Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Kyle Whittingham must decide by Dec. 5 whether to retire this season.
- Utah missed the Big 12 title game after Arizona's win over Arizona State.
- Morgan Scalley is the likely successor; Whittingham's decision affects his future role.
SALT LAKE CITY — By virtue of Arizona's 23-7 win over Arizona State Friday night, the University of Utah has been eliminated from contention for the Big 12 championship game.
Now, Kyle Whittingham is on the clock.
Per the terms of Whittingham's latest contract amendment, the 21st-year Utes head coach has until Dec. 5 to notify the school in writing whether he intends to retire at the end of the season (or revert back to a previous contract with different terms).
Had Utah qualified for the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 6, Whittingham's deadline would have been pushed back to Dec. 12.
The Utes, who defeated the Kansas Jayhawks Friday afternoon 31-21 will close the season with a non-playoff bowl game that will be announced on Dec. 8.
Whittingham joked ahead of senior day with reporters that no, he did not plan to walk when seniors, not to mention a handful of underclassmen considering declaring for the NFL draft, were honored before playing their final home game.
On Friday, he followed it up with another joke about what his plans were over the next week.
"I'm going to be spread eagle on a couch later just watching college football and seeing what happens," he said.
On a more serious note, he added that he'll take some time to "decompress and to reflect" before announcing a decision — or at least making it public.
"It's not the time to really comment on that or even think about it yet, but, yeah, everyone knows that's out there, and we'll see what happens," he added. "But right now, I'm having a heck of a time coaching this team. It's a fun year and not quite over yet. Got a little more football left."
Whittingham has two years remaining on his contract and is owed $12.4 million in base salary across the 2026 and 2027 seasons. If he opts to retire, a two-year contract as special assistant to the athletic director kicks in at $3.45 million per year.
Quietly agreed to on Nov. 23, 2023 but not announced until July 1, 2024, Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley is Utah's "head coach in waiting" whenever Whittingham decides to retire.
In fairness, going by Scalley's contract, he is not automatically installed as the head coach upon Whittingham's retirement, but he is the "likely successor."
Should Whittingham announce his retirement in the coming days, Scalley will make $5 million as a first-year head coach in 2026.
There is a scenario in which Whittingham opts to return in 2026. While unlikely, in theory, Scalley could then opt to test the open market within what will be a high-speed coaching carousel; but finding a first-year salary of $5 million outside of Salt Lake City would likely be difficult.
