00:00Hello, sports fans. Welcome to WCSX Coffee with the Coaches. Today, we got the University
00:07Wolverines head coach, Kyle Winningham. How are you doing, sir? Doing great. Thank you very much.
00:13To quote Humphrey Bogart, I like to say this off the bat because this is our first meeting.
00:17I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, hopefully. So, good to meet you.
00:23Now, I already got praise. We haven't even played the first game. That's this Saturday
00:28against Western. Jim Harbaugh is already giving you praise, saying he thinks you are going to do
00:37an amazing job. But welcome. Welcome to Michigan. And you've got the keys to the machine, to the
00:44big house. How are you feeling? Well, first of all, I appreciate Coach Harbaugh saying that.
00:50And I hadn't heard that, but that's a vote of confidence is very welcomed. I'm excited about
00:56the season. We're excited about the season. It's very much like Christmas time where you got a
01:02present. You don't know what's in it. You open it up and see what you got. And that's where we're
01:05at
01:06with this team. We had a really good fall camp, very productive, came out healthy. But now it's
01:13going to be live action and really looking forward to see how our team reacts. And I can't wait to
01:18watch
01:18them play. Now, the number one question every Michigan fan has for you as coach is, how bad are you
01:26going to beat Ohio State? Well, that's game 12. So speak to me in week 12 and we'll have that
01:34discussion. But right now we got Western Michigan on our radar. So tell us a little bit about
01:39yourself for the average Michigan fan who's coming in this year, your first year head coach. And what
01:44are you looking forward to the most? Well, looking forward to watching our guys play. Like I said,
01:49we've been beating up on each other for the last eight months. And then it's time, you know, like
01:54every team in the country is in that same boat. But looking forward to watching Bryce. He's progressed
02:00tremendously over the last eight months. And particularly in fall camp, he really, really made
02:05the most progress throughout fall camp. Excited to watch that defense play. It's, you know, we got a
02:10defensive line that we think is one of the best in the country. So excited to see what they can
02:14do.
02:15Our running back room is terrific. And, you know, if we can impose our will in the run game and
02:19run
02:20the ball down people's throats, then that will work to our benefit. I promise you that.
02:25Now, before I give you the hard hitting sports questions that every interview asks you,
02:31I have to ask you this question. Does your wife ever second guess your play calling and bring it up
02:37to
02:38you? Like, why did you go on fourth down when you could have done this?
02:43No, she's a great wife in the respect that I don't get any grief from her.
02:47She loves, she's passionate about football. She goes to every game, obviously, but she's doesn't
02:52play that Monday morning quarterback game at all. She's, she's very good about that.
02:56Well, how's the family adjusting to life here in Michigan?
02:59Well, it's just me and her. So it's been great. I mean, she's, she's really embraced the community
03:03and, and loves it here. And, and I feel the same way. It's, you know, you can't find a better
03:08college town than Ann Arbor. I mean, it's incredible. The support here, the passionate
03:14feel that you get from the fans and the student body. It is a big time, big time college football.
03:21There's no doubt about it.
03:22Now, as you are dotting the I's and crossing the T's for this Saturday,
03:27quarterback situation is all locked up. There's no worries about that or that at all.
03:32Well, it's all locked up as far as the depth. Yeah. We have Bryce is our guy and Tommy Carr's
03:36number two and, and it's, you know, they're going to be the guys. And, and if we can get Tommy
03:43some
03:43reps in this game, that would be great. We'll see how the game goes, but really looking forward to
03:48watching Bryce play and function in this new offense. And, and he's really through fall camp,
03:54like I said, developed a great command of the offense and understanding and, and where he needs to go
03:59with the ball and decision-making and all that type of thing. Now your son is part of the coaching
04:04staff. I'm not mistaken. A question for you. If he messes up, are you still able to ground him
04:10and send him to his room? That might be part of it. I hadn't thought of that, but that could
04:16be part
04:16of the punishment if we need to go that far. But, but so far he's done a terrific job. He
04:20inherited a
04:21group of linebackers that a lot of talent, but very few game reps accrued, you know, very young and
04:27inexperienced, but, uh, he's really starting to mold those guys and shape them. And they've really
04:31responded and, uh, looking forward to see how they react on Saturday as well. And, uh, did some
04:37digging your father played in the NFL? Sure did nine years. Yes, sir. How was that as a kid growing
04:44up? Hey, my dad, my dad could kick your dad's NFL football player. It was pretty cool. It was
04:53pretty cool. The only downside was we, uh, we home-based in California. So wherever he was
04:59playing, he played for five different teams. We would go to there for the first half of the school
05:03year. And then when the season over, we'd transfer back to California. So I, I bounced around a lot,
05:08but I think in the final analysis, it was probably a good thing and gave me the, uh, ability to
05:12adapt
05:12and, and, uh, handle new situations. But, uh, that was the, as it was happening, that was the toughest
05:17part about it. Now that you're here in Michigan, have you tried buddy's pizza yet? Yes. Outstanding.
