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The waitlist for University of Utah football season tickets has more than 3,000 names on it. The season-ticket renewal rate is above 97%. And on Monday, it was revealed that the Utes have a succession plan in place for their next head coach.
Morgan Scalley officially moved to the top of the waitlist. Scalley and Utah signed a new contract late last season, apparently not long after USC fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. It includes a provision that makes Scalley the eventual successor to Kyle Whittingham.
It's worth pointing out that this only works because Scalley — born in Salt Lake, played at Utah, has kids in school, wife on a church board — is about as "forever" as it gets in his town. But it also works because Whittingham has the job security of a Supreme Court Justice.
This kind of arrangement might cause tension, issues, and insecurity in other places. A lot of high-profile lieutenants wouldn't be OK waiting around. And if they tried this on some SEC or Big Ten campuses, rival schools would interfere. But at Utah, it works, so much so that Scalley's camp didn't need to whisper it to reporters at the end of last season.
It's worth pointing out that a line of Division I college athletic departments are in crisis. They're facing millions in debt and desperate for new revenue. The industry itself is kicking the tires on the private-equity world. It was recently announced that at least one conference is exploring the sale of naming rights. And we're going to see corporate logos on the football field for the first time.
Utah isn't the only athletic department in America that appears to have its (bleep) together. But it's a shining example of how solid culture, a rabid fan base, donor support, and good leadership are far better than selling 15% of your soul for a billion or so dollars. Maybe some others will study it.
"Someone buy Chris Hill a beer," the text message read.
Hill was the former long-time University of Utah athletic director. The text — sent to me in October 2022 — came from an athletic department administrator at a rival Pac-12 Conference school.
The first week of October turned into "firing season" in college football. Wisconsin fired head coach Paul Chryst despite owing him $16.4 million. Earlier that same season, four other coaches (Colorado, Nebraska, ASU, and Georgia Tech) were also dumped. The collective buyouts for those five: $60.9 million.
The text message was a tip of the cap to Hill for his patience with Whittingham, particularly in 2012 and 2013. Utah was in its second and third seasons in the Pac-12 at that time. And Whittingham posted 5-7 records in back-to-back years. His conference record, 5-13, was discouraging.
"It had my attention," Hill, the former Utah AD, told me. "We got lots of complaints at that time. But I felt that Kyle was doing a lot of good things that people didn't notice. I also never talked about personnel with boosters — ever. I didn't think that was my job. I would listen. I was polite about it, but I couldn't let that happen."
Hill also had the support of his university president at the time, which helped. Whittingham wasn't going anywhere. Campus leaders believed in their coach and understood there would be growing pains in the Pac-12. They were resolved to stay patient and trust that the campus football expert would eventually figure it out.
Still, a handful of boosters cornered Hill and urged him to fire Whittingham. They wanted a proven "Power Five" winner as the coach. Hill, armed with the backing of his president, pushed back.
"I'm not a surgeon," the AD told them. "If I go in for a knee replacement, I don't question the surgeon."
Over the next decade, Whittingham delivered four 10-win seasons and two Rose Bowl appearances. He won back-to-back conference titles. And when the Pac-12 imploded last August, I couldn't help but wonder if the Big 12 would have been interested in Utah had the football program spent the same decade cycling through head coaches and losing games.
Mark Harlan is the AD at Utah now. He's been on the job since 2018. He has that same measured resolve. Harlan's fingerprints are all over this Scalley extension and succession plan. Harlan did what some others couldn't do — he fought off USC. And the decision to proactively hand Scalley the keys is part of the pragmatic approach that Utah has followed over the years.
Shortly after Harlan was hired at Utah his first conversation with Whittingham was about what it would take to get the program to the Rose Bowl.
"He was very clear," Harlan told me in the spring of 2022, "and we established the roadmap from there."
That plan now officially includes Big 12 membership, and Whittingham's replacement, whenever that comes. Scalley received a raise in pay to $2 million this season. His contract runs through 2027, the same term as Whittingham's current deal. If he should accept the head coaching job — and why wouldn't he? — Scalley would receive a minimum of $5 million a year.
I'm not saying the "heir in waiting" approach is for everyone. Can you imagine the news conferences at an SEC school after a loss? The incessant "So when are you retiring?" questions for the head coach? The second-guessing and bellyaching?
But given that so many college football programs find themselves in crisis — living coach to coach and season to season — what's happening at Utah sure appears more grounded, thoughtful, stable, and holistic. I wonder if other schools might learn from it.
I was in Salt Lake City a couple of seasons ago for a Utah game. I watched Harlan as he worked the crowd, shaking hands with donors, slapping backs with students, and talking with ticket holders. Later, I asked the AD why that stuff mattered to him.
"This is not my program," Harlan told me. "The program belongs to the student-athletes — both current and former — the coaches, the university, the alumni, the donors, the fans."
It was a nice thing for a campus leader to say.
Kyle Whittingham, today.
Morgan Scalley, tomorrow.
Read more of columnist John Canzano exclusively at JohnCanzano.com.
