‘It’s definitely a relief that (Whittingham) is out’: What an anonymous Big 12 coach said about the Utes

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As with any new head coach, there are plenty of unknowns as Morgan Scalley steps into the driver’s seat of the Utah football program, even though he has been in charge of the Utes’ defense since 2016, has coached at Utah his entire career beginning in 2007, and played at Utah, starring on the undefeated 2004 team.

With his extensive experience with the Utes, combined with being among the top defensive coordinators in college football, Utah felt he was the candidate best suited to be the program’s head coach long before Kyle Whittingham “stepped down” last winter, naming him the program’s coach-in-waiting.

By all accounts this spring, Scalley has seemed like the right fit for the job and has brought a new energy to the program, but he still has a lot to prove in his first season as head coach.

An anonymous opposing Big 12 assistant coach shared his thoughts about the new-look Utes in Athlon’s 2026 college football preview magazine. He, along with the rest of the college football world, is curious about how Utah will move forward post-Whittingham, the winningest coach in school history.

“I’m curious what it looks like without Kyle Whittingham,” the anonymous Big 12 assistant coach said. “They cause a lot of mismatches because they’re plus-one in the run game with the quarterback and all the pullers and gap schemes that they did.

“It’s gonna be really interesting to see what their new philosophy is on offense and defense because they did struggle to stop the run last season.”

Scalley’s first season is shaping up to be an intriguing one, with a new offensive coordinator (Kevin McGiven), new defensive coordinator (Colton Swan), and rebuilt starting offensive and defensive lines.

The Utes bring back some key pieces in quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin, running back Wayshawn Parker, linebacker Johnathan Hall and safety Jackson Bennee, and added transfer players such as Utah State receiver Braden Pegan, San Jose State receiver Kyri Shoels, Akron cornerback Elijah Reed and San Jose State defensive tackle Jireh Moe.

“I think they were the worst in the Big 12 against the run last year. That’s not them. They’ve always been good up front, so that will be interesting,” the anonymous Big 12 assistant coach said.

Overall, the Utes weren’t the absolute worst in the Big 12 against the run statistically, but were the third worst, allowing 181.2 rushing yards per game. In wins against Kansas State and Kansas at the end of the season, Utah gave up 472 and 290 yards, respectively.

Utah will have a new-look defensive tackle room with Karson Kaufusi and Pupu Sepulona stepping into starting roles and Moe and Wyoming transfer Lucas Samsula joining the squad, which could help correct the Utes’ woes against the run.

Though Scalley’s goal is to keep Utah’s program rolling, and even elevate it to new heights, the anonymous Big 12 assistant is glad to see Whittingham isn’t in charge anymore.

“It’s definitely a relief that (Whittingham) is out of the Big 12 because he’s a great football coach, and he’s an even better person.”

Where are the Utes projected to finish in the Big 12?

Athlon predicts a fourth-place finish for the Utes, behind Texas Tech, BYU and Houston. Even though the Red Raiders will more than likely be missing Cincinnati transfer quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who was ruled ineligible by the NCAA after betting on Indiana games while he played there, Athlon projects the Red Raiders to still win the Big 12 behind whichever quarterback wins the starting job due to the “fully stocked arsenal” of players in Lubbock.

The publication projects that Texas Tech will defeat BYU in the Big 12 championship game and that the Utes will play in the Sun Bowl vs. Virginia (Utah is still tied into the Pac-12 bowls for another season).

No Utes made Athlon’s preseason All-America team and just one Ute was named to the All-Big 12 preseason first team — punt returner Mana Carvalho.

Three Utah games showed up on the top Big 12 “games to watch” list — Oct. 24 vs. Houston, Nov. 7 vs. BYU and Nov. 14 at Arizona.

In case you missed it

Kickoff times for Utah’s first three games of the 2026 season were released Wednesday and one game time in particular drew the ire of Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek, who said he was “extremely concerned and displeased.”

From the archives

Extra points

• Which bowl games could Utah go to in the 2026 season?
• Big 12 schools will face other power conference programs 13 times this season. Here’s a look at every one of them
• Post-spring Big 12 power rankings: How the Brendan Sorsby situation impacts the league

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