05:25It's great. Uh, for those who don't know, uh, buddy's pizza is served at the big house at
05:30university. Yeah. Yeah. I heard that. Yeah. Now for the hard hitting question, I wanted to ask you,
05:36are you ready? Ready? Let's go fire away. Your thoughts on Paul Feinbaum, but here's, here's the,
05:44here's a quote. His quote is the Michigan program has flatlined and not relevance. I was wondering
05:52if you wanted to pitch in with me, uh, we could call 1-800-Flowers and send them a wild
05:58card.
05:59So we flatlined and we're, we're irrelevant. That's the takeaway. Well, uh, we'll have to,
06:05time will tell. I guess, uh, Paul didn't quite pick that first game, you know, the TCU North Carolina
06:11game very accurately. So hopefully, hopefully he's not accurate on this, uh, count as well.
06:15I don't think he is. Now, what players, um, are the standouts that we should really be focused in
06:23watching, uh, this Saturday? Well, obviously the quarterback, you know, that's the standout
06:27or the, or the focal point of pretty much any team is the quarterback play. I'm excited to watch
06:31Bryce, uh, excited to watch our running backs, uh, Jordan Marshall, RB1, Savion Heider, RB2. Those guys
06:38are, are going to be a big part of our success. The two receivers that are one and two are,
06:43uh,
06:43Andrew Marsh and J.J. Buchanan in that order. And they're, they're both, uh, big time playmakers
06:49excited to watch the defensive line. We feel like we've got one of the best defensive lines in the
06:52country and excited to see, uh, how they can control the line of scrimmage. All right. The fun
06:56part of the interview is coming right now for you. Uh, it's our favorite game show. We'd like to play
07:01on
07:02the first interview of a me getting demeaning. It's our favorite game show called this or that you're
07:07going to have two answers. You pick one or the other. And if you want, you can, uh, answer no
07:12answer, or you can answer, or you can plead the fifth. Okay. So are you ready for the rapid round?
07:18How's pleading the fifth different than no answer? Is that the same thing? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I got you.
07:24I got you. Okay. Let's go. Rapid round steak or seafood steak all day long, the Eagles or the
07:32Rolling Stones. Dead heat. Love both those guys. They're probably one and two in my all-time bands.
07:39Okay. You're on the spot for this one, a romantic dinner or a classic rock concert,
07:44classic rock concert all day long. All right, here we go. Who do you want to beat worse score-wise,
07:51Michigan state or Ohio state? Uh, let's, let's say we're going to be, we want to beat them both,
07:58uh, handily by the same margin. How about that? Good answer. All right. Scary movie or a comedy?
08:05Comedy. Uh, jello or ice cream? Jello. Does anyone still eat jello? Ice cream. Yeah, ice cream.
08:13Hamburger or chicken sandwich? Hamburger. And the last one, going for it on fourth down
08:21or a 50-yard field goal? Oh, wow. That's, that's a relative question. It's, uh, there's so many
08:28factors that go into that. That's a, that's what do we plead the fifth? No answer on that one. Cause,
08:33cause the, uh, situation will dictate that. All right. Paul Bunyan trophy or the little brown jug?
08:40Paul Bunyan. There you go. Well, best of luck on a great season. It was such an honor to meet
08:46you. And,
08:46uh, uh, again, uh, I hope this is the start of a wonderful friendship. You've got the keys to the
08:52Michigan machine. Uh, I want you to have a great, great ride. Kyle, thank you so much for your time
08:58and welcome to call coffee with the coaches right here on WCSX. Go blue. Thank you very much. Go blue.
