Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham is one of the longest-tenured head coaches in college football. He has been leading the Utes since 2005 and has been a member of the team’s coaching staff in various roles since 1994. He has helped the team to achieve success, including a few conference championships, but a national championship has eluded him.
On Wednesday, ESPN insider Pete Thamel tweeted out a quote from Whittingham on his mentality about the future of his coaching career.
Notably, he expressed frustration about how last season went and admitted that he might not still be with the team if they had won the national championship.
Whittingham said:
“I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating and too disappointing. Had we won the championship last year, I might not be sitting here.”
Utah’s Kyle Whittingham on his decision to return this season. “I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating and too disappointing.” He added: “Had we won the championship last year, I might not be sitting here.”
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 9, 2025
Last season was one of the worst for the Utes in recent memory, where they finished with a 5-7 record. To make matters worse, Whittingham’s squad did not even qualify for a bowl game.
They got off to an excellent start to the season, winning their first four games. However, they then lost seven games in a row before finally breaking the losing streak in the final game of the season. To go from such a great start to an even worse stretch must have been frustrating for Kyle Whittingham and his staff.
Kyle Whittingham Discusses the Possibility of Retirement
This report from insider Pete Thamel was not the first time that Kyle Whittingham has alluded to the end of his coaching career. During his recent appearance on “The Jim Rome Show”, Whittingham spoke about taking his career year-by-year.
“I would just answer it this way,” Whittingham said. “As long as I’m excited about coming to work every day, have a ton of energy and am passionate about what I’m doing, and as long as my wife continues to support me — she may have the final say on this one when it’s time to quit.”
The 65-year-old added:
“If there comes a time I wake up and say, ‘Hey, that’s enough. I’ve had enough.’ I’ve got no energy left and it’s time for me to go. It’s just a year-by-year basis.”
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