RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesKyle Whittingham may be entering his first year at Michigan , but he's one of the most experienced head coaches in college football.
Whittingham, who had been Utah's coach since 2005, stepped down last December and quickly replaced Sherrone Moore in Ann Arbor. Given his more than two decades of FBS head coaching experience, few coaches are likely more acutely aware of the changing landscape in college sports.
In an interview with Rich Eisen, Whittingham addressed those concerns — including the challenges of keeping your players happy in an era when they are paid directly by universities.
"Yeah, that's what it's all about right now," Whittingham said about players asking for more money. "And not only recruits that you're after, but players on your roster. Everyone wants to be treated fairly. Fortunately, we have a general manager and someone that is a go-between for me. So, I don't deal with that directly anymore. But before that person was in place, you dealt with that all the time."
Later in the interview, Whittingham was asked directly what he would like to see change in college football, and he certainly didn't shy away from the question. Whittingham proposed what is still considered a somewhat radical solution: leaning into the concept of college football as a developmental league for the professional ranks, complete with a salary cap.
"I think it's got to be an NFL minor league model where we have a salary cap," Whittingham said. "The players are employees. I think, as distasteful as some of that is, I don't think there's any other way that is better than that. And right now it's out of control. I mean, we're going to have probably a dozen teams in the next recruiting cycle with $50 million rosters, and there's such a disparity between the haves and the have-nots. And I think that the only way to get that evened out and level the playing field is to go ahead and pattern it after a minor league NFL model."
"It's got to be an NFL minor league model, where we have a salary cap, players are employees." @UMFBCoachWhitt told us how he'd fix College Football from the jump: #GoBlue @UMichFootball @richeisen pic.twitter.com/ESTzB2fMMG
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) July 27, 2026
Whittingham is surely not the only coach who feels this way, though a model in which players are treated as employees with the right to collective bargaining would likely draw opposition from many of the sport's stakeholders.
Whether Whittingham's suggestions for the sport are ultimately heeded remains to be seen. However, at a time when schools, NCAA officials and policymakers are all trying to "fix" college sports, he's not afraid to take a bold stance.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Kyle Whittingham's bold proposal to fix college football's problems
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