When Indiana tried to hire 62-year-old Curt Cignetti, it seemed like a well-thought-out risk. Yes, Cignetti is older for a coach just breaking into the Power-Four ranks, but since leaving his coordinator job at Alabama, success has followed him every step of the way.
Most importantly, at James Madison, he led the Dukes to success at the FCS level and guided them through a smooth transition to FBS football. His ability to navigate a difficult process for most teams is what really attracted Indiana to Cignetti. Of course, we all know by now that Indiana crushed the Cignetti hire and, in just two years, transformed Indiana from a basketball school to a football school.
In the modern college football landscape, if a program has the appropriate resources, it doesn’t take long to turn it around.
Michigan hopes to quickly regain its status as a national title contender, but the road ahead is not as simple as it seems. The Wolverines announced they would hire former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham to right their ship. It appears Michigan has eliminated most of the coaches it was actually interested in, so landing Whittingham isn’t a horrible outcome after a shaky hiring process.
While Whittingham may have a solid floor as a sure program builder, his ceiling appears very limited at Michigan. Utah doesn’t have elite resources, but it never felt like it was capable of reaching the Utah heights that Urban Meyer reached before him. He’s a guy who can keep Michigan relevant and be in the top 25 in the rankings, but he doesn’t feel like a guy who will win you national titles.
He’s also four years older than Cignetti was when he was hired at Indiana, so he’s not a young man; we know what Whittingham is at this point. He also took his courses in Utah. It doesn’t seem like his departure is a mutual separation. It’s more like Utah kicked him out. I’m not sure a marquee program like Michigan should bring in a coach who was forced out of a school like Utah.
Well, it may not seem like much, but in a rivalry like Ohio State vs. Michigan, the little things matter. Whittingham went to BYU and coached at Utah. When I see something like that, it doesn’t make me feel like a guy like him cares enough about his rivals like he should. One of the biggest criticisms of Ryan Day is that he doesn’t care enough about the game. If a guy is going to coach his biggest rival from his playing days, does that sound like a guy who’s going to be all in on The Game?
Only time will tell if Michigan has found their guy, but if they don’t, this could be a continuation of the downward spiral of the post-Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan.
