Kyle Whittingham, Morgan Scalley Approaching Utah Offensive Coordinator Hire Together
Nov 18, 2024, 12:51 PM | Updated: 12:59 pm
Utah's Kyle Whittingham, Morgan Scalley. PHOTO by Joel Davidson
SALT LAKE CITY—Given the injury list and losses, Kyle Whittingham’s Utah football program has had a tumultuous season. As the end of the season approaches, it’s clear that Utah will undergo quite a few changes this offseason.
Utah’s offensive coordinator position will be chief among those changes.
Andy Ludwig stepped down halfway through the year, and Mike Bajakian has manned the position for the last three games.
However, Utah will enter the offseason with finding a new offensive play-caller as its top priority.
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Utah is putting together a list of potential candidates
“That’s going on right now, evaluating what we’re doing, what attractive candidates are outside the program, evaluating everything and getting the shortlist ready,” Kyle Whittingham said in his weekly press conference.
Utah still has two contests remaining, and that’s the program’s focus right now. Still, Whittingham made it clear just how big of a priority filling that spot will be.
“That’ll be job one as soon as the timing is right to get that filled,” he shared. “Recruits want to know who the coordinator is going to be, and we will need to solve that sooner rather than later.”
Utah will be adjusting to the times with this hire
Under Whittingham, player development was a significant factor in Utah’s successes. Utah was lauded for its ability to consistently turn a three-star recruit into a four-star collegiate player.
That process took time, though, and given the changes to the sport, time is less affordable. It seems Utah had to learn that lesson this season, but they will adjust with this impending hire.
“Our formula was to recruit, develop, and manage but with the turnover and the way the portal is, that system is very hard to make work,” Whittingham shared. “That plays into schemes too. You can’t have a scheme that is so complicated and in-depth that it takes a guy two or three years to learn because you don’t have that time anymore.”
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Ludwig was a fantastic coordinator, especially the last five years with Utah. However, his scheme demanded a lot from his players mentally and time isn’t a commodity that be afforded as much.
“You collect all the talent you can in the offseason and then hope it gels and has chemistry,” Whittingham shared. “They better be able to assimilate the offensive and defensive schemes in a short period of time in order to function.”
Morgan Scalley will have a prominent role in the process
Morgan Scalley is Utah’s head coach-in-waiting, and Whittingham made it clear that he will be involved in this decision.
“Very involved, yep, very involved,” Whittingham shared. “It would be an injustice if he wasn’t; given our situation, he’s working side by side with me.”
That will not only influence who Utah ultimately hires but also the candidates they hone in on.
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