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It is time to get to know the foe. I
always want to know what's going on up on the hill.
What's going on with the University of Utah. They're prepping
for the Vegas Ball. They have a formidable foe and
the Cornhuskers, and we wish them well out there in Vegas.
It's a it's a place, a venue that we're well familiar,
familiar with here in Cougar Country. But I also want
to know what the future of Kyle Whittingham looks like.
Where's he going to end up? Will he take staff
members with him wherever he ends up? If he is
he going to be a head coach out, is he
gonna be a DC assistant head coach elsewhere? Is he
just looking for a payday or is he looking to
continue just to coach right. I want to delve into
that in this segment with a Utah Utes insider. We're
gonna welcome him in here shortly. This segment's gonna be
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Speaker 1: Let's get out to the hotline.
Speaker 2: Welcome in former Utah you it's great, NFL great the
Long Armed Lefty. Let's bring in Down and Dirty's very
own here on ESPN the Fan, we got Scott Mitchell
on the show.
Speaker 1: Scott, how you living?
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Speaker 1: Okay.
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Speaker 3: True statement. Sign me up.
Speaker 2: Let's go Scott Mitchell down in Dirty Scott, things have
been crazy up on the hill over the last couple
of weeks. I know you caught up with Kyle Whittingham,
had a little one on one with him.
Speaker 1: You know what's the vibe? Right now up on the hill.
Speaker 2: How is everybody feeling about the future of Utah football
right now?
Speaker 4: When Utah went to the Pac twelve, they made a decision.
You know, we weren't we weren't just going to be
here and be happy to be here. Staff UH to
to be competitive and going to four Pac twelve championship
games winning to them going to two Rose Bowls. I
think made a statement about where you know, where they
that they invested wisely and.
Speaker 3: That you know, it was it was it turned out
to be a good thing.
Speaker 4: Now now college football is turned the page and it's
going in a very different direction, and money and having
it is a.
Speaker 3: Very important thing. And so I think with this private equity.
Speaker 4: UH decision, it's something they spent a lot of time
talking about developing.
Speaker 3: You know, it just didn't come out of the blue.
Speaker 4: They realized that to be competitive in the conference in
the country, that they needed money, and they needed more
money than they had and most programs do you know,
you see what's going on at EYU and and there's
an infusion of money into the football program and that's
a good thing.
Speaker 3: And so I think you Thaw felt that needed to do.
Speaker 4: I think it also was like, Okay, we knew Kyle
was going to retire at some point.
Speaker 3: And I don't think anyone knew that. I don't think
Kyle knew that.
Speaker 4: But we've also made it clear that Morgan Scalley's going
to be the coach in the future. So let's it's
kind of the right time. You know, last year didn't
end well. The team, you know, had a ten.
Speaker 3: To two season.
Speaker 4: This year was an incredible season that the two losses
were to two really good opponents, and you know, games
could go either way, you know, you know, break here
or there, they could change and so it.
Speaker 3: Was a very good season.
Speaker 4: And I think to risk the potential of a bad
season or maybe a really really good season and kind
of prolonging the inevitable, I think they just said, hey,
we're we've.
Speaker 3: Got this private equity, we're moving in.
Speaker 4: A different direction in our program, and where it's headed
now seems to be the sensible time to make a
break and go a different way.
Speaker 2: Well, it sounds like there's still some optimism out there.
Speaker 1: They're moving forward.
Speaker 2: They've decided to be aggressive, which is fantastic.
Speaker 1: Now out with the old, in with the new.
Speaker 2: But Kyle Whittingham has stepped down, but he's not out
for the count. He still has some juice. He says
he's in the transfer portal. He's willing to take on
another job. Do you think he's a head coach at
the collegial level. Do you think he's going to Michigan.
I know his name has been uttered by those in
ann Arbor.
Speaker 4: Well, I don't think he just wants to coach for
the sake of coaching.
Speaker 3: I don't think he.
Speaker 4: Wants to make a lateral move, like to a program
in the Big twelve or the ACC.
Speaker 3: Or you know.
