Money was not an object for Michigan football when it came to bringing in its next head coach, and even though coming to Ann Arbor wasn’t a financial decision for new head coach Kyle Whittingham, it certainly will be paying off for him.
According to MLive’s Aaron McMann, Whittingham will earn an average of $8.2 million per year throughout his five-year contract with the maize and blue, nearly $2 million more than Sherrone Moore, and with some modest year-by-year increases throughout the term.
Advertisement
New Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham will collect an average of $8.2 million during his tenure at Michigan, while some of his top assistants are set to cash in, too.
The 66-year-old Whittingham is guaranteed more than $43 million over the life of his five-year deal, officially signed Dec. 27, 2026 and released Friday by the school.
The memorandum of understanding, obtained by The Ann Arbor News/ MLive via a public records request, calls for Whittingham to collect a base salary of $8 million in 2026, then receive annual raises of $100,000 per year.
By the final year of his deal, Whittingham stands to earn $8.4 million in 2030. For comparison, Michigan’s former coach, Sherrone Moore, was due to earn about $6.5 million in 2026 before his firing on Dec. 10.
There are also performance-based incentives, including $1 million for winning a national championship or a Big Ten championship, smaller amounts for reaching the College Football Playoff or making the national championship game, and even smaller amounts if he’s to be named coach of the year nationally or in conference.
If he is fired before his term concludes, not for cause, he is owed 75% of his contract per McMann.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Kyle Whittingham’s Michigan contract averages $8.2M annually
