{"id":700746,"date":"2026-01-24T05:31:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T05:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/700746\/"},"modified":"2026-01-24T05:31:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T05:31:28","slug":"utah-byu-football-and-the-impact-of-kyle-whittinghams-departure-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/700746\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah, BYU football and the impact of Kyle Whittingham’s departure \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Longtime college football fans in the state of Utah will never forget what transpired in December 2004, a crazy month<\/a> that altered the landscape of the sport in the Beehive State forever, as it were.<\/p>\n

A series of decisions, most notably Urban Meyer\u2019s choice to leave Utah<\/a> for Florida after two seasons in Salt Lake City and BYU\u2019s desire to part ways with Gary Crowton<\/a> after four seasons in Provo, triggered a chain of events that left the Utes and Cougars fighting over Kyle Whittingham<\/a> and eventually brought notable names such as Gary Andersen, Kalani Sitake, Bronco Mendenhall, Jay Hill and Aaron Roderick into one of the most intense and intertwined rivalries in the country.<\/p>\n

Flash forward to late December 2025 and early January 2026. Has history repeated itself?<\/p>\n

Another couple of crazy weeks have shaken the foundation of college football throughout Utah, and once again, Whittingham was in the middle of it<\/a>. <\/p>\n

After announcing he was stepping down<\/a> after 21 years at Utah, Whittingham, 66, shook the college football world by taking the vacant Michigan job the day after Christmas, and dramatic changes have followed \u2014 even more than in 2004, if that is possible.<\/p>\n

To those seemingly unrepeatable weeks a little more than 21 years ago, new Michigan man Whittingham has told everyone to hold his dirty soda \u2014 to put a Utah-flavored spin on the situation.<\/p>\n

Then holy heck broke loose.<\/p>\n

It immediately got messy at Utah and BYU, and then reached into the coaching staffs at Utah State and Weber State, as Whittingham turned to his coaching tree to build his staff at the Big Ten school with more financial resources than the Utes and Cougars. <\/p>\n

Utah\u2019s \u201chead-coach-in-waiting\u201d<\/a> plan was originally established so there would be a smooth transition from Whittingham, who won two Pac-12 championships over his 21 years, to his understudy \u2014 10-year defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley. The plan was for Whittingham to transition into an athletic department advisory role that would have paid him $3.45 million per year for two years for being \u201ca special assistant to the athletic director,\u201d according to the most recent contract amendment he signed in 2024.<\/p>\n

\"\"Taylor Randall, University of Utah president, left, and Mark Harlan, Utah athletics director, right, stand with Morgan Scalley and pose for photos as Scalley is officially announced as the new Utah football head coach at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News <\/p>\n

It turned out to be anything but smooth, partly because Whittingham not only lured coaches away from Scalley\u2019s staff, but valuable players, as well<\/a>, in this day and age of the transfer portal and NIL, factors that didn\u2019t exist back in 2004.<\/p>\n

Scalley, who was promised he would one day become head coach at his alma mater, turned down defensive coordinator jobs from some of the country\u2019s most storied programs \u2014 including Texas, Oregon, Florida and USC, per ESPN\u2019s Pete Thamel \u2014 to continue calling Utah\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

When the time came for Whittingham to retire, the Utes believed there would be a seamless changeover, a passing of the torch from the greatest coach in the program\u2019s history to a younger coach who had patiently waited for more than two decades for his chance. <\/p>\n

For years, the plan seemed like it would work. Then Whittingham made the decision to continue coaching, a decision that will rock the state\u2019s college football picture for years to come. It was a decision that nobody outside of Whittingham\u2019s circle, and few inside it, saw coming. <\/p>\n

Enter Michigan<\/p>\n

Whittingham did not say the word \u201cretire\u201d when he announced he was stepping down, nor did he mention publicly that he had the desire to continue coaching. Whether he informed the university that he wanted to continue coaching at that time is unclear. A Deseret News request via GRAMA for communication between the parties had not been fulfilled by the university as of Friday. The school has indicated that they won\u2019t be available until February. <\/p>\n

