Will Utah Football STRUGGLE to compete in Big 12 post Kyle Whittingham? l College Football Podcast

2024 could very well be Kyle Whittingham’s last as Utah’s head coach, with DC Morgan Scalley named as the head coach in-waiting. Can they be perennial conference title contenders with that change and others looming? ‘Locked On Utes’ host JT Wistrcill joins the show to discuss.

This segment is from Friday’s episode of Locked On College Football with Spencer McLaughlin

Will Utah Football STRUGGLE to compete in Big 12 post Kyle Whittingham?
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what is Utah’s long-term Outlook in the Big 12 since Kyle Whittingham and cam Rising will soon be gone that’s JT wher s locked on Utes joining me do you feel like Utah can stay as a perennial conference title Contender once the two stalwarts of their program and their conference Championship contending and winning era both toart I definitely do I mean if you look back at what Utah has done you have someone like Tyler Huntley who was successful before cam Rising you have a four-star Isaac Wilson who will hopefully be successful but I feel like they could recruit other quarterbacks the bigger loss is obviously Kyle Winningham who has been everything for this Utah football program guided them through unprecedented Heights I mean he has been on staff at Utah through four Conference changes that’s hard to believe so he’s gone through a lot but he’s LED Utah to just I mean back-to-back Pack 12 championships those Rose Bowl appearances and you know hopefully this fall a big 12 championship and that’s a lot to replace but Morgan scall is clearly the guy he’s been Kyle whittingham’s number one guy for a long time he’s been the head coach in Waiting for a while yes there was a controversy but it felt like things would eventually get back to Morgan scall because of the way his former players spoke about him he’s a leader and a guy who’s going to keep the culture in place I would be really concerned about Kyle Whittingham leaving if Utah was then gonna make an outside higher but because of how involved Morgan scall is in Utah’s recruiting efforts some of the top recruits that Utah’s brought in have been because of Morgan sc’s effort he’s a natural leader and someone that I do believe is the right choice to lead Utah into their next era I think Utah will drop off a little bit next year because of what we said no cam Rising Utah in the transition from Tyler Huntley to cam Rising had Jake Bentley in there during the co shorten season even without covid I don’t think that would have been Utah’s best team they lost some games there was some bumps along the way and I think next year because they are losing a lot of players who were even a part of the first championship team back in 2021 so when you’re losing that type of Veteran presence there’s going to be some regression but I do believe Utah will get back to being one of the teams in the Big 12 because of how much I believe in Morgan scall he’s one of the top defensive Minds in college football you can go back to what he’s done against Caleb Williams it’s the reason that USC then tried to hire him this last off season in which Utah then made him their head coach in waiting a little bit before that got underway so he’s an elite defensive mind the defense is going to stay on top the culture will stay in place the recruiting will stay in place I believe Utah will still remain one of the 20 best current teams in the college football landscape if you are correct and scall able to make it more of you know a Marcus Freeman transition or Ryan Day Ohio State than say you know Mississippi state’s uh handoff did not go particularly well there there have been some some other examples too you know they’re trying to be more like a David sha Stanford at the beginning rather than at the end if you’re right 2025 is going to feel like a big opportunity for the rest of the Big 12 cuz let’s just say for the sake of argument that Utah is going to continue being the same program after 2025 and there’ll be kind of an adjustment year and he gets the feel for being a head coach and whatnot that team without those leaders and without Kyle Whittingham potentially that’s going to be the most getable Utah might be for a while but on on the recruiting Trail and the talent acquisition with the transfer portal r large for Morgan scall is Utah going to be able to field you think a continually top three to four roster in in the big I believe so I just think the culture that they have and the biggest thing for Utah has never been 247 recruiting class rankings it’s the job they’ve done developing the guys they bring in no one knew who Brandt keithy was before he arrived at Utah he was a two star so was Devon Lloyd he wasn’t even a linebacker there are tons of examples how about J quindon Jackson he’s not at Utah anymore because of how good he was at running back and then got an nil deal at Arkansas so Utah’s development is phenomenal Utah does a better job of retaining coach than pretty much any team in the country I mean they have lost a receiver coach and a running back coach and that’s pretty much it over the years Andy lwig has been at Utah for a while he even you know stated at Utah over Notre Dame and there was some contract things there but still they were able to hold on to their offensive coordinator Jim Harding Shere Shaw these guys have been their offensive line and DB coach those two names they’ve been there a very long time and they are the ones who are directly involved in their positions I always talk