Speaker 4: And a lot of a lot of the really quality
jobs have of course been taken, and I don't think
he wants to really go anywhere. But boy, to me,
Michigan sure feels like a nice fit, and even a
nicer fit considering the chaos and the problems that they've
had with the science, dealing with their Sharan Moore and
just that whole situation. And and Michigan's a very proud program.
It's a program that has been one that's been a
clean program, and they do things the right way.
Speaker 3: It's one of the top programs in the.
Speaker 4: Country, and it feels like more and more a fit
for for Kyle Whittingham and and I think it.
Speaker 3: I think that goes both ways.
Speaker 4: The one thing, you know, that hasn't happened yet, Michigan
hasn't hired a head coach, and they haven't really said
who they're going.
Speaker 3: I mean, there was some.
Speaker 4: Speculation about Kenny Gillingham and Kaylin de Boor and some
of these other coaches, and maybe they were on their list.
Speaker 3: Who knows, And maybe.
Speaker 4: There's something, you know, until this Bowl game is over
and Kyle is kind of gone from Utah. Maybe I
don't know this, but maybe Kyle can't coach, you know,
or maybe he can't.
Speaker 3: I don't know. It seems like from his comments that
he probably can.
Speaker 4: And if I was Kyle Whittingham and Michigan came knocking
on my door, I would be on the first airplane.
I'd be on the first bus. I would run to Michigan.
I mean, it's one of the top premier programs in
the country. They have a tremendous fan base. He literally
will have all the resources that he potentially could have.
Speaker 3: He'll compete for the best athletes in the country.
Speaker 4: And with the way he develops players and his program
and getting great talent.
Speaker 3: That would just be a fun thing.
Speaker 4: I'd love to see what happens and where he goes
with that. And I think it's you know, he's been
coaching a long time, and I think it's one of
those things where you know, just just to experience it, right,
just to go, man, I went to I went to
the big House and and I got to sit in
a chair and I got to drive it around for
a while, regardless of what the results are, to have
that experience in your life and as a coach. And
he's really at a point where he still has the
juice to do it. He really still wants to coach,
but his family's grown. You know, he's kind of he's
kind of in a really good place. He's he's in
a place where he doesn't have anything to prove, you know,
he can just go and just really enjoy and just
get into just being a great coach and and and
putting together a great program.
Speaker 3: I just think it's a beautiful fit. I hope it happens.
Speaker 4: And again for me, it's all just speculation and hope.
But I don't I don't know that there's another job
or opportunity out there that would excite him, Like I
think Michigan.
Speaker 2: It looks like there are a few other candidates there.
If he doesn't get the Michigan job, where else do
you think he could land?
Speaker 3: Do you?
Speaker 1: And do you think he would take a d C.
Speaker 2: At a DC position, assistant head coaching position at a
major power for university?
Speaker 1: Those those?
Speaker 4: Uh?
Speaker 1: I think those positions there.
Speaker 2: I mean some of these dcs are getting paid three
three plus million. I know he's got a three point
four to five million sweetheart deal there as an associate
AD personal assistant to the AD and president at the
University of Utah. But do you think he just you know,
he takes an assistant head coach or DC role.
Speaker 4: Well, you look at a guy like Chip Kelly who
went to Ohio State and won a national championships. Not
a bad deal, you know, if he goes into a
situation like that, And I mean there is some there
is some appeal to that.
Speaker 3: And the appeal is, Hey, all I gotta do is
coach football. And that's that's why coaches get into this.
Speaker 4: When you become a head coach, if head is like
headaches and heartache and you know, dealing with all the
things you have to deal with that aren't football related.
And I think that's something that I'm sure he loved
to do and be a part of. But there there
is a real appeal to just getting back to just
coaching football.
Speaker 3: And if you again could go to the.
Speaker 4: Right situation, the right you know, the right school, yeah,
that that might be appealing as well, but.
Speaker 3: It has to be something significant.
Speaker 4: It couldn't it wouldn't and it couldn't be just you know,
you know, just going anywhere to coach it. It'd have
to be the right thing. Otherwise I think he's like, yeah,
I'll just kind of sit on the sideline. Maybe I
sit for a year. Maybe I just take some time
off and uh and see, you know what comes up.
