The behind-the-scenes drama that led to Kyle Whittingham bolting Utah for Michigan
Kyle Whittingham wanted to stay.Yet two weeks after beating Kansas and completing a 10-win regular season, he announced his resignation from the University of Utah and just a couple of weeks later signed a deal to become the head football coach at the University of Michigan.Documents Yahoo Sports uncovered through public records requests show how the plans changed and how a relationship between coach and school soured in Utah.Whittingham is the all-time winningest coach in Utes football history, a tenure that began in December 2004 for a coach who had been a member of the staff since 1994.After finishing the regular season and before a date in the Las Vegas Bowl, Whittingham — who was the second-longest tenured head coach in the FBS — relayed to the school through agent Bruce Tollner that he wished to remain in the job and included a litany of requests. According to Yahoo, Whittingham wanted his salary to jump from $7.4 million to $9 million, $20 million in NIL funds and an increase of $2 million in a pool for his coaching staff. Three days later, according to the report, Utah sent Tollner an offer for a one-year, $8 million deal that included several stipulations — notably that the 66-year-old would begin to cede some control to defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley, who had been announced as Utah’s coach in waiting in July 2024 and whose presence loomed over Whittingham’s exit.Included in this offer, according to Yahoo, was that Scalley would be the program’s general manager and have “full and final” oversight in decision-making regarding recruiting, player personnel and staffing decisions that would affect the school beyond 2026.Additionally, athletic director Mark Harlan would be in charge of approving some staffing decisions made by Whittingham.This deal was never inked.
On Dec.12, Whittingham announced his resignation and signed a deal with Utah in which he would receive $13.5 million in three installments over two years as a “transition ...