Earlier this month, Kyle Whittingham announced that he'd be stepping down from his role as the head coach at Utah after 21 seasons. When Whittingham announced his decision, everyone assumed that he was retiring after hinting at the possibility last year. The wording of Whittingham's statement, however, seemingly left it open to the possibility that he may be interested in coaching elsewhere.
A statement from Kyle Whittingham pic.twitter.com/iK7A0p4Frn
— Sidelines - Utah (@SSN_Utah) December 12, 2025
In the lead-up to Utah's matchup against Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl, Kyle Whittingham spoke to the media, where he was asked about his future. When Whittingham addressed the questions, he sounded more like a coach looking for his next gig rather than a coach heading into retirement.
"I’m a free agent, I’m in the transfer portal. Like I said, I’m at peace and I did not want to be that guy that overstayed his welcome with people just saying, ‘Hey, when’s this guy gonna leave?’ That was not my intention, ever. I hope I didn’t do that. I’m sure with some people, I did do that, but, the timing to me, the timing is right."Kyle Whittingham
Kyle Whittingham making the decision to step away from Utah rather than retire is fascinating for so many different reasons. After Utah went 10-2 and hardly got any recognition in the Playoff debate, did he decide to try to make a jump to a bigger program? Did Whittingham feel he had to finally pass the program off to Morgan Scalley who has been the coach in waiting for years?
The timing of Kyle Whittingham considering a new job is incredibly interesting, as the Michigan job is currently open. Considering how tough Whittingham's teams play, he'd be a perfect style fit at Michigan, but it'll be interesting to see if he's a candidate that Michigan at least considers as their search continues.