Michigan officials have signed Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to a five-year deal, sources told Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger on Friday. Whittingham is expected to join the team in Orlando for its Dec. 31 Citrus Bowl game against the Texas Longhorns, Dellenger reported.
Whittingham, 66, was 177-88 at Utah after taking over for Urban Meyer at the end of the 2004 season. The Utes won at least 10 games in eight seasons during Whittingham’s tenure and have had just three losing seasons. None of those seasons have featured fewer than five wins.
Hiring Whittingham brings a sudden December coaching search to a close just over two weeks following the dismissal of Sherrone Moore. The second-year coach was fired with cause on Dec. 10 after Michigan found evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.
Moore then allegedly went to that staffer’s residence and allegedly threatened to take his own life while telling her that she ruined his life. Moore has been charged with felony home invasion and two misdemeanors for that incident and has a January court date.
Whittingham had been a Utah football lifer since playing linebacker at BYU. He was a grad assistant with the Cougars for two seasons and then coached at Eastern Utah and Idaho State for seven years. He became Utah’s defensive line coach in 1994 and has coached for the Utes ever since. He became the school’s defensive coordinator in 1995 and held that job until Meyer left to coach Florida in 2005.
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Morgan Scalley was already announced as Whittingham’s successor at Utah after he had been named the team’s coach-in-waiting. Scalley is now expected to coach the Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31.
Additionally, former co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss is facing over 20 felony federal charges for allegedly accessing the accounts of female student-athletes across the country. Weiss, who was fired from his job at Michigan for alleged “computer access crimes,” was the Wolverines’ co-offensive coordinator with Moore in the 2022 season.
Before Michigan’s search turned to Whittingham, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham were mentioned as potential candidates. DeBoer issued a statement saying that he wasn’t interested in speaking with another school and Alabama’s win over Oklahoma in the first round of the College Football Playoff also threw a wrench in any Michigan hopes of hiring him.
With leading wideout Le’Meke Brockington not playing in Friday’s Rate Bowl, Minnesota needed someone to step up in a relatively thin receiver room.
Jalen Smith leaped at the opportunity. The redshirt freshman dove for a pair of touchdown catches, the second the game-winner in overtime.
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With a 20-17 victory, the Golden Gophers (8-5, 5-4 Big Ten) improved to 7-0 in bowl games under head coach P.J. Fleck and denied New Mexico (9-4, 6-2 Mountain West) its first 10-win season since 1982.
Smith came into the day with only two touchdown receptions this season. He matched that total while recording six catches for 64 yards.
His classmate, quarterback Drake Lindsey, gave him a chance in the end zone on third-and-8 in overtime after New Mexico started the extra frame with a 36-yard field goal.
Lindsey threw off his back foot. As the ball reached the paint, Smith lifted off. He extended in front of a Lobos defensive back to reel in the pass before securing the 12-yard score when he hit the ground.
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The first Lindsey-Smith connection was even more impressive. It also came on third down, this time on third-and-4 with less than two minutes left in the first half. New Mexico was leading 6-0 at that point.
That was, until Lindsey floated a pass to the back corner of the end zone. Lindsey put it only where Smith could get it, away from three trailing Lobos defenders.
The 10-yard touchdown pass hung in the air for what felt like a minute. Smith tracked it perfectly and laid out for the score.
Minnesota, which entered third nationally in fewest penalties per game (3.3), had nine penalties for 87 yards against New Mexico.
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The Golden Gophers survived those mistakes as well as a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown by Lobos senior running back Damon Bankston early in the fourth quarter.
Bankston came into the matchup averaging 30.4 yards per kickoff return this season and had already ran one back for six.
On Friday, New Mexico turned his house call into eight points. A trick play was behind the conversion. Running back Scottre Humphrey took a direct snap and handed it off to quarterback Jack Layne, who faked a pitch reverse and then threw over the middle to a wide-open Keagan Johnson for a two-point conversion that tied the game 14-14.
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That was a special play in a special New Mexico season that began with the Lobos bringing back just 34 players from the 2024 campaign, the fewest returners of any FBS team this season.
They were picked 11th in the Mountain West preseason poll. Then they finished 6-2 in conference play.
But in their first bowl game since 2016, they came up short in overtime versus a Minnesota team that just keeps winning this time of year under Fleck.
The announcement comes two weeks after Reaves first suffered a mild left calf strain, which caused him to miss three games. He was deemed ready to return last week, but left Thursday’s game against the Houston Rockets with another calf injury and will now be out for at least a month.