At his introductory news conference in Orlando on Dec. 28, after he had publicly acknowledged accepting the Michigan job the day before, Whittingham said that he \u201cwasn\u2019t sure\u201d if he was finished coaching football when he announced on Dec. 12 that he was stepping down at Utah.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew there was a lot left in the tank. You could count on one hand the number of schools that I would be receptive to. Michigan was one of those schools,\u201d he said. \u201cDefinitely a top-five job in the country, without a doubt. When the ball started rolling and the more I learned about Michigan, the more excited I got. I am elated to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly, all that happened way back in 2004 pales in comparison to Whittingham\u2019s move some 1,600 miles away from the place where he was seemingly on his way to putting his likeness on the state\u2019s coaching Mount Rushmore alongside the likes of LaVell Edwards, Rick Majerus, Jennifer Rockwood and Jerry Sloan. <\/p>\n

BYU\u2019s staff is affected, but nothing like Utah\u2019s<\/p>\n

Obviously, the school most affected by Whittingham\u2019s decision was Utah. Instead of seamlessly handing off the baton to Scalley and triumphantly riding off into the sunset, perhaps posing for a statue to adorn the outside of Rice-Eccles Stadium along the way, Whittingham has become a pariah in some circles, an astounding turn of events for the onetime BYU linebacker who had been involved in Utah\u2019s program since 1994, working under Ron McBride. <\/p>\n

Not only did Whittingham take six Utah assistants<\/a>, four Utah players<\/a> and a Utah recruit (Salesi Moa<\/a>) with him, he reached into his former hometown of Provo and took BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill<\/a> (see above) and cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford with him to Ann Arbor. Regarding players, Whittingham said in Orlando that he wouldn\u2019t \u201ctamper with anybody,\u201d because \u201cthat\u2019s not my style.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, he noted, \u201cIf a player that we have interest in enters the portal, that is a whole different ball game. … So why not Michigan, if it is a good fit?\u201d Unless they have added a \u201cdo not contact\u201d tag to their transfer portal profile, players in the portal are fair game. <\/p>\n

It was feared by BYU fans that several BYU defensive stars such as safety Faletau Satuala, cornerback Evan Johnson and linebacker Isaiah Glasker would follow the BYU assistants to Provo, but it simply didn\u2019t happen, probably because of the culture that head coach Kalani Sitake has established in Provo. It should also be noted that BYU has shown the ability to financially compete favorably for top prospects as well.<\/p>\n

One BYU player, reserve linebacker Max Alford, did hit the transfer portal and headed out to Michigan, but his uncle was already on the staff, retained UM running backs coach Tony Alford.<\/p>\n

The Utes have been weakened by the move, obviously. Intended, or not, Whittingham has drained Utah of talent and experience more than any other school from which his Michigan program has drawn players.<\/p>\n

Hill and Gilford definitely made their marks on BYU\u2019s defense the past few years, but whether BYU has been considerably weakened probably remains to be seen. Sitake replaced Hill with special teams coordinator and edge rushers coach Kelly Poppinga, and brought in former SUU head coach Demario Warren from Boise State to replace Gilford. <\/p>\n

A quick perusal of message boards and social media sites shows that Utah fans are collectively angrier about what Whittingham did than BYU fans, not surprisingly.<\/p>\n

For the past few years, it was believed that Utah\u2019s culture of toughness and family and the program\u2019s propensity for finding under-the-radar players and developing them would continue under Scalley, who had planned to keep almost all of Utah\u2019s staff intact, and keep almost all of its best players. <\/p>\n

\"\"Recruit Bode Sparrow talks with Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham and Morgan Scalley as Utah and Cincinnati prepare to play at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News Whittingham\u2019s decision muddied the waters<\/p>\n

For years prior to Whittingham\u2019s departure, recruits and incoming transfers were informed that it would be Scalley\u2019s show whenever Whittingham decided to hang up his whistle.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, I am very confident in Scalley. When I came here on my visit, that was someone I talked to and he let me know the rundown when the time comes,\u201d said Utah quarterback Devon Dampier<\/a>. \u201cHe had his full belief in me and my talent, and so I am perfectly fine where I\u2019m at.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I\u2019ve said many times after last season, it just didn\u2019t sit right with anybody, particularly me, and so I came back and fortunately we were able to get the ship right and everything\u2019s on track. Program, like I said, is in a good spot. Got good coaches, coach (Morgan) Scalley will come in and do a great job. Got good players, so now is the time (to step down).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham<\/p>\n

