Longtime Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham unsure if he’ll return for 21st season

Kyle Whittingham will decide about his future at Utah after this season is over. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Utah’s Kyle Whittingham is unsure if he’ll return to coach the program in 2025 for a 21st season as head football coach.

Whittingham addressed his future in his news conference Monday.

“I will obviously evaluate after the season’s over, see what the situation is,” Whittingham said. “My decision will be made on what’s best for the program, not what’s best for me. It’ll be completely determined on how I feel this program is best served going forward.”

Whittingham, 65, has been the head coach at Utah since 2005. He joined the program in 1994 and previously worked as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator. He took over as head coach in 2005 after Urban Meyer led the Utes to consecutive Mountain West championships including a 12-0 2004 campaign that concluded with a win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

Meyer left Utah for Florida, leaving the program in Whittingham’s hands. Twenty seasons later, Whittingham is tied with Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy as the second-longest tenured coach in college football behind Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz (26 years).

Whittingham has coached the Utes to a 166-86 record that includes seven 10-plus win seasons and 17 seasons with a winning record. He coached Utah to another undefeated season in a 13-0 2008 campaign that ended with a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama.

Utah was not selected to play in that year’s BCS championship game that saw Florida defeat Oklahoma for the national title. The Utes finished No. 2 in the final AP poll behind Florida (13-1) despite securing the only undefeated season in the FBS.

Utah took a step back this season and enters Saturday’s season finale against UCF with a 4-7 record and on a seven-game losing streak. The Utes are 1-7 in Big 12 play in their first season in…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/longtime-utah-football-coach-kyle-whittingham-unsure-if-hell-return-for-21st-season-010720370.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-26 01:07:00

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