Kyle Whittingham explains his ties to Urban Meyer, Ryan Day

CHICAGO -- Michigan football fans might not want to hear it, but there are connections and friendships for new head coach Kyle Whittingham that have major prominence in the state to the south.

Whittingham has been open about his relationship with former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, the man he coached under as Utah's defensive coordinator and eventually succeeded as the Utes ' head coach. Though his constant mentioning of Meyer has drawn consternation from fans in Ann Arbor, Whittingham isn't shying away from that relationship, noting that he's been a pivotal cog in terms of his head coaching style, along with two others.

"Urban Meyer was a huge influence on me as far as my head coaching philosophy, how I go about my business," Whittingham said. "There were three guys that really molded my head coaching personality, I guess you could say, or M.O. That was LaVell Edwards at BYU , a master of delegation and hiring great staff and letting me do their work, not being a micromanager and being a steady influence on a program. Not having the peaks and valleys emotionally. Then Ron McBride, when I got to Utah, master recruiter. Coach McBride has been a recruiter as there's ever been. I really learned the ins and outs of recruiting and how to recruit an athlete, how to cultivate those relationships.

"Urban -- this meticulous organization and structure. There was no stone left unturned with Urban. He could tell you what's going on next year on June 16th at three o'clock. He'll know what's going to be on tap. Just those three guys really shaped me as to who I am today as a head coach. If Urban wants to come to practice, he can come every week but one."

Meyer hasn't been a part of the OSU program since after the 2018 season, so perhaps now that he's a Fox Sports commentator, that isn't as anathema to the maize and blue faithful as others. But asked about Ryan Day, Whittingham continued to be magnanimous.

Whittingham lost a shootout against Day's Buckeyes in the 2022 Rose Bowl, 45-42, following the 2021 season. He notes that he didn't have anything against him then, and he still doesn't now. Given the hostility and vitriol that has existed in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, Whittingham says that perhaps it's time for there to be a little more collegiality between rivals. After all, such was the case between his alma mater, BYU, and where he just spent 21 years as the head coach, at Utah.

"I don't know what that dynamic was," Whittingham said. "I thought Ryan was a pretty good guy when I met with him. Interacted with him in the Rose Bowl. Based on what Urban has told me about it, I just think that rivalry can be intense and emotional without the hatred factor. I don't think there's any place for that. Personally, I think Ryan Day is a good person. To sit here and say I hate Ryan Day, that would be making crap up, because that's not true."

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Kyle Whittingham explains his ties to Urban Meyer, Ryan Day

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