Whittingham advocates for Utah coach-in-waiting

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterJul 9, 2024, 03:52 PM ET
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- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

LAS VEGAS — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham expects a “seamless transition” with and defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley, named last week as the Utes’ coach-in-waiting, although no date has been set for Whittingham to step aside.

Whittingham, who has led Utah since 2005 and is the nation’s second-longest tenured coach behind Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, said his decision about when to retire is “day to day, not even year to year.” He’s 162-79 at the school and has won three league titles — two Pac-12, one Mountain West — as the Utes prepare for their first season in the Big 12.

“As soon as I lose my passion and my energy for it, then you need to step aside,” Whittingham told ESPN. “I missed so much of my kids growing up, and I don’t want to do the same thing to my grandkids. I want to be there and be involved.”

Whittingham has 10 grandchildren ranging from 3 months to 8 years old. He has previously said he wouldn’t coach beyond age 65, and he turns 65 on Nov. 21. Scalley, 44, played defensive back at Utah when Whittingham served as a Utes assistant, and has spent his entire coaching career at his alma mater, serving as defensive coordinator since 2016.

“Morgan Scalley is a Utah guy, through and through,” Whittingham said. “He’s been in the program for almost as long as I have. He’s done a great job as an assistant coach and as a coordinator, and it’s, to me, going to be a seamless transition. We’ve had a lot of good coaches on our staff that will be head coaches some day, but for right now, when that transition takes place, Morgan is the choice.”

Despite entering a new conference from the Pac-12, Utah is the preseason media favorite to win the Big 12. The Utes return starting quarterback Cam Rising and standout tight end Brant Kuithe from injury, and have a formidable front seven on defense that includes all-conference players Junior Tafuna and Karene Reid. Rising, who missed all of last season after tearing multiple knee ligaments in the Rose Bowl, told ESPN that he’s fully healthy and able to play without a knee brace.

Utah is seeking its first College Football Playoff appearance as the field expands to 12 teams this fall.

“The state that our program is at, we’re playing for championships,” Whittingham said. “That’s our objective each and every year and as long as I’m here, that’s not going to change. And the beauty of this now is, if you win your conference championship, you’re in the playoffs, you don’t have to have some committee vote you in. You’re in.”

Utah’s arrival in the Big 12 a year after BYU’s means that their matchup, known as the Holy War, will become a conference game for the first time since 2010, when both were members of the Mountain West. BYU won the teams’ last meeting in 2021, ending Utah’s nine-game winning streak.

The Utes will host the Cougars on Nov. 9.

“Obviously, the fans and everything would make it a huge deal, and I have nothing against the players, just the program,” Kuithe said. “I wouldn’t really call it a rivalry as much, just because it’s so one-sided.”