Veteran Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham has been the head coach of the Utes since 2005, and before that, he served as their defensive coordinator. He is expected to retire by the end of the season, as Utah is not expected to make the CFP. He is expected to coach his last game on December 31 at the Las Vegas Bowl. His salary is considered one of the largest today, and he will retire with an estimated net worth of $34 million.
But how did he get to that? Whittingham started out as a graduate assistant at BYU and eventually worked his way up eventually becoming the defensive coordinator for Eastern Utah, the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach, and eventually defensive coordinator for Idaho State, before finally landing in Utah as a DL coach.
He soon rose through the ranks as the defensive coordinator, eventually rising up as head coach for the Utes in 2005. His initial salary was modest, with him extending his contract there in 2008 and earning an approximately $1.2 million salary per year. This is, of course, when he won the 2008 National Coach of the Year.
He soon extended his contract again, but this time, his salary doubled, going up to $3.3 million a year. His contract got extended again in 2022, with him making $6.9 million per year and it was expected that he would have made $8 million per year if he had not decided to retire.
However, he may not be done with Utah yet, as the legendary coach has an agreement with the school that he may stay in another role for around two years more.
Kyle Whittingham Agreement With Utah States He May Stay As a “Special Assistant”
There are already a lot of rumors surrounding Whittingham post-retirement, as many believe he may retire from Utah, only to un-retire and head to Michigan to coach the Wolverines. However, he still has a final agreement with the university which states that he will remain at the university in a two-year “special assistant” role.
In that role, he is expected to assist in consulting, fundraising, and donor relations and will reportedly earn around $3.45 million per year. Still, Whittingham has expressed that he has the desire to continue coaching elsewhere, and Michigan may be the likely destination.
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