Because because part of the challenge is the lateness with
which this decision was made and it still won't be
final until New Years and so with the transfer portal
coming up, and with you know, all the different things
that are happening, you really need to have been in
place by now.
Speaker 3: So maybe it is sitting out. I don't know, but
there's certainly whether it's this year or maybe a year
or so down the road, I think Kyle Whittingham definitely
will be coaching again somewhere.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you wonder if the NFL would he be interested
at all in taking that leave to the NFL?
Speaker 1: Or is that college ball the place for him?
Speaker 3: I think there's some guys that it appeals to.
Speaker 4: I don't know, I've never in any conversation I've had
with Kyle like that. It's something, you know, maybe if
it was with someone he was real familiar with, like
Andy Reid, I know, his sons with the Chiefs, if
there was an opportunity to coach there, that that might
appeal to him, just just because of the environment. Now,
the Chiefs are kind of down right now, maybe it's
not the best time to be at the Chiefs.
Speaker 3: I remember level Edwards.
Speaker 4: Ask me one time about the Detroit Lions because they
really went after Lavelle hard and I could tell in
our conversation that it really intrigued him.
Speaker 3: But he ultimately knew kind.
Speaker 4: Of his you know, kind of where he fit the best,
and and even though it was extremely enticing, he's still
and I think he made the right choice to stay
at BYU. But still, I think I think for every
coach there's always that allure of Hey, that's the big time.
Can I coach at that level? Can I succeed at
that level? I think everyone has that feeling. But again, boy,
it's that that's a that's a tough, tough place to
be a coach and uh and and it's it's a
brutal grind, even more more than colleges. So you have
zero life whatsoever as a coach there. I think it'd
be great at it. I think it'd be wonderful. But
I think for Kyle just I think he wants to
be selective and it's got to feel right and fit right.
Speaker 1: Does he really want to leave Utah?
Speaker 3: Right?
Speaker 2: It's got What do you think he would ever entertain
going back to Zamah mater in coaching down the line
in the next couple of years, depending on how the
dominoes fall.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, a lot of a lot of coaching,
his relationships. I mean a lot of coaches that Kyle
has brought on, you know, or even brought back.
Speaker 3: I mean you look at Gary Anderson, who played at YOUTHA.
Speaker 4: I played with Gary Utah and Gary left and was
it Oregon stayed at at Wisconsin. Kyle brought him back
for a year or so to coach and uh, you
know he's and Kyle's got a great relationship with Coloney
and j Hill and and a lot.
Speaker 3: Of guys that are now at b YU.
Speaker 4: And you know, it's one of those things though where
I think I think it could feel like it could.
Speaker 3: Be more of a distraction. I don't know, you know,
I don't know that's a that's good.
Speaker 4: It would you know, if he if he felt like, hey,
b YU has really got it together, like they got
their NIO money together, that really have something here, maybe
maybe he you know, because he look, we went to
school there. He's an alumni of the school. I believe
that BYU means a lot to him. He met his
wife there. I mean there's just you know, his dad
coached there. I mean, he's just the whole experience. Yeah, there,
there could be you know, under the right circumstances, and
that that's when your head coach has to feel really
confident in himself, you know.
Speaker 3: And then some coaches aren't.
Speaker 4: You know, they're like, man, I don't want anyone that
potentially can overshadow me.
Speaker 3: But if you know, if he could go in there
and say, look.
Speaker 4: The the better, bigger minds that we have here were
the better we're going to be as a team.
Speaker 3: And and uh, you know, I don't know if Kyle
would do that.
Speaker 4: I don't know if Coloney do that, But that would
be really interesting. That might be about as interesting as
I think any coaching spot Kyle could get into.
Speaker 2: It would be crazy if he wanted to make things real,
real interesting along the wahsat front, that would be one
of the most controversial moves in Utah, the state of
Utah athletics history, b YU, Utah football history.
Speaker 1: That's what it would be, Scott, It'd be It'd be crazy.
