Whether He Walked or Was Pushed, Kyle Whittingham Built the Mountain
Whittingham and Sitake meet before the BYU vs Utah game on October 18, 2025. Photo by Chris Gardner, Getty Images.
Commentary / Utah Sports Ink Staff Writer
If you cut open a Utah football player, they wouldn’t bleed red. They’d bleed grit, toughness, and a refusal to quit that was instilled by one man.
Kyle Whittingham’s retirement isn't just a coaching change; it’s a seismic shift in the bedrock of Utah sports. For 21 seasons as head coach, "Whitt" didn't just win games. He forged a Power 4 juggernaut that bullied the "blue bloods" until they had no choice but to respect the Utes. He leaves with 177 wins, two Rose Bowl berths, and a culture of RSNB (Relentless, Smart, Nasty, Ballhawk) that is the envy of the nation.
But let’s address the elephant in the room—the rumor that’s been whispered from the Avenues to Draper all week.
We all heard the "transfer portal" joke Kyle made in his presser. We heard him say he’d "answer the phone" if other schools called. Does that sound like a man ready for the rocking chair? For a coach who just led us to a 10-2 season and a Top 15 ranking, the timing feels... forced. The rumors that the administration, or perhaps the "powers that be" connected to the new private equity money, gently (or not so gently) nudged our legend toward the door to make way for the Morgan Scalley era are hard to ignore.
If true, it’s a bitter pill to swallow. Kyle Whittingham is Utah Football. If he had more fire in the belly, he deserved the right to burn it on his terms, not on a timeline set by a boardroom.
Regardless of the politics behind the curtain, one thing remains true: He is leaving the cupboard full. He’s handing the keys to Scalley—a man molded in his own image—and the program is healthier than it has ever been.
So, wipe the tears, Ute Nation. The era of Whittingham ends after the Las Vegas Bowl. Whether he walked out or was pushed, the mountain he built still stands tall.
Utah Sports Ink asked two staff writers—one a Utah supporter, one a BYU fan—to offer their perspectives on Whittingham’s departure. Rivalry aside, both recognize the end of a defining era.