueprint that once Jim Harbaugh leaned on.
“It may not be the most high-profile recruiting class or most high-profile roster, but just watch out for these guys,”J.D. PicKell said on the February 22 episode of On3. Now that line is important because Michigan didn’t chase stars for the sake of show. Instead, Whittingham leaned into familiarity and culture.
“It’d be one thing if those players were following Kyle Whittingham from Utah to Michigan and they had won like seven games last year. It’s a 10- win football team,” PicKell said. And these are players choosing continuity. They followed a coach who spent 21 seasons as Utah’s head man and 32 years total inside that building. He has a 177–88 record and delivered three conference championships, eight 10-win seasons, and an undefeated 2008 run that ended with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama.
And Whittingham was Utah’s HC when both the Rich Rodriguez and Jim Harbaugh eras began at Michigan. That’s how long he’s been around. Utah wasn’t built on five stars. Michigan under Harbaugh ended up looking a lot like that.
“Recruiting stars aren’t relevant to us. We want guys who really love football. Who really want to get better at football,” Harbaugh once said.
In fact, when the Wolverines won the national title in 2023, that roster sat 14th nationally in overall talent, the lowest of any playoff-era champion. That’s wild because they weren’t stacked the way Alabama or Georgia typically are.
“We’re looking for the right kind of guys… it’s not just about talent, it’s about who they are as people,” Harbaugh said back then. So when five Utah players pack up and head to Ann Arbor, it’s like a culture migration. And if Whittingham is bringing that same infrastructure, then Michigan’s 19-man portal class could do a whole lot more in August.
This is a developing story…
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