Austin Reaves has become the Lakers’ third star. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Reaves probably wasn’t one of those players Redick had an issue with. He has been one of the NBA’s breakout players this season, averaging career highs nearly across the board and supplying an effective complement for stars Luka Dončić and LeBron James.
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If Reaves can return in exactly four weeks from Friday, that’s 14 games he’ll be missing. The NBA trade deadline is not long after that on Feb. 5, which is significant given the trade speculation around him.
It can be hard to determine intent from a single social media post or fashion choice, but there are only so many ways to interpret Harper posting a video of himself on TikTok taking swings while wearing a shirt that says “Not Elite.”
That could obviously mean a few things. Maybe Harper is still peeved about Dombrowski’s comments. Maybe he’s become friendly enough with the executive that the elite question has become a joke to them. Maybe he’s decided to lean into the criticism and is now presenting it as motivation.
Still, it’s quite a choice to drag that argument back into the public sphere, especially during an uneasy offseason for the franchise.
There are a lot of things Bryce Harper could be saying with his “Not Elite” shirt. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
(Katelyn Mulcahy via Getty Images)
In case you need a refresher, here’s what Dombrowski said about Harper in an end-of-season news conference:
“Of course, he’s still a quality player. He’s still an All-Star caliber player. He didn’t have an elite season like he has had in the past. And I guess we only find out if he becomes elite or if he continues to be good. I look around the league … Freddie Freeman. He’s a really good player, right? He still is a good player. Is he elite like he was before? Probably not to the same extent. Freddie’s a tremendous player. And, that to me, is Bryce. Can he rise to the next level again? I don’t really know that answer. I mean, really, he’s the one that will dictate that more than anything else, is what it comes down to.”I don’t think he’s content with the year that he had. And, again, it wasn’t a bad year, but when I think of Bryce Harper, you’re thinking elite, you’re thinking one of the top 10 players in baseball, and I don’t think [his 2025 season] fit into that category. But, again, very good player.”
Kon Knueppel went off before he went out on Friday night. The rookie guard erupted for 16 points in the first quarter of the Charlotte Hornets’ 120-105 win over the Orlando Magic (17-14), but the No. 4 overall draft pick suffered a right ankle injury late in the first half that sidelined him the rest of the game.
Head coach Charles Lee said afterward that it sounded like the X-rays on Knueppel’s ankle were negative, and that the Hornets (11-20) will get more information about Knueppel when the team returns home, as reported by The Charlotte Observer.
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With less than 30 seconds to go in the second quarter, Knueppel appeared to roll his ankle after landing on the shoe of Magic guard Desmond Bane on a contest in the paint.
While Knueppel was quiet in the second quarter before his injury, he turned heads with his first-quarter outburst, which saw him make all four of his 3-point attempts.
The Duke product has enjoyed record-breaking success from beyond the arc this season. Earlier this week, during a 139-132 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 20-year-old Knueppel became the fastest player in NBA history to make 100 3s.
He needed only 29 games to do it, surpassing Lauri Markkanen, who reached the milestone in 41 games with the Chicago Bulls in 2017-18.
Knueppel came into Friday’s matchup in Orlando averaging 19.4 points per game on 47.4% shooting, with a 41.9% clip from long range.
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Like college teammate Cooper Flagg, Knueppel has swiftly translated his skill set to the NBA.
Knueppel’s injury is the latest the Hornets have taken on this season. They were notably down two of their top-three centers Friday, as both Ryan Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee weren’t available.
Still, Charlotte found a way to win on the road. Seven different Hornets scored in double figures. LaMelo Ball led the charge with 22 points and splashed four 3s, albeit with six turnovers attached to his stat line. Collin Sexton, in just his second game back from a quad injury, chipped in 13 points off the bench.
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The Hornets have been playing better basketball of late, but losing Knueppel for any significant amount of time could stunt that progress.
The New York Jets have reconsidered their decision to disqualify a fan from a $100,000 kicking competition after a considerable backlash on social media.
The team was reported by the New York Post on Thursday to have canceled season ticket-holder Ashley Castanio-Gervasi’s spot in the finals of its “Kick for Cash” competition this weekend due to her work as a high school soccer coach.