On Dec. 13, Scalley was officially named the school\u2019s next head coach, with Whittingham still scheduled to lead the Utes into the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31. Then Whittingham was supposed to transition into a well-paid two-year athletic department advisory role.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the program is in a good place right now,\u201d Whittingham said in what would be his final media availability as Utah\u2019s coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I\u2019ve said many times after last season, it just didn\u2019t sit right with anybody, particularly me, and so I came back and fortunately we were able to get the ship right and everything\u2019s on track. Program, like I said, is in a good spot. Got good coaches, coach (Morgan) Scalley will come in and do a great job. Got good players, so now is the time (to step down).\u201d <\/p>\n

In that same interview, however, Whittingham kept the coaching door open. Shortly after that, Michigan fired coach Sherrone Moore<\/a>, and after striking out on a couple other candidates, the Wolverines turned to Whittingham. <\/p>\n

Seven days later, the coach who many believed would retire as a Utah Man was hired to be Michigan\u2019s Man, triggering dramatic changes throughout the state and draining Scalley of plenty of talent. <\/p>\n

Utah, BYU fans have mixed emotions<\/p>\n

Naturally, the move and subsequent fallout sparked a firestorm online, as Utah, BYU, Utah State and other college football fans rushed to the internet to express their opinions. <\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a sampling: <\/p>\n

\u201cWho would have thought Kyle Whittingham would be the one to bring BYU and Utah fans together (in shared animosity), even just for a few weeks?\u201d wrote BYU fan Nello Pesci of Alpine on X. Noted Utah fan Eric T. Lund on X: \u201cChange is inevitable. Whitt lit the fuse that started this whole chain of events in motion. It is finally here now. It will be interesting to finally see Utah with more of a passing dimension to its offense. The Las Vegas Bowl gave us a sneak peek of what\u2019s coming.\u201dBYU fan Aaron Palmer, of Idaho, perhaps summed up the feelings of most BYU fans, saying he understands why Hill, in particular, made the move. \u201cI think the principles\/theory Hill installed defense-wise can be carried on by the coaches who learned under him,\u201d Palmer wrote on X. \u201cI am not too worried. \u2026 With Kalani signing a long-term deal, his path to being (head coach) is much better from Michigan.\u201dThen there was this unique perspective from a fan with the handle @chuggachoo33 on X: \u201cOur fam has been Michigan fans first and BYU fans second. Never in a million years did we think we\u2019d see Whittingham\/Hill taking over (in Ann Arbor). We are so sad about Hill leaving. Hill completely changed BYU the last two years! Kalani is great, but let\u2019s be honest, the defense was the game-changer.\u201dNoted Chadwick Bowen: \u201cEverything that has happened, I blame squarely on Mark Harlan.\u201dMichigan lucks out in more ways than one<\/p>\n

Landing the well-accomplished Whittingham was a stroke of luck for Michigan, which has experienced more than its share of scandals the past decade, most notably in the Jim Harbaugh and Moore eras. <\/p>\n

Stunningly, the coach who hadn\u2019t had a job outside of Utah since 1993 was suddenly a Michigan Man.<\/p>\n

Harlan said that Whittingham\u2019s decision to step down was \u201ca mutual understanding that now was just a good time for him to step down.\u201d Harlan also said that Whittingham, whose contract at Utah ran through 2027, didn\u2019t ask for a contract extension.<\/p>\n

For his part, Whittingham said multiple times after stepping down that he didn\u2019t want to \u201coverstay his welcome\u201d at the school.<\/p>\n

But he wasn\u2019t done coaching, and signed a five-year deal with Michigan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I signed a five-year contract (at Michigan). What I made (as) a mistake at Utah is when they started asking me about retirement, and I started answering questions and giving my own thing,\u201d Whittingham said. \u201cI am not that old. I am 66. It is not that old. I feel like I got enough energy and juice to see this through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in Utah, instead of the planned smooth transition, Scalley was immediately in a tug-of-war with his former boss.<\/p>\n

