“Sorry”: Fired Utah Staffer Left Distraught as 3 More Fall Victim to Kyle Whittingham Exit
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When Kyle Whittingham left for Michigan, he took six Utah staffers with him, immediately thinning the Utes’ coaching ranks. That shortage only grew after former defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley was promoted to head coach. As expected, a new head coach brings a full staff reset, and Utah is already feeling the impact.
Four key Utah staffers: GM Rob Blechen, Director of Personnel Sam Morrissette, Director of Recruiting Strategy Patrick Jefferis, and Player Experience Coordinator Reggie Dunn, are no longer with the program.
Reports didn’t spell out the exact reasons behind the departures. But the timing lines up with Morgan Scalley entering his first season as Utah’s head coach.
One of the biggest exits is that of General Manager Rob Blechen.
“Did the best I could. Sorry, Ute fans, we didn’t do better,” Blechen wrote on X.
During his time in Salt Lake City, Blechen was crucial in Utah’s rise, orchestrating the program in winning two Pac-12 titles and assembling the best recruiting class in school history in 2023.
“Change is tough but necessary sometimes. Onto the next opportunity,” Blechen continued.
According to FootballScoop, he’s now headed to Michigan to join Whittingham’s staff.
Blechen spent 12 years at Utah, first as a recruiting assistant in 2014 and then was promoted to director of player personnel in 2017.
With general managers now essential in modern college football, especially with NIL-driven roster building, Utah moved quickly to fill the vacancy.
The Utes have hired Joe D’Orazio. He was formerly USC’s director of football strategy and is now Utah’s new GM. The move also brings D’Orazio back to Salt Lake City, where he previously worked as a graduate assistant in 2012. D’Orazio brings a deep and diverse résumé.
A former Penn offensive lineman, he’s coached at multiple levels, including the NFL.
He worked with the Philadelphia Eagles as a quality control and assistant wide receivers coach from 2016 to 2017 and served as a special assistant to Andy Reid with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2013 to 2015. At the college level, he coached at Baylor.
He then spent four seasons at Columbia, eventually becoming offensive coordinator in 2023. D’Orazio even served as Utah’s tight ends coach back in 2012 under Kyle Whittingham.
While the other departed staff roles remain unfilled for now, the urgency to lock down the GM position was clear. And Utah didn’t waste time addressing it.
Why is GM so important, and how much is Joe D’Orazio predicted to make?
In today’s college football environment, the GM basically does everything. From high school recruiting, managing the transfer portal, looking after scholarship numbers, to mapping out depth charts years in advance. With NIL now completely drilled into the sport and revenue sharing in the mix, the responsibilities have increased.
GMs are responsible for handling budgets, working closely with NIL collectives, and negotiating player deals.
They are keeping the program compliant as rules continue to shift almost every year.
For the 2025–26 cycle, former Utah GM Rob Blechen was earning around $230,000. By Power Four standards, that number sits on the lower end. It is roughly 36th nationally among reported GM or personnel director salaries. To put that in perspective, Utah wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted makes about $425,000 annually.
Across the country, the range is much wider.
Alabama’s Courtney Morgan currently holds the title of the highest-paid GM in college football, pulling in more than $800,000 per year. At powerhouses like Ohio State and Oregon, Mark Pantoni and Marshall Malchow get between $350,000 and $900,000. It portrays just how valuable the position has become.
Utah is in the middle of a complete transition under Morgan Scalley, and roster development is the No. 1 priority. And especially with a projected $20.5 million roster salary cap tied to revenue sharing. D’Orazio’s background as USC’s Director of Football Strategy may boost his salary toward the higher end of the typical $200,000–$400,000 range for Power Four programs.
The post “Sorry”: Fired Utah Staffer Left Distraught as 3 More Fall Victim to Kyle Whittingham Exit appeared first on EssentiallySports.
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