Speaker 3: I think it would be normal. Ben.
Speaker 4: Look at this relationship between all these coaches and it's
so incestuous. It's like they all know each other and
they go back and forth coaching against and with and all.
Speaker 3: This stuff and just be par for the course here.
We wouldn't even bat an eyelash Well.
Speaker 2: I think Utah fans and donors and the collective corporate
sponsor base, I.
Speaker 1: Think they think. I think they think differently.
Speaker 3: You b.
Speaker 2: YU fans would be like, Okay, let's go, we got
we got Kyle back in the fold.
Speaker 1: You know, there would probably be a few.
Speaker 2: Few individuals like I don't know if we should do this,
and like, no, if Kyle's willing to be a coach
at b YU and you have a job opening for
his specialty, well you bring him in with open arms.
Speaker 1: I think, tell me what you think about this.
Speaker 2: Obviously UTAH is going to induct him into their Hall
of Fame. I think b YU should induct him into
their hall of fame as well.
Speaker 1: Your thoughts, Yeah, I mean he had a great career.
Speaker 4: I just happened one day to pop on a video
of Kyle when he was at d YU and they
were playing at Hawaii and he was all over the field.
You know, he was a whack defensive player of the year.
I mean he was on some really really good football
teams at d YU.
Speaker 3: You know, all of what he did there sure alone,
I think should.
Speaker 4: Be fitting of him going to you know, to the
into their into their Hall of fame. So much was
focused on offense at b YU at that time, but
they were really good defensive. I mean, they were great teams.
They had some great defensive players all through Lavelle's era.
Speaker 3: But just throwing the.
Speaker 4: Football got all the attention, as it should by the way,
Ben but uh, but but he was great and yeah,
he'll he'll definitely, he'll definitely be in the Utah Hall
of Fame. He'll get his name up on the on
the stadium here and I'd imagine it'd be pretty soon too,
and well deserved. I mean, he was incredible at you
saw what he did there, and I know for me,
you know, when I went there in nineteen eighty six,
I never imagined that the school would get to where
it got and it went places that I you know,
going to Rose Bowls and Power five Conferences was not
something that anyone saw happening. And he was right in
the middle of it and a big part of why
it was successful.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you have any unique perch as it relates to
the Holy War, the time, the era in which you
were recruited to Utah that was kind of the glorier
is yu football, right, and then you see this, you know,
like there was a reversal, right that you know from
you know, the Lavera era, and then Ronnie Mack took
over in the nineties and it made it competitive. And
then Urban came in after that and started to win more.
And then when when Kyle took over, it was back
and forth until you got.
Speaker 1: Into the back twelve and then he dominated.
Speaker 2: Now it's back in maybe BYU's favor the last three
go rounds.
Speaker 1: Now that BYU has power for affiliation.
Speaker 2: Are we going to see kind of a splitting kind
of similar to the Ronnie Mack era to Urban Mara
Urban era where where it was kind of fifty to
fifty or do you think it's going to be heavy
towards BYU. How do you see the win loss record
going into the big twelve era of this Holy War?
Speaker 4: I think the one thing that's always shocked me is
that anything's possible, and you really do throw out records,
you throw out talent bases. The game is shocking how
close so many of these games have been, and who
won and who lost, and it's just funny how that works.
Speaker 3: So I see it.
Speaker 4: I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be extremely competitive.
Speaker 3: I'm a huge fan of.
Speaker 4: The rivalry, and I think what's happened where by us
kind of you know, edged out forward and it feels
like the ball is in their court. I think it
doesn't sit well with the people up on the hill
at Utah and so that your rival getting the best
of you actually makes you better and you go, look,
we got we gotta get better to compete, and we
don't want the humiliation of losing. And I believe that's
passionate on both sides of this, and all that does
is it just makes everybody better and it brings especially
with the affiliation to.
Speaker 3: A power conference. I think I think the conference.
Speaker 4: Should really seriously look at this game coming at the
end of the season. If you would imagine, you know,
BYU eleven and one in Utah eleven and one going
into the last game of the season.