As most coaches moving on to new jobs do, Whittingham wanted to take the people that had been an integral part of his success at Utah, while Scalley fought to keep those that helped with an 11-2 season in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n

In the end, the allure of coaching at Michigan \u2014 not to mention increased pay \u2014 won out for six of Utah\u2019s former coaches. <\/p>\n

Scalley scrambles to keep his staff, players<\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Day, after Utah defeated Nebraska 44-22<\/a> in Scalley\u2019s debut as head coach, offensive coordinator Jason Beck, offensive line coach Jim Harding, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, receivers coach Micah Simon, quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr. and defensive ends coach Lewis Powell left for Ann Arbor.<\/p>\n

\"\"Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley coaches during the Las Vegas Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News <\/p>\n

In particular, the loss of Beck \u2014 a rising star in the coaching world \u2014 was a blow.<\/p>\n

Beck helped transform Utah\u2019s offense into one of the best in the country, guiding the Utes to 41.2 points per game (No. 5 in the nation) and 266.3 rushing yards per game (No. 2 in the nation).<\/p>\n

On the offensive side of the ball, every coach except running backs coach Mark Atuaia left to join Michigan. On defense, Utah was able to retain defensive tackles coach Luther Elliss and cornerbacks\/special teams coach Sharrieff Shah, while promoting linebackers coach Colton Swan to defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

Instead of continuity, Scalley was handed more of a rebuild.<\/p>\n

\"Utah'sUtah’s new offensive coordinator, Kevin McGiven, who served as Utah State OC last season in Logan, brings much offensive coordinator experience to his new post. | Utah State Athletics <\/p>\n

Scalley swiftly put together his coaching staff.<\/p>\n

He hired Utah State\u2019s Kevin McGiven<\/a> as his new offensive coordinator, with the selling point being that it will be a similar offense to Beck\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Scalley also inked Baylor\u2019s Inoke Breckterfield to coach defensive ends, Mississippi State\u2019s Chad Bumphis to coach receivers, former Ute star Jordan Gross to coach the offensive line, San Jose State\u2019s Derrick Odum to coach safeties, Kansas State\u2019s Luke Wells to coach tight ends and Oregon State\u2019s Ryan Gunderson to coach quarterbacks.<\/p>\n

Why Whittingham plundered Utah for players<\/p>\n

When the dust settled, four Utah starters decided to leave for Michigan \u2014 cornerback Smith Snowden, tight end\/wide receiver JJ Buchanan, defensive tackle Jonah Lea\u2019ea and defensive end John Henry Daley, who began his college career at BYU.<\/p>\n

Just when the Utes thought that was the extent of the damage, four-star receiver\/safety Salesi Moa \u2014 the second-highest-rated commit in Utah history, according to 247Sports \u2014 bolted to Michigan.<\/p>\n

Moa had enrolled at Utah earlier in January, leading Utah to believe he was locked in, but changed his mind and entered the transfer portal to join Whittingham\u2019s new team.<\/p>\n

For Utah fans \u2014 and even athletics leadership \u2014 that appeared to be the boiling point.<\/p>\n

In a since-deleted post on X responding to the Moa news, Harlan said, \u201cWell, he was with us in class for a (last) week. Public announcement \u2026 seen it all now (probably not).\u201d<\/p>\n

Five players isn\u2019t a particularly large number, especially compared to other coaches that have changed jobs, but each of those were impact players that Utah will have to replace.<\/p>\n

Longtime college football scribes weigh in<\/p>\n

Several longtime newspaper sportswriters and columnists \u2014 Dick Harmon of the Deseret News, the retired Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune and the retired Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News \u2014 agreed recently to give some context and perspective to the happenings of the past month. All three lifelong Utah residents agreed that we have never witnessed this kind of earthshaking movement of the state\u2019s college football scene, although the 2004 happenings are a close second.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my six decades of following college football in the state, along with nearly four decades as a sportswriter, I\u2019ve never seen such far-reaching repercussions from one person\u2019s decision,\u201d noted Sorensen. \u201cKyle Whittingham\u2019s decision affected all four major programs in the state, not only with the coaches and players leaving Utah, but Utah State and Weber State as well. Are there any others I missed?\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, after losing offensive coordinator McGiven to Utah, second-year Utah State coach Mendenhall replaced him with a familiar name \u2014 former BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae. The Aggies then plucked receivers coach Skyler Ridley from Weber State, and the dominoes kept falling. Another new Weber State assistant, former BYU and Wildcats cornerback Eddie Heckard, left rookie college coach Eric Kjar\u2019s staff to reunite with Hill and Gilford in Michigan.<\/p>\n

