Now that everyone has had some time to process the hiring of former Utah State head coach Kyle Whittingham, it’s time to turn our attention to business.
Whittingham agreed to a five-year contract on Friday and was put directly on a plane to Orlando to begin building relationships with players. He will have to act quickly as the transfer portal will open on January 2 and players will need to make some decisions quickly.
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What makes Whittingham a fascinating employee is his ability to do more with less. Heading into the 2025 season, Utah is expected to use an $8 million NIL operating budget. By comparison, the Wolverines are expected to cross the $20 million threshold, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.
Obviously, a lot of money is allocated to high school recruits, but since the Wild West is a transfer portal, Whittingham will likely look to fill out his roster through the portal to supplement the young players that Michigan State saw last season.
In 2025, Utah ranked No. 37 in the national transfer portal rankings, bringing in 22 new players, according to 247Sports. He also lost 31 players. For reference, Michigan ranks 30th with 17 transfer players.
Highlights in Utah’s portal are former New Mexico State quarterback Devin Dampier and Washington State running back Weshaun Parker, both of whom have helped Utah’s offense in a big way. Dampier followed offensive coordinator Jason Baker to Salt Lake City and was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year with 2,768 yards and 12 touchdowns.
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Meanwhile, Parker is coming off a stellar 2024 season at Washington State, rushing for 735 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and four touchdowns and is rated as the No. 2 running back. This year at Utah, Parker ran for 931 yards and six touchdowns.
On defense, Utah State received solid play from UC Davis transfer cornerback Blake Cotton. In seven starts, he totaled 25 tackles (two for a loss) and seven breakups.
However, apart from these three, there isn’t much else. A similar trend had emerged the previous year, with Whittingham bringing in 12 transfers through the portal while losing 25. Utah ranks 32nd nationally in the transfer portal rankings, with its biggest transfer being wide receiver Dorian Singer. The former 1,000-yard receiver started all 12 games in 2024 and led Utah with 53 receptions, 702 yards and one touchdown.
The most interesting thing is that of the 22 players in the 2025 class, six are wide receivers, four are running backs, and four are cornerbacks. Of the 12 snaps in 2024, three are wide receivers, three are edge rushers and three are secondary players. With most transfers happening at the same few positions, Whittingham appears to be using the portal to fill holes and build depth rather than just acquiring the best players.
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It will be interesting to see how Whittingham plans to utilize the portal in his first season at Michigan, especially with the Wolverines expected to lose some of their roster once the coaching staff is assembled. At the very least, he’ll need to replace some of Michigan’s receivers, tight end space and backups as players leave who were weak links on last season’s team.
But with a larger NIL budget and resources, the Michigan brand and a desire to make an immediate splash, Whittingham can break away from his typical strategy and hit the portal hard.