Bryce Underwood has surprising description of Kyle Whittingham

Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bryce Underwood has surprising description of new Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Aug 11, 2026 9:24 PM ET

New Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham is experienced. There's no doubt about it.

Whittingham was the head coach of the Utah Utes for 22 years. He'll be 67 years old in November, and he got into coaching way back in 1985.

Whittingham is also a winner. He's won the Mountain West once and the Pac-12 twice. He holds the record at Utah for all-time wins with 177.

But is he savage? Would that be a way that anybody would ever describe the 66-year-old head coach?

According to his quarterback, Bryce Underwood, the term "savage" applies to Whittingham.

Underwood recently spoke with Jon Fanta of NBC Sports, and he was asked about the vibe when he and his teammates found out that Whittingham was hired.

“It was a lot of excitement going on,” Underwood said (h/t On3). “We did our research on Coach Whittingham, probably the night he got the job. He’s a winner, we’re excited. He’s a savage. We’re ready to go.”

Excited for college football to be back in our lives. Less than 3 weeks away from kickoff so it's time for some preseason content.

Bryce Underwood's mindset: "To be the best." His goal in Ann Arbor: "To win the national championship."

My @NBCSports 1-on-1 with the Michigan QB: pic.twitter.com/RIu9Tgg0hQ
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) August 10, 2026

Fanta keyed in on the word "savage," but Underwood felt it was appropriate.

“It speaks for itself, if you watch his games — risk-taking. It’s just a lot to take in, (so we were) excited, ready to go," the quarterback said.

Can Kyle Whittingham get the most out of Bryce Underwood at Michigan?

Whittingham's greatest task early on at Michigan will undoubtedly be doing what he can to get the most out of Underwood. The former consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2025 had an up-and-down freshman season in Ann Arbor.

He did throw for 2,428 yards and 11 touchdowns with 392 yards and six touchdowns added on the ground. That was the good.

The bad?

Underwood threw nine interceptions, and his completion percentage of 60.3 was the 14th-worst amongst all Big Ten quarterbacks.

He has great athleticism, but Whittingham has to find a way to bring out the great quarterback in Underwood.

In the meantime, the former five-star believes Whittingham has helped bring out some "savage" in his own game.

“You could put it that way, (but) I had it in me,” Underwood said. “It was just unleashed more with Coach Whittingham as the head coach.”

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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