It goes on and on.<\/p>\n

Sorensen: Surprised by Whittingham\u2019s move<\/p>\n

\u201cI can still remember (Whittingham) saying something like, \u2018Shoot me if I\u2019m still coaching in my 60s\u2019 early in his Utah career,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cOf course, after getting older myself, I can understand how one\u2019s feelings can change when one doesn\u2019t feel as old as the number on the birth certificate. But I really thought he was ready to kick back and spend more time golfing, riding his Harley and shopping at Costco.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorensen believes Whittingham was seriously planning to retire from coaching altogether after the season, but had such a good year and had such a strong team coming back that he reconsidered \u201cand felt like he had at least another year\u201d in him.<\/p>\n

\"\"University of Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham speaks about the planned expansion of Rice-Eccles Stadium during a press conference at the stadium in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018. At left is University of Utah President Ruth Watkins and athletic director Mark Harlan. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News <\/p>\n

\u201cBut the Utah administrators were apparently ready for a change and nudged him out the door,\u201d Sorensen said. \u201cSome Utah fans are bitter about Whittingham leaving Utah and taking several coaches and players with him and believe he is trying to hurt the Ute program. He might be upset with Mark Harlan, but I think he\u2019s simply looking out for himself and his new job at Michigan. Do you really expect him to be nice to Morgan Scalley by not raiding his best players?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorensen said due to all the drastic changes in college sports, he finds himself \u201cless interested in college sports, which seems to be entirely run by money now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harmon: Past month\u2019s carnage was significant<\/p>\n

Harmon lived through the madness of late 2004, and will never forget that crazy night when BYU was within a whisker of landing Whittingham to replace Crowton. Still, this past month takes the cake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat 2004 deal is as close as it has come to this,\u201d Harmon said. \u201cIn 2004, Kyle gave a verbal commitment to BYU vice president Fred Skousen to be the (BYU) head coach, and changed his mind after meeting with (Utah) players, and accepted a raise to stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember being involved in a published story that (said) he would be at BYU. It changed in four or five hours,\u201d Harmon continued. \u201cAs crazy as that was, the upheaval of this deal is unprecedented. So many coaches have moved, from Logan, Salt Lake City and Provo. It was remarkable.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"UtahUtah offensive coordinator Jason Beck, right, walks off the field with QB Devon Dampier at Rice-Eccles Stadium after the Utes’ victory over Arizona State Oct. 11, 2025. The Utes lost Beck to Michigan, but kept their talented QB. | Anna Fuder\/Utah Athletics <\/p>\n

Immediately after Jason Beck followed Whittingham to Michigan, a Salt Lake City radio personality went on the air for a day projecting BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick would end up at Utah with Morgan Scalley, Harmon recalls.<\/p>\n

\u201cPiggybacking off that, a TV sportscaster postulated Roderick would end up at Utah and take (BYU) QB Bear Bachmeier with him,\u201d Harmon said. \u201cNever happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that would have really fired up BYU fans. Bachmeier announced<\/a> on Jan. 7 that he was returning to BYU, which has done a remarkable job with roster retention in the face of so many local and national changes.<\/p>\n

How Morgan Scalley has rebuilt the program<\/p>\n

For their part, the Utes held onto arguably their three most important offensive players \u2014 quarterback Devon Dampier, quarterback Byrd Ficklin and running back Wayshawn Parker. Linebacker Johnathan Hall, cornerback Scooby Davis and safety Jackson Bennee were key pieces retained on the defensive side of the ball.<\/p>\n

