Whittingham was careful to use the words “resign” in his statement about leaving the Utah program on Dec. 12, and reports surfaced soon after that the veteran coach could pursue other coaching opportunities.
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“I will say he didn’t want to use the word retirement, and I understood what that meant. He could go back to coaching, whether it’s a head coach, maybe in the NFL, where his son (Alex) has been,” Harlan said.
On December 26, Whittingham was announced as Michigan’s new head coach, just over two weeks after the position in Ann Arbor surprisingly became vacant at the end of the coaching cycle after Sherrone Moore was fired for having “an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
Suddenly, Utah’s all-time winningest coach was signing a deal with Michigan.
Harlan called Whittingham’s decision to resign a “mutual understanding.”
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“Kyle and I talked about what he thought about the team, about the program and, of course, where he was at with his decision-making. That conversation went on for a few days, I would say. And then after talking it back and forth, we both came to a mutual understanding that now was a good time for him to step down,” Harlan said.
Harlan said Whittingham did not ask for a contract extension during his talks with Utah. Whittingham, whose contract at Utah ran through 2027, signed a five-year deal with Michigan that runs through the 2030 football season.
“No, we talked about everything about the show. He was already on his last legs; he had a few more years left on his contract,” Harlan said. “So it was more about where the program is and what he wanted to do. But we didn’t change his contract and (he) certainly never asked for an extension. It was more about what his feeling was about coming back for another year.”
In what would be his final interview with Utah media on Dec. 18, Whittingham said he did not want to “overstay his welcome” at the school.
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“I’m at peace and I didn’t want to be that guy who overstays his welcome and people just say, ‘Hey, when is this guy going to leave?’ That was never my intention and I hope I didn’t do it. “I’m sure with some people I did that, but for me the time is right,” Whittingham said.
At his introductory news conference in Michigan, Whittingham said he made a “mistake” in answering questions about his retirement.
“Well, I signed a five-year contract (at Michigan). What I made (like) a mistake in Utah is when they started asking me about retirement, and I started answering questions and doing my thing,” he said. “I’m not that old. I’m 66 years old. It’s not that old. I feel like I have enough energy and energy to keep going.”
When asked if there was a “miscommunication” between Utah and Whittingham about the retirement, Harlan said no.
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“I go back to last year when he was seriously contemplating (retiring) and we talked about it and he was really passionate about coming back and fixing it. I mean, what he said publicly is exactly what he said to me privately,” Harlan said.
“He didn’t want to leave things this way (last year). And part of me always felt his love for Morgan (Scalley) and his desire for Morgan to really take him to a healthy place. And so it was similar to the next cycle where, I can’t understand it and I don’t think anyone but him can say it, but I think he felt it was the right time to do it.”
Harlan said the former Ute coach will be honored by the university at some point.
“There will be a time and a place to celebrate all that he brought to this university,” Harlan said.