After back-to-back 5-7 seasons that had created doubts amongst some Utah Utes fans, head coach Kyle Whittingham led the program to a 9-4 rebound season for 2014. But that improvement, which included stirring road wins at Michigan, UCLA, and Stanford along with a 45-10 bowl win over Colorado State, was not enough to stave off growing turmoil within the program.
Just a few days after the first bowl win for Utah in three years, offensive coordinator Dave Christensen departed to be the offensive line coach of the Texas A&M Aggies, while defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake, along with defensive line coach Ilaisa Tuiaki, departed to assume the same roles with the Oregon State Beavers. And the exit door may still be open with the possibility of Whittingham either being fired or resigning in a moment’s notice.
A Hill too Far
Utah athletic director Chris Hill began to hedge his bets last year after the Utes went 5-7 for the second year in a row as third year members of the Pac 12 Conference. He would not offer extensions to the coaching staff at that time and when Whittingham approached him in regards to a new offer for Sitake, the head coach did not believe he got much in the way of support or a competitive offer. The failure of Hill to offer enough to keep Sitake was the final straw that broke the relationship between the AD and head coach that has taken on increased damage in recent years since the Utes departed the Mountain West Conference for the Pac 12.
Sabotage?
Sources indicate that Whittingham has gotten to the point where he believes that Hill is deliberately trying to sabotage his football program. Hill refused to give Tuiaki a multiyear deal despite the fact that his unit led the nation in sacks with 52.
Whittingham also inquired about a better deal for himself and only got what he took as a lukewarm response. Whittingham has coached at Utah for 20 years, first as an assistant to Ron McBride and then Urban Meyer, before taking over as head coach in 2005. His best year was in 2008 when he led the Utes to a 13-0 record and a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama that gave Utah a final national ranking of number two in the land.
Micromanaging Coaches?
There is another theory and side to the story besides a lack of support from Hill, however. Christensen is a close friend of Whittingham and yet supposedly became fatigued with his constant micromanaging of the Utah offense. Christensen is the seventh OC that has served for Whittingham since 2009. Christensen was able to convince quarterbacks Kendal Thompson and Jason Thompson to come to Utah and he now abandons them and his 25 year friendship for Whittingham with no raise in pay. The fact that he would go to Texas A&M and NOT be the OC is a stinging indictment towards Whittingham and his relationships with his offensive coordinators.
Meanwhile Whittingham is a former defensive coordinator that cannot keep his hands off that side of the ball as well. Sitake is said to have left for Oregon State not just because of money but to be free of Whittingham’s oppressive presence and interference.
Out the Door?
You would expect such turmoil on a program that was losing and had no long term record of success. The fact that this turmoil is taking place after a strong rebound season makes the next move fairly obvious. Is there any real way that Whittingham can return after the loss of both of his coordinators and now that his rift with Hill has become public? Of course not. What could end up happening is that Whittingham departs, takes a year off, and then takes over at his alma mater, Utah’s hated arch rival BYU.
Another AD releases his Inner Jerk
The disturbing trend of an Athletic Director not fully supporting the football coach looks to be taking place in Utah. If Hill loses Whittingham he had better have a rock star replacement. More often than not, the loss of a coach in such a manner sets a program back sometimes as long as a decade. Just ask the Michigan Wolverines about that.