That gives the Utes a solid foundation going into next season, but between graduation, the NFL draft and the transfer portal, Utah will be replacing 17 starters or heavy rotation players next season.<\/p>\n

Between the starting lineup turnover and the amount of coaches leaving, Scalley\u2019s first will be less of a continuation of the Whittingham era and more of a fresh start.<\/p>\n

Most Utah fans expected Whittingham to take assistant coaches with him to Michigan. All of those coaches had a choice to stay at Utah, too, but made their own decisions to make the move to Michigan, whether it was for increased pay or the chance to move up the career ladder at one of the preeminent Big Ten programs.<\/p>\n

After some of the Utes\u2019 best players began to transfer to Michigan, however, some Utah fans began to sour on Whittingham.<\/p>\n

As Michigan\u2019s new head coach, Whittingham has one job, and that\u2019s to put the Wolverines in the best position to win football games. He believes bringing some of his best coaches and players with him will help accomplish his goal.<\/p>\n

From Whittingham\u2019s point of view, if his moves hurt Utah \u2014 and, in turn, his prot\u00e9g\u00e9 and former player in Scalley \u2014 that\u2019s an unfortunate byproduct of him trying to build a championship team in Ann Arbor. Whittingham was loyal to Utah for 21 years, but now, his allegiance is to Michigan, and Michigan only.<\/p>\n

\"\"Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham greets the crowd during game between Michigan and Southern California, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. | AP <\/p>\n

Some Utah fans, however, feel betrayed by Whittingham\u2019s actions \u2014 especially in the transfer portal. The coach that promised to leave the program in \u201ca good spot\u201d for Scalley has done anything but that \u2014 his new program has actively had a hand in taking talent away from his old program.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s college football in the transfer portal era.<\/p>\n

Whittingham isn\u2019t doing anything completely out of the norm for coaches moving to a new job, but it\u2019s understandable why Utah fans aren\u2019t exactly clamoring for a statue to be built in his honor in 2026.<\/p>\n

If Scalley can find success in his first few seasons at Utah, this latest saga will become water under the bridge at some point, and Whittingham will return to Rice-Eccles Stadium and be honored by the program he helped grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be a time and a place to celebrate everything he brought to this university,\u201d Harlan said.<\/p>\n

Right now, that day feels far away.<\/p>\n

Harmon: Massive roster changes new normal<\/p>\n

\u201cI can totally understand how fans would be upset, feel betrayed and express anger on social media,\u201d said Harmon, who outlined many of the changes in this article. \u201cBut this is how it goes in college football. It is part of the business. Utah State has gone through so much of this in basketball and football over the years. Utah and BYU have had a luxury of coaching continuity. This is not normal.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, this whole ordeal began when Michigan coach Sherrone Moore was fired for having an illicit affair with a staffer, creating a late opening at one of the top jobs in the country. Whittingham told the Deseret News on Dec. 28 that there were only a handful of coaching jobs he would consider once he decided that there was a lot left in the tank.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess if you are looking for who to blame \u2026 I would say aside from Michigan\u2019s coach, the Utah administration is to blame because of how Whittingham was dealt with when he decided to keep coaching,\u201d Harmon said. \u201cIf he had felt welcomed and supported to continue, none of these shifts with in-state coaching duties would have occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harmon, who covered Whittingham when he was an all-conference linebacker at BYU, said he wasn\u2019t surprised that Whittingham raided the staffs at Utah and BYU because \u201cwe have a very unusual incestuous coaching situation in the state of Utah (with Whittingham, Sitake and Mendenhall) all employing assistants who are in a very small coaching circle, overlapping experiences at each school. It seems when these guys need help, they look to a very close circle. \u2026 But the carnage of this past month was unheard of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harmon says he \u201cfeels sorry\u201d for Scalley, but \u201ctotally gets why Kyle did what he did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kragthorpe: Coaching succession plans rarely go seamlessly<\/p>\n

If anybody knows anything about college football coaching history in Utah, it is Kragthorpe, the son and brother of former head coaches Dave Kragthorpe (South Dakota State, Idaho State, Oregon State) and the late Steve Kragthorpe (Tulsa, Louisville), who died in 2024 from complications of Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thrive on this stuff,\u201d says Kurt Kragthorpe. \u201cI love to do \u2018Kevin Bacon\u2019 degrees of separation with my brother\u2019s career, especially.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MichiganMichigan acting head coach Sherrone Moore reacts to a video replay during game against Ohio State, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. | AP <\/p>\n

