Urban Meyer says Utah doesn't have the "same pressures" compared to Michigan for Kyle Whittingham

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Former Utah Utes football coach Urban Meyer is ready for the 2026 college football season. He recently named five coaches who could make a big impact this year. But his former player, Morgan Scalley, didn't make the cut.

Meyer recently shared his thoughts on "The Triple Option" podcast, and there weren't any real surprises. While Scalley isn't making noise yet, his predecessor was on the list. Meyer's former defensive coordinator and new Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham was No. 1. Outside the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State, the Hall of Fame coach wants his one-time assistant to do big things in Ann Arbor.

"Coach Whit has been at Utah and I love Utah, but Utah doesn't have the same pressures that that other place has up north," Meyer said.

"But it's also what in the hell happened up there. And that's very un-Wolverine-like, what's taken place there the last five years. … Kyle [Whittingham] loves his team, he loves his players, the quarterbacks have got to get much better."

Meyer is most interested in seeing how Whittingham adjusted to being at a powerhouse school. After spending the last 32 years in Salt Lake City, the change of scenery comes with the demand to win right away. There's no sort of transition period, but many are ready to see what Whittingham is able to do with real resources. The University of Michigan athletic department projects a balanced budget of $266.3 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year. Most of that is allocated and produced by the football program.

The rest of Meyer's list after Whittingham gets interested, with only one coach not taking on first-year duties at their respective school. Jon Sumrall at Florida is No. 2. The incoming coach will try to rebuild a prestigious program back to their former glory days. Ironically, the Gator hadn't been relevant for the great part of two decades when Meyer stepped away from Gainesville.

No doubt the entire college football world will be watching how Lane Kiffin does at LSU. The journeyman coach is No. 3 on Meyer's list. After leaving Ole Miss to chase a 7-year, $91 million contract in Baton Rouge, there's no room for error in the Bayou. Kiffin knows the level of expectation was upped after Brian Kelly was fired midway through last season.

After James Franklin was dealt the same hand as Kelly, Matt Campbell eventually took over as head coach at Penn State. The former Iowa State coach is No. 4, according to Meyer. Like everyone listed in the top four, Campbell is praying for daylight in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions are two years removed from a College Football Playoff berth under Franklin and can get back to the same level under Campbell.

At No. 5 is Indiana's Curt Cignetti. After winning the program's first national championship, does he still have gas in the tank for a repeat run?

Scalley might not be on this list, but he's flying under the radar and ready to make some noise in his first season as the Utes' head coach.

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