Now that everyone has had some time to process the hiring of former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, it’s time to turn our attention to business.
Whittingham agreed to a five-year contract on Friday and was put on a direct plane to Orlando to begin building relationships with players. He has to act fast, as the transfer portal opens on January 2 and players will have to make some quick decisions.
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What makes Whittingham an intriguing hire is his ability to do more with less. Heading into the 2025 season, Utah was expected to work with an $8 million NIL operating budget. For comparison, according to On3’s Pete Nakos, the Wolverines were expected to cross the $20 million threshold.
Obviously, much of that money is allocated to high school recruits, but with the wild west that is the transfer portal, Whittingham could be looking to fill his roster through the portal to complement the young roster Michigan put on the field last season.
In 2025, Utah ranked 37th in the national transfer portal rankings, according to 247Sports, adding 22 new players. He also lost 31 players. For reference, Michigan ranked 30th with 17 incoming transfers.
Portal highlights for the Utes were former New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier and Washington State running back Wayshawn Parker, who drastically helped Utah’s offense. Dampier followed offensive coordinator Jason Beck to Salt Lake City and was the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after throwing for 2,768 yards and 12 touchdowns.
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Meanwhile, Parker was rated the No. 2 running back in the portal after an excellent 2024 season at Washington State, where he rushed for 735 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. With the Utes this year, Parker rushed for 931 yards and six touchdowns.
On defense, Utah received solid play from UC Davis transfer cornerback Blake Cotton. In seven starts, he totaled 25 tackles (two for loss) and seven pass deflections.
However, outside of those three, there wasn’t much other production. The year before showed a similar trend, as Whittingham earned 12 transfers through the portal and lost 25. Utah was ranked 32nd in the country in the transfer portal rankings, with the biggest receiver being Dorian Singer. The former 1,000-yard receiver started all 12 games in 2024, leading Utah with 53 receptions and 702 yards along with a touchdown.
The most interesting thing is that of the 22 commitments in 2025, six were wide receivers, four were running backs and four were cornerbacks. Of the 12 2024 commitments, three were wide receivers, three were pass rushers and three played in the secondary. With most transfers being made at the same positions, it appears that Whittingham uses the portal to fill holes and create depth more than simply getting the best players available.
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It will be interesting to see how Whittingham plans to use the portal in his first season at Michigan, especially with the Wolverines expected to lose some of their roster once the coaching staff appears to be formed. At the very least, he will need to replace some of Michigan’s receiving corps, tight end room and secondary with departing players and those who were weak spots on the team last season.
But with a bigger budget and resources from NIL, the Michigan brand and a desire to make an immediate splash, Whittingham could abandon his typical playbook and hit the portal with a bang.