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Castanio-Gervasi told the Post the team reached out to her after seeing her kick at a tailgate in September and asked her to join the competition, without asking if she was a coach mentioning any rules banning coaches. Castanio-Gervasi also reportedly told the employees she was a Division I soccer player in college, playing goalkeeper for Stony Brook University from 2010 to 2014.
Her recollection, from the Post:
“These two workers for the New York Jets kind of chased me down and invited me back to get into this competition,” she recalled. “The one question I was asked was if I played college soccer, and how long ago.”
Castanio-Gervasi went on to qualify for the final — the lone woman to do so — by making a 20-yard field goal in October, with the team even promoting her appearance with local media. The Long Island Herald picked up the story and identified her as a coach in the second paragraph. It wasn’t until last week, however, that Castanio-Gervasi was informed about a rule prohibiting recent players and coaches from Olympic, college, and high school soccer, rugby, and football teams.
The Jets initially stood by the policy when reached by the Post:
“In accordance with competition rules and regulations, one individual who successfully made the qualifying kick will not be able to advance to the final stage of the challenge,” the team said in a statement to The Post.“We understand the disappointment associated with this and have made an effort to provide an alternative benefit to show our appreciation,” the Jets statement added.
The team reportedly attempted to mitigate the situation by offering Castanio-Gervasi a consolation custom jersey, a $100 Visa gift card and a donation to Esophageal Cancer Education Foundation. The latter was significant as Castanio-Gervasi was hoping to donate part of the winnings to the foundation in honor of her father Frank, who died of esophageal cancer in 2011.
The Jets have somehow turned a field goal into an own goal. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
(Justin Casterline via Getty Images)
The team also reportedly offered to cover the cost of the tickets purchased by at least 15 friends and family members who were going to see Castanio-Gervasi kick.
“We realized there was an unfortunate misunderstanding regarding Ashley’s eligibility for the contest. In an effort to remedy the situation, we are allowing her to kick this Sunday for an opportunity to win the prize. We value the passion and loyalty of our fans and are committed to creating memorable experiences.”
It’s unclear what the team means by “misunderstanding,” but it can definitely expect more interest than usual for the “Kick for Cash” contest this weekend. The Jets are scheduled to play the Patriots on Sunday at 1 p.m.
In the latter part of Kyle Whittingham’s 21-year run at Utah, his name practically disappeared from the coaching rumors that seem to be part and parcel of having success at a non-traditional program.
It wasn’t that bigger schools were any less interested. If anything, Whittingham’s reputation had only grown over time as he shepherded Utah from Mountain West domination to the Pac-12 championships to a 10-2 redemption this year after an exceedingly rare losing season in 2024.
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But Utah was home. And at age 66, it seemed like the time for one more move was in the rear-view mirror. When Whittingham announced on Dec. 12 that he was stepping down, the immediate reaction and the tributes from Utah, where he had spent 32 years in total, made it look like a retirement.
You know how schools often hire the opposite of the coach they just fired?
In replacing the undisciplined, inexperienced, offensive-minded Sherrone Moore with a tough-nosed, Medicare-eligible, defensive-minded ball coach who hasn’t missed a workout in decades, Michigan is flipping the narrative around its program overnight.
Kyle Whittingham is reportedly the target of Michigan’s head coaching search. He went 177-88 in 21 seasons at Utah. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nobody will question Whittingham’s seriousness. Nobody will question his competence in managing the program. Nobody will have to wonder whether he’s doing things in his off time that will embarrass the school.
After the Moore debacle, the full culture reset Whittingham will provide is just what Michigan needs. And given how limited the options were with so many coaches having already taken other jobs or signing contract extensions, Michigan is making a responsible decision here rather than taking a shot in the dark.
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But will he win?
That’s a more interesting question.
Michigan fans should not be troubled by Whittingham’s age. Even if he would be a so-called bridge hire with more yesterdays than tomorrows in his coaching career, there’s no point for any program these days to look beyond a five-year window. This is the transfer portal era for players and coaches. The kind of two-decade run Whittingham just had at Utah isn’t realistic anywhere nowadays.
“I did not want to be that guy who overstayed his welcome with people saying, ‘Hey, when’s this guy gonna leave?’” Whittingham told the Salt Lake Tribune last week. “That was not my intention — ever. I hope I didn’t do that. I’m sure with some people I did do that. To me, the timing was right.”
It’s understandable if Michigan fans are wary of the high-profile older guy making one last move. It hasn’t worked out with either Mack Brown or Bill Belichick at North Carolina, didn’t work for LSU with Brian Kelly and didn’t work for UCF recently with Gus Malzahn.
