There’s a one-word reason why Kyle Whittingham won’t be on the sidelines next season doing what he’s been doing for more than three decades, 21 of those as Utah’s head football coach.
Pride.
That’s all. That’s what happened. Pure and simple. A proud man has too much self-respect. He felt there were those around the program who pushed him out and poked head coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley.
And because Whittingham felt it, he thought it was time to leave, stage left.
It’s not like he wants to hang around for another five years. But one year? It’s speculation, but yes, that would suit him.
Here’s some of what he was asked Thursday about his decision to leave the Utes after their upcoming bowl game in Las Vegas. His answers were honest enough to be honest, cryptic enough to leave out some details and remain a mystery, clear enough to send a signal to those who were paying attention. Read between the lines yourself. Then we can meet and discuss.
“The program is in a good place right now,” Whittingham said. “As I’ve said many times, after last season it didn’t sit well with anyone, especially me, so I went back and righted the ship. [got] things on the way. The program is in a good place. I have good coaches. Coach Scalley will come in and do a great job. We have good players. So now is the time.”
Is coaching out of your system?
“I don’t know if it ever gets out of your system,” he said. “It’s in your blood. I don’t know about it. It means I’m not sure what I’m going to do. When you have coaching in your blood, it just doesn’t go away.”
Isn’t it a pension?
“Who knows?” he said. “I’m leaving, I’m leaving and I’m reassessing things. … I’m a free agent, I’m in the transfer window. It’s a different feeling, but I’m calm. And I didn’t want to be the guy who overstays his welcome with people saying, ‘Hey, when’s that guy leaving?’ That was not my intention – never. I hope I didn’t. I’m sure I did with some people. The timing was right for me.”
He repeated, “The time is right.”
If you might want to continue coaching, why not do it in Utah?
“Like I said, I don’t want to overstay my welcome,” he said. “Someone once told me that every year that goes by as a coach, 10 percent of the fan base starts to hate you. So after 20 years, everybody hates you. It’s been a good run. I’ll say it again: I didn’t want to be the kind of jerk that people just got sick of.”
Come on, I said. Which one of you got sick?
“You first,” he said. [Laughter]. “I don’t know. I just feel like I just didn’t want to be that guy.”
Okay, so what can be extrapolated from these comments?
Kyle Whittingham didn’t say it, but it’s pretty obvious to me that someone somehow made him feel like he was no longer wanted or valued as Utah’s head coach. It’s quite a remarkable feat considering his teams have won more games overall than any other football coach’s team at the school. And that this season, Whittingham’s Utes finished the regular season with a 10-2 record that ranked high in the national polls, just a few notches out of qualifying for the College Football Playoff.
Is this the guy that someone or someone was sick of? This is the guy these people made him feel like he was on the verge of being a “hanger”?
That alone is a strong testament to the progress Utah football has made under Whittingham. Is making SRP now the minimum standard for the Utes? If so, you can thank the 66-year-old coach for that.
Scalley didn’t push his boss out the door. I don’t believe that, not according to people who would know. But he had influence because other coaches at other high-profile programs were interested in hiring him. And there were individual boosters in Utah who championed Scalley’s cause, eager for him to take over sooner rather than later.
Interestingly, Whittingham showed class in his praise of Scalley on Thursday, paying him perhaps the ultimate compliment by comparing him, his ability, his footballing acumen and philosophy to…himself.
Never mind. Let’s put it this way: If Whittingham wanted badly to return for another season, if he was adamant about it, the powers that be in Utah should have let him. He deserves it because he earned it. If Scalley had waited as long as he did, the defensive coordinator could have waited another year.
But then Whittingham didn’t want to be “that guy”. He didn’t say right away and he didn’t say that he was annoyed by pokes. He didn’t have to. He didn’t want to spoil or tarnish his “good run” in Utah in any way.
And very well, it was.
He preferred to leave, head held high, self-respect intact, pride preserved. As for the coaching blood? That will never leave him.
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