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SALT LAKE CITY — After the long wait, Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham has hired two new coaches and has promoted four members of the current staff.
Whittingham hired former Utah defensive line coach John Pease to the defensive coordinator position and former Weber State University defensive coordinator Justin Ena to coach the linebackers.
Whittingham promoted running backs coach Dennis Erickson to assistant coach and Aaron Roderick and Jim Harding to be co-offensive coordinators. Morgan Scalley will continue to coach the safeties and will oversee the special teams coordinator position, which was under the direction of Whittingham last season.
Erickson will continue to coach the running backs, as will Roderick with the quarterbacks and Harding with the offensive line. The Utes still have one assistant coach vacancy that has yet to be filled.
Excited for all the coaching changes but mostly Coach Rod, being recruited by him, he exemplifies what it means to persevere. Well deserved. — Kenneth Goobie Scott (@Kscott_2) February 2, 2015
> Utah Football = 2016 College Football Playoff contenders. Mark my words 🏈🔝😤 > > — Kendal Thompson (@Thurm405) [February 2, 2015](https://twitter.com/Thurm405/status/562270462713946112)
> 2015 utah football. I like i like > > — Troy McCormick Jr. (@rapido\_tm21) [February 2, 2015](https://twitter.com/rapido_tm21/status/562268809994579969)
> Coach John Pease. A Legend. "I expect Violence, intensity, and passion." [\#Welcome](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Welcome?src=hash) [\#DCock](https://twitter.com/hashtag/DCock?src=hash) > > — Filipo (@5ilipo) [February 2, 2015](https://twitter.com/5ilipo/status/562257434194878465)
> It's a great day to be a ute! Can't wait to play again! [\#coordinators](https://twitter.com/hashtag/coordinators?src=hash) > > — Andy Phillips (@AndyDPhillips) [February 2, 2015](https://twitter.com/AndyDPhillips/status/562254316384178176)
Pease, who was last a defensive line coach for Utah during the 2009-10 season, has been retired for five years. Pease was a linebacker coach in 1977 and a graduate assistant from 1968-69 at Utah. He spent the last 20 years of his coaching in the NFL as either a defensive coordinator or defensive line coach for the New Orleans Saints or Jacksonville Jaguars. The recent hiring is the second time Whittingham has lured Pease out of retirement.
Ena was most recently the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Weber State University, under former Utah position coach Jay Hill. Ena was with Southern Utah University as its defensive coordinator for four of those years. Ena graduated from Brigham Young University and played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tennessee Titans from 2002-05.