But it would be a shock if Whittingham, of all people, treats this opportunity like a highly paid semi-retirement gig. After being at the same school since 1994, having this unexpected opportunity at the end of his career to coach at a place with almost unlimited resources would surely invigorate him.
And it’s not like Whittingham was tailing off in the first place. Utah made back-to-back Rose Bowls in 2021 and 2022. Yes, the combined 13-12 record over the subsequent two years was ugly, but it was mostly the product of bad injury luck at the quarterback position. Utah bouncing back with a 10-2 record this year showed definitively that Whittingham could still get it done in the transfer portal/NIL era.
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His style of football should work in the Big Ten. Every one of the elite teams in that league, including Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State, are built from the line of scrimmage out. That’s what Whittingham did at Utah, he’ll just have access to a lot more talent.
The biggest question for Whittingham at any job other than Utah, of course, is how his recruiting will translate. It’s especially pertinent for someone whose rosters have relied on overlooked players from the Mountain and Pacific time zones now having to battle for four- and five-star talent in the Midwest and all across the country because that’s what the Michigan job demands.
But Michigan’s NIL infrastructure is among the best in college sports, showing its force in landing top-rated freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood last year. Assuming Whittingham is adept at forming the right relationships among Michigan’s donor class, the recruiting component should mostly take care of itself.
It’s the culture piece, though, where Whittingham should be able to get Michigan on track. As much success as Jim Harbaugh had in the later part of his career, the program was just too messy. Connor Stalions. Matt Weiss. Sherrone Moore. Too many infamous names were associated with that regime. A lot of time and money was wasted trying to deal with horrible behavior.
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Michigan needed a clean break. It also needed a coach with enough gravitas to keep the ship afloat amid more turbulent waters to come. Though athletic director Warde Manuel has led the coaching search, the school has hired a white-shoe law firm to conduct an independent review of the athletic department. Given the multiple scandals that have taken place on his watch, it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s swept out, too.
Michigan fans should be thrilled with Whittingham becoming the face of that athletic department alongside men’s basketball head coach Dusty May. Sometimes you just need an adult in the room, and by adding Whittingham the Wolverines would have two.
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Nobody really knows how a hire is going to turn out until you see the product on the field. Whittingham, just like he did at Utah more than two decades ago, will have to prove that his style works at the highest level in the sport.
But Michigan is also a place where an unfocused, replacement-level coach went 9-3 this season before running his career off the rails. It’s a great job with a high floor, and anyone with a baseline level of competence should be able to contend for College Football Playoff berths.
Fans will have questions about Whittingham’s age, his offense and his geographic fit. That’s all fair. But they should remember there were plenty of ways for a mid-to-late December coaching search to be a disaster with a weakened athletic director and no permanent school president.
Instead, Michigan is taking the first step toward healing.
The Los Angeles Chargers are 11-4 after defeating the Dallas Cowboys last weekend (and dashing the Cowboys’ playoff hopes in the process), this week, they’ll host the 10-5 Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium for an AFC matchup. The Texans, who defeated the Las Vegas Raiders last week (in a game that was much closer than anyone expected) are still trying to secure their playoff spot. With the 11-4 Jacksonville Jaguars leading their division, it’ll be a tight race to the postseason.
The Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers game kicks off on the NFL Network. Here’s how you can tune in to this NFL game, and find out about the rest of the Week 17 games.
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How to watch the Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers:
Many NFL games are broadcast on local channels, so if you’re looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna) or finding a live TV streaming service that carries the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $7 monthly subscription to NFL+ will let you watch every out-of-market local and primetime game in the season on your phone — but only a select few regular-season games on your TV. You could also spring for the uber-expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to get every out-of-market Sunday game of the season.
When it comes to nationally broadcast games, NFL games typically air across ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will stream exclusively on Peacock, games on CBS will stream live on Paramount+ and Monday Night Football games will air on ESPN or ABC and stream on the newly revamped ESPN+ this season. That’s six channels and four streaming platforms to keep up with this season — and that’s not counting your local RSN’s for in-market games and an NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for out-of-market games. Plus, Netflix is once again hosting at least two Christmas Day matches, so add that subscription to the mix. And we can’t forget about Fox One, Fox’s first streaming service, a place where you can also stream games airing on FOX (if you don’t already have access to it).
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Confused? You’re not alone. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2025 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team’s games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV.