Speaker 3: Or or I think that I don't know if b
why had they lost? Did they lose to someone?
Speaker 4: I don't know, they may have Anyways, the point is
is both of these teams playing for going to the
conference Championship College Football playoffs and really really squeezing every
ounce of what's great about this rivalryalt and letting it
play out in front of a national audience. I think
is huge for both schools wherever it goes.
Speaker 3: But it's always going to be competitive. I thought, I mean,
I thought.
Speaker 4: After winning nine games in a row at Utah, like,
there's no way DYU is ever gonna win other game,
And and then and then they did, right, and and
and the crazy thing is that was the year Utah
won the Pac twelve and went to the Rose Bowl
for the first time, and they lost to BYU that year.
And so, you know, it's just that's how it is.
It's it's no matter what, no matter where, no matter
who thinks they're ahead of the other one, the other
one is going to find a way to give it
their very best shot every time they play because they
do not want to lose this game, which.
Speaker 3: Is which is what we all want. We want we want,
we want the healthy hatred towards one another.
Speaker 1: No doubt.
Speaker 2: Well, some of it's going to be determined by who's
winning the recruiting battles in the state, right and uh.
Speaker 1: Who's winning those right now.
Speaker 2: Look, there's been a bit of a flip, but both
both teams had pretty good recruiting classes. I think by
you edged it out this year. But you know how
that goes year to year. We're gonna see kind of
battles even on the recruiting fertile grounds of the state
of Utah, because football on the State of Utah keith
on getting better and better.
Speaker 1: A lot of high profile prospects here.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it certainly is getting better, and you definitely want
kids from your own backyard for so many reasons. They
have more, you know, to play for there's a greater investment.
Speaker 3: I think both of these.
Speaker 4: Programs though, they understand there's a unique culture that they
have to find a player that fits.
Speaker 3: Into that as well.
Speaker 4: And so you know, if you look at it just
from the mirror stars and rankings and whatever, it can
be a little bit misleading because you know, it's always
been getting the right players to fit our culture.
Speaker 3: And I think Koloni feels the same way at BUYU
and they do at.
Speaker 4: Utah, and that's the fun part to watch. I think
the question for me about recruiting now is who's going
to be around? Like you know, there's some exciting guys
Youtah and you go, are they going to be here
or not? Or I know that you know, you take
a guy like Keanu Tunavaso, who is who would have
been a huge help for Utah this year and he
leaves and it goes to BYU. And then you look
at John Henry Daly who was just phenomenal for Utah
this year and he left BYU and you and so
you certainly don't want to spend all that time recruiting
guys and then have them leave, and especially leave to
to their their rival, and it's kind of gone both ways.
Speaker 3: I don't know. Maybe that makes it more interesting or better, but.
Speaker 4: It's you know, it's so much about keeping the players
so that you can develop them into your culture as
much as you can. I think that's that's a strategy
that's got to take a different path, and it has
in the past, just because guys, it's so easy for
guys to leave.
Speaker 2: Scott Mitchell down at Dirty, Scott, best way to support you?
Speaker 1: What you do? How you do it? For all of
our listeners today.
Speaker 5: Well, I'm on down to Dirty, and of course ESPN
is a network here in the state of Utah, so
I come on right before your show.
Speaker 3: I'm the warm up act for Ben Krittles.
Speaker 1: You're more than that a little bit, You're more than that.
You're better anyway.
Speaker 4: So I'm on from one to two every day on
one O three nine ninety three the fan right right
before you, and then I'm on in the mornings from
ten to eleven on ESPN seven hundred ninety two to
one FM.
Speaker 1: Love It Man.
Speaker 2: Well, let's uh, you know, we want to support you
what you do, how you do it. For all the
listeners out there, make sure you're tuning in to Scott
Mitchell Down and Dirty on ESPN seven hundred as well
as ESPN the Fan every single day. Scott, we salute you,
We appreciate you man. Thanks for hopping on today.
Speaker 3: Always the pleasure. Thanks Ben.
Speaker 1: There you go. That's Scott Mitchell.
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