University of Michigan 2026 Head Football Coach Kyle Wittingham Says Hate Week Should Have No Hate
New University of Michigan head football coach Kyle Wittingham is new in 2026. He is hoping to change the tenor of the renowned hate week rivalry with the Ohio State University. He has an important tie with Ohio State. Of course, he was hired after being the Head Coach at the University of Utah. He was the Defensive Coordinator there for a decade, and part of that time was under head coach Urban Meyer.
There is no word if the time on Urban Meyer’s staff at the University of Utah is fueling his comments. However, he said at Big Ten Media Days that Urban Meyer is welcome at practice any week of the year. Except that week, he said, smiling. Do tou think the football game between the University of Michigan and the Ohio State University is the biggest rivalry in sports?
University of Michigan’s Kyle Wittingham Media Day Comments on Hate Week
The new head football coach at the University of Michigan is Kyle Wittingham. He made some news this past week at Big Ten Media Days when he said the week before the Ohio-State – Michigan game should be about the rivalry, but should not be filled with hate. Wittingham was the defensive coordinator for Urban Meyer at the University of Utah. Urban Meyer, of course, went on to coach Ohio State. He made a big deal of the rivalry to motivate his team.
So, what did Whittingham, the new football coach at the University of Michigan, say? At Big Ten media days, he said the rivalry should be intense and emotional, but should not be filled with hate. Whittingham said, “I’ve learned how intense that rivalry is and how important the game is. Hate is a strong word, but I want to win that game as badly as anybody in Ann Arbor.”
He went further by saying, “I just think a rivalry can be intense and emotional without the hatred factor. I don’t think there’s any place for that personally. I think Ryan Day is a good person. To sit here and say I hate Ryan Day, I’d be making crap up because that’s not true.”
Whittingham is moderately familiar with Ryan Day. They coached against each other in the 2022 Rose Bowl, a 48-45 Ohio State victory. In that same year, but the next season, the two programs were again linked. Utah’s 47-24 win over USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game clinched the Buckeyes a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Ties with Urban Meyer
There is no word if the new University of Michigan head football coach, Kyle Whittingham, and his ties with Urban Meyer affected his views. Before becoming Utah’s head coach, Whittingham spent a decade as the Utes’ defensive coordinator. That included two seasons under Urban Meyer in 2003 and 2004. The two coaches were close friends then, and have remained close friends since.
Importantly, new University of Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham said he and Meyer discussed ‘The Game’ frequently when Meyer was the head coach at Ohio State, giving him an appreciation for the greatest rivalry in sports. That appreciation has grown into a deep respect for both programs.
Conclusion
It is nice that Wittingham wants the rivalry game between the University of Michigan and Ohio State University to be filled with emotion and to be intense, but it should not be filled with hate. One could make the argument that the new coach does not understand the rivalry. Maybe his ties with Urban Meyer and Ryan Day are affecting his judgment. However, it is safe to say fans of the two teams disagree with him.