The chasm between first and second place in the AFC North widened last weekend after a Pittsburgh Steelers win and a Baltimore Ravens loss, but the 7-8 Ravens are still fighting for a playoff spot and all hope isn’t lost yet. They’ll face the Green Bay Packers this Saturday. The Packers are in a similar position in the NFC North, trailing the No. 1 Chicago Bears by two games and desperate to win their last two games to clinch a playoff berth.
The Ravens vs. Packers game will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Peacock and NFL+; here’s everything you need to know about this week’s game and the rest of the Week 17 schedule.
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How to watch the Baltimore Ravens vs. Green Bay Packers:
Date: Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV channel: N/A
Streaming: Peacock, NFL+
Baltimore Ravens vs. Green Bay Packers game time:
The Ravens vs. Packers game kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT this Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Green Bay Packers game channel:
The Week 17 game between the Ravens and Packers will only be available to watch on Peacock and NFL+.
How to watch the Baltimore Ravens vs. Green Bay Packers game:
This week’s Ravens vs. Packers game will stream on Peacock and on NFL+, though with an NFL+ subscription, you’re limited to watching this week’s game on mobile devices.
For $17 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
Many NFL games are broadcast on local channels, so if you’re looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna) or finding a live TV streaming service that carries the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $7 monthly subscription to NFL+ will let you watch every out-of-market local and primetime game in the season on your phone — but only a select few regular-season games on your TV. You could also spring for the uber-expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to get every out-of-market Sunday game of the season.
Advertisement
When it comes to nationally broadcast games, NFL games typically air across ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will stream exclusively on Peacock, games on CBS will stream live on Paramount+, and Monday Night Football games will air on ESPN or ABC and stream on the newly revamped ESPN+ this season. That’s six channels and four streaming platforms to keep up with this season — and that’s not counting your local RSN’s for in-market games and an NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for out-of-market games. Plus, Netflix is once again hosting at least two Christmas Day matches, so add that subscription into the mix. And we can’t forget about Fox One, Fox’s first streaming service, a place where you can also stream games airing on FOX (if you don’t already have access to it).
Confused? You’re not alone. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2025 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team’s games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV.
Pros
Full package free trial available
Many local RSNs included
free ESPN Unlimited
Unlimited Cloud DVR
Cons
Cost
Regional Sports Network fee
Pros
Offers NFL Sunday Ticket bundle
Offers almost every channel you need for NFL games
Cons
High cost
Locked into YouTube TV Base Plan with the Sunday Ticket bundle
The Las Vegas Raiders placed their star defensive end on injured reserve on Saturday, officially ending his season due to a knee injury. The team decided to shut down the five-time Pro Bowler “with Crosby’s best interest in mind,” even as Crosby wanted to be on the field.
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Crosby is expected to undergo knee surgery in the near future that will sideline him into the offseason, too, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Further specifics on that surgery, or a timeline for his return, are not yet known.
While the Raiders may want to not risk further injury for Crosby, they are also chasing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. In facing a fellow 2-13 team in the New York Giants on Sunday, a defeat would improve their chances and not having their best defensive player would aid in that pursuit.
According to the NFL, this will be only the third time in NFL history that two teams that are 11-plus games under .500 will meet and the first time since 1991.
“Yeah, I don’t give a s*** about the pick, to be honest,” Crosby said Tuesday. “I don’t play for that. That’s not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world. That’s what I focus on every day. Being a great leader, being an influence. Being that guy on a consistent basis for my team.”
After being informed that the Raiders weren’t going to let him play against the Giants, Crosby told head coach Pete Carroll that he wanted to leave the facility.
“He knows that he’s banged up, so he’s talking about, ‘I’d like to get out of here.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, get out of here.’ So he took off,” Carroll said on Friday, via ESPN. “… This didn’t just spring on him. We’ve been talking about it, and it was exactly what you would think he would do and he should do. I agree with him 1,000 percent on how he responded, and I [would have] responded the same way.”
Crosby has been in the NFL since 2019 and has played 110 regular-season games with the Raiders, but only one playoff game. The Raiders have only two playoff appearances — and zero playoff wins — since appearing in Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the 2002 season.
Bowers, the Raiders 2024 first-round draft pick, was an All-Pro last season and has made two Pro Bowls in his first two NFL seasons. After recording 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, the injury affected his output this season as he’ll finish with 680 receiving yards, with 64 receptions and seven touchdowns.