about with the Utah secondary even though they turn over a lot and Sharie Shaw and Morgan scall We Trust because it seems like whoever Utah puts back there they produce extremely well because of all the coaches I expect to remain I still think Utah is going to put out a strong Big 12 roster because yes they won’t blow you away by bringing in the most four stars like Deion Sanders in Colorado they’re going to bring in more four and five stars but Utah brings in the guys that fit their program and they’ve continually done that and Ryle Stadium no matter what happens with the recruits and everything you bring in Utah’s still going have one of the best home field advantages in the conference and that’s something that’s going to make it very hard because each year at most Utah’s probably gonna lose one game at home depending on their home conference schedule because the altitude coupled with the noise level it’s just one of the toughest environments in college football despite what EA Sports may tell you or Dan Lanning um I I think uh I I think for for Utah it gives me now and and also I I made a statement you know earlier in this segment assuming Kyle weddinghand won’t be there in 2025 that’s my guess I think you announce ahe waiting at this stage because this is Kyle whittingham’s last Terra cam Rising if he is truly done after this year and keithy and whatnot and the reset that would take place it would feel like a natural jumping off point for a guy who’s been in Salt Lake City for the last two decades as the football coach does that reality that 2025 is going to be a regression year probably temporary but we’ll you know we’ll have to wait and see and we’ll definitely talk about it on the show at the time but does that make the pressure on winning big in 2024 intensify for this UT’s program I do think it does because I think if let’s say Utah things just went really bad let’s say they had another eight and four Campaign which is hard to Fathom but if they did it’s another step back you know you’re expected to win the Big 12 and then you don’t I I think that would be something where you’re not as strong as you used to be as a program you don’t have that same head coach in place I think you could see a little regression then I still expect Utah I don’t expect Utah to lose four games so I think they’re going to live up to the hype Spencer we’ve talked about before on your show this schedule lines up incredibly favorably for Utah they miss well state in the regular season and I know they go to Oklahoma State their toughest game by far they could very well lose it this is a team with the top five Rush defense last year pretty much everyone is back so I do think they match up well with olly Gordon and Oklahoma State overall in that regard but I do think there’s pressure on to win this year to continue to ascend the brand make sure you remain in a strong standing knowing you’re going to lose so much and you have to replace them some of that will come through the transfer portal but this is a Utah team that still has built its Culture by the recruits they bring in and the players they raise up from within and teach them this is the way you have to come in and fit our program when you only bring in transfers that’s that could sometimes be too many individual agendas I think Colorado’s learned that a little bit last year where I think that’s what I like about Utah is that they bring in these guys that understand the recruits that come in that you this is how we play if you want to play you got to play this way so then when the transfers come come in there’s are smaller voices they’re like okay I got to buy in like it’s not a lot of individual voices when you arrive it’s a United voice with this Utah team that goes back to Morgan scall carrying that United voice but getting back to 2024 it’s a big pivotal year I mean Kyle Winningham is straight up talking about that he’s probably not going to be here in 2027 they just named the head coach in Waiting he’s going to turn 65 in November he said himself he probably won’t coach past 65 I think the writing is more than on the walls that it’s going to be his last season at Utah in my opinion yeah I think despite the transition of the Big 12 their schedule as you said works out really well and when on that note specifically the missing of both Kansas schools and then the the next best odds team that you play that’s kind of you know arguably your toughest Big 12 game is Oklahoma State look Oklahoma state is like Utah high floor program they don’t bottom out they also don’t always hit the ceiling that a lot of people might think I know they went to the Big 12 championship game a year ago I do not expect them to get back there this year Ole Gordon will be playing why don’t I just leave it at that and Mike Gundy will be you know coaching in in the in the game but man that that’s a that’s a big quarterback Advantage for the toughest game that Utah has in in their conference late like Allan Bowman cam Rising this is this is night and day for me so I I’m I’m with you that real tangible pressure on Utah here we talked about this all the way back in January that there’s pressure on them to make it but with the Winningham factor I I think it is really just ratcheted up and I I think they’re capable of of getting to to that level but certainly this feels like the year and it’ll be a couple Seasons at least before Utah can talk about expecting to win a conference Championship again JT Wier still locked on you it’s appreciate the time as always great as going on as always Spencer thank you