Michigan tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham is the second of three Whittinghams that will be examined in the coaching spotlight. Freddie and his older brother, head coach Kyle Whittingham, have worked together since 2012 and will now continue working together in Ann Arbor.
Freddie had a different path from Kyle, pursuing a professional career before going back to school to work in higher education for nearly two decades. Similar to Kyle, this will be Freddie’s first venture to the midwest to pursue a football job.
Here is a breakdown of his career heading into his first season in Ann Arbor.
Resume
Just like his brother, Freddie played for BYU where he was a halfback/fullback in 1984 and 1987-89. The Cougars won a national championship in 1984, where Freddie carried the ball 25 times for 67 yards and a touchdown as the team’s fullback, playing with his older brother Cary Whittingham, who was a linebacker. He did a two-year mission trip before returning to play his final three seasons as a three-year starting running back.
Professionally, Freddie played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1990 as a member of the practice squad before playing for the San Antonio Riders in the World League of American Football in 1991. He then returned to BYU to complete his bachelor’s degree in psychology before spending nearly 20 years working in higher education, publishing with McGraw-Hill and Simon & Schuster.
In 2012, Kyle hired Freddie as Utah’s director of player personnel, serving in that role until 2015. From 2016-25, Freddie served as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator before following Kyle to Michigan.
Why Michigan hired him
When Freddie returned to the football scene after a 20-year hiatus, he joined his brother Kyle in Utah and they’ve been together ever since. Beyond Freddie’s recent success developing NFL-caliber tight ends, his familiarity with Kyle and the offensive system gives him an existing level of trust as he makes the move to Michigan.
Freddie has also historically used multiple 12- and 13-personnel sets that match highly with the Wolverines’ history of having strong tight ends that can both catch and block. Stylistically to Michigan’s history, Freddie is also a great pickup.
Recruiting, development and coaching philosophy
As mentioned previously, Freddie often built tight ends to become a threat in both the run and pass game. Utilizing multiple two and three tight end sets, being able to block and catch is imperative to finding success in this offense.
In the early stages of Freddie’s career, there weren’t many notable tight ends that came to Utah. Freddie also served as the team’s recruiting coordinator, and although the school just got its first five-star recruit this past cycle, the market and resources he had in Utah isn’t nearly what it is in Ann Arbor.
Over the past four NFL drafts, Utah has had three tight ends selected, including Dalton Kincaid in the first round in 2023. Kincaid had 890 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his senior season and was a first-team All-Pac-12 in 2022 before being the first Utah tight end ever selected in the first round.
Kincaid has also credited fellow tight ends Brant Kuithe and Cole Fotheringham, both of whom played under Freddie, for helping contribute to his development. Kuithe was a second-team All Pac-12 selection for his first three seasons and a first-team All-Big 12 as a senior in 2024. Thomas Yassmin was another tight end in that era that was an undrafted free agent to the Green Bay Packers, where he still plays.
The other two drafted tight ends were Caleb Lohner in the seventh round in 2025 and Dallen Bentley in the seventh round in 2026. Both Lohner and Bentley are Utah natives and both were selected by the Denver Broncos.
All to say, Freddie has had a plethora of recent success with tight ends and could do the same with the weapons he has in Michigan’s locker room this season.
Success checklist
In his first season with the Wolverines, Freddie boasts tight ends that have experience in Michigan’s system. Here’s his checklist to maximizing the potential:
- Establish roles early: Freddie has four tight ends that have a good chance of impacting the team this season, but they all do very different things. For him and the offensive staff, it’s about establishing roles for Hogan Hansen, Zack Marshall, Deakon Tonielli and Jalen Hoffman as quickly as possible to maximize their potential.
- Keep Hogan Hansen and Zack Marshall healthy: Hansen has struggled mightily with injuries his first two seasons in college. Last year, he had a real chance to start with Marlin Klein missing a few weeks due to injury, but Hansen was out for most of the season. That gave Marshall and Tonielli more reps, which was a major plus for the tight end room. Now it’s a matter of keeping those two key pieces healthy this season to maximize the roles established early on.
- Utilize Jalen Hoffman in the right way: This is where Freddie could really get things going. Hoffman is much more of a blocking tight end, but has shown off some ability to catch the ball as well, which he showcased with the 2025 spring game’s only touchdown. Getting him involved in the run game and play action could add another dimension to the offense if he can develop his receiving ability and take over a Max Bredeson type role as a fullback.