The Michigan Wolverines fired head coach Sherrone Moore for cause just over two weeks after he took over from Jim Harbaugh roughly two seasons ago.
It didn’t take long for Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel to find a replacement, as the program agreed to a five-year deal with 66-year-old Kyle Whittingham, who spent the last 21 seasons as head coach of the Utah Utes.
Whittingham compiled a 177-88 record during his time at Utah, and though he’s only been in Ann Arbor a few days, he’s already made his first major staff move.
According to On3’s John Henschke, Whittingham will retain running backs coach Tony Alford, widely regarded as one of the best in college football. Alford previously coached at Ohio State before joining Michigan, and both he and Whittingham have spent time under Urban Meyer at different points in their careers.
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Alford coached in Columbus from 2015 to 2023, developing some of the best running backs in college football over the past decade, and he’s carried that success into his time with the Wolverines.
This season, he had two backs on pace for 1,000 yards: Justice Haynes, who unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury, and Jordan Marshall, who stepped up late in the season following Haynes’ injury.
Both running backs finished with 10 touchdowns each. Haynes rushed for 857 yards, while Marshall ended the year with 932 yards.
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