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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham spoke Wednesday about the recently perceived issues following the departure of several members of his coaching staff.
Speaking to CBS Sports Radio’s Damon Amendolara, Whittingham addressed the rumors that he may leave the program because of disagreements with Athletics Director Chris Hill over contract negotiations.
“There’s been a little too much drama, and it’s unfortunate,” Whittingham said. “But I’m excited to be here. Right now, I’m completely immersed in staff hiring. You mentioned we lost a few coaches, and that’s my No. 1 objective right now, is to get the staff back up to full strength.”
He said the program is “moving forward” and are “optimistic things will work out.” Utah has yet to hire a new offensive and defensive coordinator, and a defensive line coach, and has been relatively silent since beating Colorado State in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl before Christmas.
Whittingham has been unavailable to local media in recent weeks, due to a busy schedule, according to senior associate athletics director Liz Abel. Abel told KSL.com earlier this week that Whittingham would be available to talk sometime next week.
Hill issued a statement prior to the new year in an effort to put rumors to rest, saying: “I want to reassure our fans and recruits that Kyle Whittingham is our head coach and any rumors to the contrary have no validity.”
This is the place that I love — love the University of Utah. I've been here, as you mentioned, 20 years — 10 as the head coach. I'm excited about the team we have coming up next season.
–Kyle Whittingham
When asked by Amendolara about whether Whittingham planned to remain the head coach this season, Whittingham said: “I would think so. I’m here.”
“This is the place that I love — love the University of Utah,” Whittingham added. “I’ve been here, as you mentioned, 20 years — 10 as the head coach. I’m excited about the team we have coming up next season.”
Whittingham also addressed the speculation that there was tension between he and Hill, pointing to the difficulty each one has in their respective roles at the university.
“I’m just trying to do the best job I can do at Utah,” Whittingham said. “Everybody’s jobs are challenging. His job’s challenging, my job’s challenging, and we’re all just trying to stay on track after this season and continue to move forward.”
