Michigan’s rebuilt coaching staff continues to take shape with a hire that blends NFL experience and strong familiarity with the program’s new leadership. The Wolverines are hiring head coach Kyle Whittingham’s son, Alex, to be the new linebackers coach in Ann Arbor.
The program also announced several other coaching moves, but none that weren’t already reported on.
Alex Whittingham has been with the Kansas
City Chiefs since 2018. He began as a defensive quality control coach in 2019 and did that until 2023. He was also a defensive assistant in 2024 before being promoted to assistant defensive line coach prior to the 2025 season. He won three Super Bowls during his time there.
Prior to his coaching career, he played for his father at Utah as a walk-on linebacker. After redshirting in 2013, Alex played in six games in 2014, and 39 games from 2015-17, with all his appearances coming on special teams. He was a three-time honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic player during his time in Salt Lake City.
According to the press release, “Whittingham worked closely with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo since his hiring in 2019. He has assisted some of the league’s top defensive players, including defensive linemen Frank Clark and Chris Jones; linebackers Nick Bolton, Dee Ford, Willie Gay, Justin Houston and Drue Tranquill; defensive back Trent McDuffie. The Chiefs were top-10 in points against in six of Whittingham’s eight seasons on staff, including a top-six mark in each of the last three years. In each of his last four seasons (2022-25), the team was also top-12 in yards allowed per game.”
