Utah suing Freddie Whittingham for breach of contract after following brother to Michigan

The University of Utah is suing Michigan tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, alleging breach of contract after the longtime Utah assistant coach followed his brother, Kyle, who accepted the Michigan head coaching job on Dec. 26, 2025.

In a lawsuit filed in Utah’s 3rd District Court on Aug. 3, the university alleged that Freddie Whittingham “abandoned” his position as tight ends coach at Utah soon after Kyle Whittingham was hired in Ann Arbor. The university, according to the lawsuit obtained by The Athletic, is seeking at least $1 million in punitive damages and $300,000 from Freddie Whittingham for breach of contract.

The Salt Lake Tribune was first to report the lawsuit. Michigan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Freddie Whittingham had been a member of Utah’s football staff since 2012. The lawsuit alleges that he “failed to devote full-time attention and energy to the duties of an assistant coach” and did not obtain Utah’s written consent before engaging with Michigan during the hiring process. The suit also alleges he failed to pay Utah liquidated damages in his contract after leaving for Michigan.

Freddie Whittingham was one of five full-time coaches who followed Kyle Whittingham, along with offensive coordinator Jason Beck, offensive line coach Jim Harding, wide receivers coach Micah Simon and defensive line coach Lewis Powell. The lawsuit alleges that Freddie Whittingham is the only coach who did not fulfill the liquidated damages clause from their contract with Utah.

Freddie Whittingham signed a two-year contract with Michigan on Jan. 7 that pays him $600,000 this season and $650,000 next season, according to a copy of the contract obtained by The Athletic. The contract also gave athletic director Warde Manuel discretion to award Freddie Whittingham a signing bonus of $605,000.

On Jan. 1, Utah associate athletics director Jeff Rudy informed Freddie Whittingham that he was still employed by Utah despite reports surfacing that he would follow his brother to Michigan, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit states that Rudy observed Freddie Whittingham and other members of his family cleaning out his office later that night.

The following day, Kyle Whittingham spoke to the crowd at a Michigan men’s basketball game, joined by Freddie Whittingham and other members of his Michigan coaching staff. According to the lawsuit, Freddie Whittingham later texted Rudy and said his understanding was that Michigan’s athletic director would reach out to Utah’s athletic director to “see if he would work with us on the buyout” in Freddie Whittingham’s contract, which called for him to pay 75 percent of his salary for the remaining year of the deal.

The lawsuit goes on to allege “on information and belief” that Freddie Whittingham “actively recruited Utah players and recruits to Michigan while still employed by Utah.” Though it doesn’t identify the players by name, the lawsuit references wide receiver Salesi Moa, a top-100 prospect who signed with Utah but transferred to Michigan shortly after he arrived on campus, and wide receiver/tight end JJ Buchanan, who appeared in all 13 games and caught five touchdowns as a freshman at Utah before transferring in January.

Utah’s lawsuit is the latest salvo in a contentious breakup between Kyle Whittingham and the program he’d coached since 2005. Kyle Whittingham expressed interest in returning for a 22nd season in 2026, but Utah didn’t accept his proposed terms and ultimately promoted defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley, the program’s coach-in-waiting.

Kyle Whittingham, who has a five-year, $41 million contract at Michigan, will receive three payments totaling $13.5 million from Utah as part of a “transition bonus” in his contract. Utah athletic director Mark Harlan wrote a letter to Kyle Whittingham in January saying the university was “disappointed by your actions last month,” arguing that Kyle Whittingham failed to facilitate a “smooth and successful transition” by “recruiting our football coaches and staff to Michigan.”