RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesCHICAGO — New Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham offered a contrast to the tensions that have surrounded the rivalry with Ohio State in recent years.
During his turn at Big Ten media days, Whittingham downplayed any personal animosities.
“A rivalry can be intense and emotional without the hatred factor,” Whittingham said. “I don’t think there is any place for that personally. I think Ryan Day is a good person. To sit here and say I hate Ryan Day, I’d be making crap up, because that’s not true.”
It is perhaps unsurprising that Whittingham struck a more conciliatory tone. Whittingham and Day, who will be in his eighth season leading the Buckeyes this fall, are both offshoots of Urban Meyer’s coaching tree.
Before Whittingham spent 21 years as Utah's coach, he was Meyer’s defensive coordinator with the Utes , and Day experienced a similar internal promotion, having succeeded Meyer at Ohio State at the end of 2018.
That history provided some familiarity. Whittingham said Meyer would bring up Day during conversations as he learned about Day over the years.
“I would say I know Ryan casually,” Whittingham said.
Whittingham added, “I got a lot of respect for him as a coach. He’s a good football coach and has been very successful. What can you say? He’s done a nice job.”
Whittingham and Day previously coached against each other when Ohio State and Utah met in the Rose Bowl to end the 2021 season and were around each other at a handful of events in Southern California in the lead-up to the bowl game.
“I thought Ryan was a pretty good guy when I interacted with him,” Whittingham said.
Tensions in the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan reached a fever pitch in 2024 when the Wolverines planted a flag at midfield at Ohio Stadium following their shocking upset of the Buckeyes.
The celebration boiled over into a heated brawl between the teams, prompting police officers to deploy pepper spray in order to break up the postgame melee.
The Buckeyes had been rankled in previous years by Michigan’s alleged sign-stealing operation, as well as various jabs by coach Jim Harbaugh.
When Michigan toppled the Buckeyes in 2021, a turning point that began a four-game winning streak in the series, Harbaugh took a swipe at Day , alluding to Day being "born on third base." It was a veiled reference to Day inheriting a program rebuilt by Meyer.
Two years later, Harbaugh deflected a question asking about his level of respect for Day.
“It's all about our preparation for Ohio,” Harbaugh told reporters.
Harbaugh left Michigan to return to the NFL as the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers following the Wolverines’ national championship season in 2023. He was replaced by Sherrone Moore, an assistant with the Wolverines since 2018 who had most recently been the offensive coordinator.
Moore was fired after just two seasons leading the Wolverines due to an affair with a female staff member, leading to Whittingham’s arrival in Ann Arbor in December.
Whittingham lacked ties to Michigan, but the 66-year-old coaching veteran offered stability for the scandal-ridden program.
Even if he didn’t express particular disdain for the Buckeyes, he acknowledged the implications of the rivalry.
“Everybody knows that that game's looming out there,” Whittingham said. “The best-case scenario, it comes down to that 12 th game, that's for all the marbles in the Big Ten. That would be ideal. Hopefully that happens.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kyle Whittingham says Ohio State-Michigan football rivalry doesn't need hatred
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