Utah's Whittingham stepping down after 21 seasons

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is stepping down after 21 seasons, the program announced Friday.

Whittingham will coach his last game Dec. 31 in the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska. Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley is the coach-in-waiting and will likely succeed Whittingham, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

"The time is right to step down from my position as the head football coach at the University of Utah," Whittingham said in a statement. "It's been an honor and a privilege to lead the program for the past 21 years and I'm very grateful for the relationships forged with all the players and assistant coaches that have worked so hard and proudly worn the drum and feather during our time here.

"The opportunity to guide so many talented young men as they pursued their goals – both on and off the field – has truly been a blessing."

Whittingham isn't retiring from coaching and could seek other opportunities, a source told The Athletic's Stewart Mandel.

Whittingham is the winningest coach in Utes history, posting a 177-88 record. He joined the program in 1994 as the defensive line coach. He was then promoted to defensive coordinator, a role he held for 10 seasons before becoming head coach.

The 66-year-old succeeded Urban Meyer after the latter departed the Utes to take the Florida coaching position. Whittingham originally chose to take the Utah head coaching job over BYU, his alma mater.

Over his 21 years as head coach, Whittingham led the Utes to 18 winning seasons and guided the program through transitions from the Mountain West to the Pac-12, and ultimately to the Big 12. Utah finished the 2025 campaign 10-2 and was ranked No. 15 in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

Scalley, 46, has been the Utes' defensive coordinator since 2016. He's been with the program since 2007, where he began as a graduate assistant.