Kyle Whittingham is bringing Utah’s offensive line coach, Jim Harding, with him from Salt Lake City. Reports broke on New Year’s Day that Harding is headed to Ann Arbor to coach the Wolverines’ offensive line and retain his assistant head coach title.
Harding, who is from Maumee, OH, was a four-year starting offensive tackle at Toledo (1997-2000), setting a school record with 46 consecutive starts and earning first-team All-MAC honors as a senior captain on a 10-1 Rockets team. Early in his coaching career, he spent four seasons (2005-08) at Troy High School in Michigan, serving as defensive coordinator before becoming head coach. He moved on to Wyoming as a co-offensive line coach, then the offensive line coach, and finally the offensive coordinator before moving on to Utah as the offensive line coach in 2014.
Over the last twelve seasons as the Utes’ offensive line coach (adding assistant head coach duties in 2017), he’s built one of the most consistent units in college football:
- Nation-leading 12 first-team all-conference offensive linemen since 2015
- Seven NFL Draft picks, including 1st rounder Garett Bolles (Denver Broncos)
- Projected 1st rounders in the 2026 draft: Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu
- Blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher in 11 of the last 12 years (2025 was the lone exception, with Wayshawn Parker finishing at 981 yards)
Harding is widely regarded as one of the top position coaches in the country. Bringing that recruiting prowess to the Midwest – where he already has ties – could be huge for developing Michigan’s talented young players.
Utah has done well on the recruiting trail over the years, landing several players Michigan wanted, such as Fano, Lomu, Jackson Barton, Lander Barton, and Kelvin Obot. Furthermore, the players have been developed. Watching Utah over the last several years, even before Whittingham was a candidate for Michigan, I’ve been impressed by Utah’s offensive line, especially taking into account how stiff some of Utah’s players are. If Michigan can consistently recruit talented players and pair that with Harding’s development, it should be an excellent unit moving forward.
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