Kyle Whittingham's NFL player record could boost Michigan football

Michigan football is hoping that with Kyle Whittingham, it won't just get a coach who will help right the ship after two years wandering through the wilderness, but it will get someone who will get the most out of his team. And there's evidence to support that he will.

Sure, Whittingham has been a head coach for 20 years, while at Utah, but one of the biggest indicators that he's a developer of talent is how many players he's put into the NFL. And according to CBS Sports, Whittingham is fifth of active college football head coaches, having put 57 players into the professional ranks.

5. Kyle Whittingham (57)

For the last two decades, Whittingham was the face of Utah's football program, and now, he takes over one of the nation's bluebloods that has produced a plethora of NFL talent in recent years. He brought a couple of former Utes to Michigan through the portal, who will undoubtedly hear their names called in future cycles.

Very few of Whittingham's draft picks were of the top-flight recruit variety coming into Salt Lake City, showing that he's capable of turning three-stars and lower four-stars into NFL-capable players. Though he's among the elder coaches on the list, he's far from having the most years on the list. The top coach on the list is Kirk Ferentz, who has led Iowa since 1999 (Whittingham became Utah's head coach in 2005). No. 2 Dabo Swinney has overseen Clemson since 2009, No. 4 James Franklin has been a head coach since 2011, and No. 6 Bret Bielema has coached just one fewer season than Whittingham.