When an immensely tenured coach talks retirement, he sure is going to get attention. Especially more so when he says the end of his stint is tied to the success of the program. A second-time Big 12 HC this season, this coach has been in college football for nearly 4 decades. He talks about how much he had considered taking off that head coach camp. But, he wants to rectify a lot of wrongs from his last season, to end his career on a good note.

Tied with Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy as an HC with the longest runs with a single school in FBS, Kyle Whittingham touched upon the topic of vacating his position. The winningest coach of Utah, Whittingham, will enter his 21 season as HC. He claims he still has an unfinished job, following which he would likely take off that head coach cap. Whittingham was given the reins in 2004, when Urban Meyer left for Florida ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. He began his formal career as a college football HC with a Bowl Win, and has taken Utah to a Mountain West Conference Championship and 2 back-to-back Pac-12 Championships. And Whittingham will mark the beginning of his 3 decade as Utah’s head coach.

However, he recently said that had last year’s performance not been such a downer, Whittingham might’ve considered retirement more strongly. “Last season was so frustrating, I could not have stepped away on that note. Had too much of a bad taste in my mouth,” the Utes HC said. And, he had a lofty goal in mind for 2024, too. “Had we won the championship last year, I might not be sitting here,” he added. Whittingham debuted in the Big 12 last year with a disappointing score of 2-7. That’s the lowest record recorded in Utah under him, and was first published in 2013. Naturally, that’s not a number a college football coach with such a long history would want to end his career with.

Naturally, that’s not a number a college football coach with such a long history would want to end his career with. This year has to be a good reset for the Utes, and they need Whittingham’s direction to get things right. ESPN’s Football Power Index predicted their win probability at 6.4%, which is a respectable uptick after last year’s disastrous campaign. They will face their age-old rivals, BYU, and will begin their season with UCLA. Whittingham will debut his star QB, Devon Dampier this season, who will be an impactful player. While his retirement talks will once again be a subject during the season, Utah already has a plan to replace him.

Whittingham will be replaced by Morgan Scalley, the Utes’ long-time DC. So far, Scalley has sent 16 players to the NFL, which is a testament to why he is a worthy successor. Scalley will have to wait at least this season to take the baton from Whittingham. “Coach Scalley has been a great defensive, a great coach, and a great friend to me. I think no one else deserves it,” Former Utes DT Junior Tafuna said. However, even after Whittingham retires as HC, he stands to still be associated with Utah in another lucrative position.

Kyle Whittingham can be Utah’s next AD, after retiring as HC

Giving a job 20 years of one’s life surely deserves some commendation. And Utah has a promotion lined up for Whittingham, when he decides to retire as the Utes’ head coach. His contract contains a clause that enables him to take on the role of Utah’s athletic director after his HC stint. This allows Utah to keep Whittingham with the school for the long run. After all, who would be better than him at the position, having spent more close to 40 years with the Utes? Since Urban Meyer‘s departure, Whittingham has taken the Utes to highs and lows, and some impressive accomplishments, too.

And, it comes with some monetary benefits too. In 2024, Whittingham’s contract ensures a paycheck of $6,525,000, making him the highest-paid state employee in Utah that year. And, after his retirement, Whittingham will get another paycheck worth $1.5 million. Should he accept the AD role at Utah, he will be earning $995,000 per year, just short of a million. This means that a comfortable future is ready for Whittingham at Utah if he still wants to be around the school after retiring.

Utah grew into a formidable program under Kyle Whittingham. With the Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Award in the bag already, Utah and its HC have come a long, long way. Will this be the season after which Whittingham finally bids Utah football goodbye?