Why Michigan hiring Kyle Whittingham is a bad development for the Tennessee Vols
The Michigan Wolverines are reportedly hiring Kyle Whittingham as the program’s new head coach.
When news first broke earlier this month that Kyle Whittingham was stepping down as the head coach of the Utah Utes, Tennessee Vols fans immediately saw an opportunity to take advantage of the move.
A little over a week before Whittingham stepped down, 2026 four-star athlete Salesi Moa — one of the Vols’ top recruiting targets — decommitted from Tennessee and signed with Utah.
The move wasn’t a total surprise — Moa’s dad, Ben, was a tight end at Utah two decades ago — but it was still a big loss for Tennessee. Moa is viewed as a dynamic talent who can play on either side of the ball.
When Whittingham stepped down at Utah, some Vols fans quickly wondered if Moa would look to get out of his national letter of intent with the Utes and explore his options.
It’s a move that would make sense, but it’s probably unlikely.
Michigan hiring Kyle Whittingham makes it less likely that Salesi Moa ends up at Tennessee
Multiple reports indicated on Friday that Michigan is hiring Whittingham to replace Sherrone Moore as the Wolverines’ head coach.
Moa took an unofficial visit to Michigan during the final weekend of the regular season. The late visit suggests that Michigan had a legitimate chance to sign Moa before he ultimately flipped to Utah.
I’d expect Moa to stick with Utah — especially since the Utes promoted longtime defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley to head coach.
But if Moa decides to play elsewhere, I’d look for Michigan to be the top option with Whittingham on his way to Ann Arbor.
You never say never when it comes to recruiting/transfers, but it certainly feels like there’s very little chance that Moa will end up at Tennessee with Whittingham going to Michigan and Scalley taking over at Utah.
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