Kyle Whittingham might be stepping away from his post at Utah, but don’t count him out of the game just yet.
His son, Alex Whittingham, dropped a little nugget this week that should perk some ears up. Alex, who’s currently the assistant defensive line coach with the Kansas City Chiefs, talked about his dad’s mindset now that his time in Salt Lake City is coming to a close. And yeah, it sounds like Kyle still has the itch.
“He still has that fire and that desire to do something in some capacity to help some team win,” Alex said. And while most people caught the gist of it, that last part, “some team,” is what really stood out. He didn’t say help Utah win, or help the next guy transition. He said, “Help some team.” That feels a lot less like retirement and a lot more like, “I’m still taking calls.”
Whittingham just wrapped up one of the most impressive coaching runs we’ve seen in modern college football. Two decades at the same school. Success across three conferences, the Mountain West, Pac-12, and Big 12, as a program that became a problem for anybody who walked into Rice-Eccles. He turned Utah into a national name, and now he walks away on his own terms. Kind of.
Because here’s the thing, that fire Alex mentioned doesn’t just go away. Coaches like Whittingham aren’t wired to retire and fade out. They want to be in the mix, even if it’s behind the scenes. Whether it’s a consulting gig, analyst job, or just being a quiet advisor to the next guy in line, don’t be surprised if Whittingham pops up on a staff somewhere. And don’t be shocked if it’s not in Utah.
If Kyle Whittingham says he wants to help “some team” win, there’s going to be a lot of teams hoping they’re the one he has in mind.
