Orlando, Fla. • Just a few miles away from Michigan’s team hotel, where Kyle Whittingham was meeting his new team for the first time, Kalani Sitake said he called it.
After beating Georgia Tech 25-21 in Orlando, BYU’s head coach insisted he never thought Whittingham could really walk away from football.
And sure enough, instead of retirement, the former Utah coach inked a five-year deal with Michigan on Friday.
“I made the statement that it is hard to see Kyle not doing something. And there’s the something,” Sitake said.
But Whittingham’s new coaching gig could have significant ramifications for Sitake.
As BYU was playing in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Whittingham was flying into Florida himself to meet up with the Wolverines as they prepared for their bowl game. Michigan will play Texas in the same stadium just a few days from now.
Whittingham is rumored to have his eyes on BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill as his top assistant in Ann Arbor. It would be one of the premier coordinator jobs in college football and, potentially, a foot in the door for a head coaching job down the line.
“When [Whittingham takes a job], he has a network that he goes to for putting together a staff. That is how football works,” Sitake said. “I feel really good about what we have going here with the players and coaches. We will go with what we’ve got. They established the foundation and Jay was a big part of that defensively.”
When pushed further on whether Sitake could confirm Hill was leaving, he deferred to his coordinator. But he thanked him for his efforts.
“Jay is going to make his own statements,” Sitake said. “I’m just acknowledging that Kyle is at Michigan and guys have decisions to make.”
A decision on Hill’s future will likely come quickly as Whittingham puts together a staff.
Whittingham is in Orlando meeting in person with Michigan’s administration this weekend.
“It’s not me. I’m here to stay,” Sitake said. “The program is in a really good spot because of a lot of people. It will be an honor for me to keep this thing going.”