For instance, there\u2019s this little interesting tidbit: Steve Kragthorpe gave the deposed Moore his first college coaching job of any kind back in 2009 when he was at Louisville, making Moore a graduate assistant with the Cardinals. That same year, Steve Kragthorpe started walk-on redshirt freshman quarterback Will Stein in two games. Stein was recently named Kentucky\u2019s head coach.<\/p>\n

As a Tribune columnist in 2004, Kurt Kragthorpe provided plenty of commentary when Whittingham chose Utah over BYU. Coincidentally, one of the players who was instrumental in convincing Whittingham to stay at Utah was Scalley, ironically enough.<\/p>\n

For BYU and Utah to have job openings at the same time was \u201ccrazy enough,\u201d Kragthorpe notes, but it was also unusual that Utah State\u2019s position was vacant as well. The Aggies hired Brent Guy to replace Mick Dennehy. Four years later, USU replaced Guy with Gary Andersen \u2014 who is now a defensive analyst under Sitake at BYU. <\/p>\n

\u201cThink about the career trajectories of some guys who were affected by that series of hirings (in 2004): Gary Andersen was promoted to defensive coordinator at Utah, while Jay Hill moved into a full-time job (cornerbacks, co-special teams coordinator) with the Utes and Kalani Sitake (inside linebackers) and Aaron Roderick (receivers) moved from Southern Utah to Utah,\u201d Kragthorpe says. \u201cI remember how a lot of people thought Utah shouldn\u2019t be settling for \u2018SUU guys.\u2019 But look at them now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, left, and defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake during Utah football practice Thursday, April 5, 2012, in Salt Lake City, Utah. | Tom Smart, Deseret News archives <\/p>\n

More fallout from 2004: Whittingham\u2019s choice to stay at Utah enabled Mendenhall to be promoted at BYU. Mendenhall hired Robert Anae from Mike Leach\u2019s staff at Texas Tech as BYU\u2019s offensive coordinator. <\/p>\n

\u201cIronic that Mendenhall and Anae would now have those jobs at USU,\u201d Kragthorpe says.<\/p>\n

Kragthorpe notes that also in December 2004, Weber State hired Ron McBride, two years after Utah fired him. <\/p>\n

Did anybody see this upheaval coming?<\/p>\n

Kragthorpe says the variable that nobody saw coming when Whittingham stepped down was that he would take another job.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid anyone, anywhere mention that as a possibility as Utah\u2019s 2025 season wound down? It was always either retiring, or one more year, right? Or I thought he might coach an NFL defensive line or something, if he was that bent on coaching,\u201d Kragthorpe said. \u201cWhen it came down to that week, all the big-time college jobs were filled, except … Michigan suddenly became open, thanks to Sherrone Moore\u2019s off-field issues just now being discovered. So the timing of it all was uncanny, to use one of LaVell Edwards\u2019 favorite words.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Kragthorpe\u2019s other takeaways is that all this recent stuff is a reminder that \u201ca succession plan rarely goes seamlessly\u201d and, in this case, it certainly has not.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven apart from Morgan Scalley having the \u2018coach-in-waiting\u2019 clause taken away and restored again in the past six years, it\u2019s somehow not surprising that this whole thing didn\u2019t play out completely smoothly,\u201d Kragthorpe says. \u201cAlso worth noting that in another era, even earlier this decade, Utah would have lost some coaches to Michigan, but not significant players. So the existence of the transfer portal definitely magnifies the impact of Whittingham\u2019s move.\u201d<\/p>\n

And amplifies Utah fans\u2019 anger. <\/p>\n

\"\"A fan reacts during a game between the University of Utah and Texas Tech at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Longtime college football fans in the state of Utah will never forget what transpired in December 2004, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":700747,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2026],"tags":[7,3309],"class_list":{"0":"post-700746","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-news-feed-local"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115948441484512303","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/700747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}