Unbeaten Utah’s Morgan Scalley addresses Kyle Whittingham’s struggles at Michigan in honest comments

Morgan Scalley’s first full season as head coach of the Utah Utes has them at 9-0, coming off a 28-20 win over the No. 9 BYU Cougars and holding the longest winning streak in FBS at 15 games. Two time zones east, the coach who handed him the program is having a far harder first season at a new job.

Kyle Whittingham is 5-4 at the Michigan Wolverines and 2-4 in Big Ten play after a 15-6 home loss to the Michigan State Spartans on Nov. 7, against a team that came in at 2-5. Scalley was asked what Whittingham meant to him on The Triple Option podcast, in an interview released Thursday.

“He gave me every opportunity I’ve had in coaching. He’s a guy that just believed in me. I loved him as a coach, as a person. He’s an amazing coach. I am feeling for what he’s going through. It’s unfortunate because obviously it’s a results-driven business, but people don’t really understand how great of a coach and person he is. Coaching, you go through good times, you go through bad times, and it’s not awesome, I’m sure, over there right now, and I feel for those coaches and their families, but I can’t say enough great things about Kyle Whittingham and what he’s done for me in my career. I would not be here in this seat if it wasn’t for Kyle Whittingham,” Scalley said.

Morgan Scalley says he wouldn’t be where he is now without Kyle Whittingham https://t.co/uhPzUMN2Kw

— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) November 12, 2026

How much of Utah’s unbeaten run traces back to Whittingham?

Scalley spent 18 seasons on Whittingham’s staff, most of them as defensive coordinator, and Utah first named him coach-in-waiting in 2019 before formalizing it in July 2024. He took over a program coming off a 10-2 season, built over Whittingham’s 21 years and 177 wins in Salt Lake City.

When Whittingham took the Michigan job on Dec. 26, most of his Utah assistants went with him. Only four stayed with Scalley: Colton Swan, who was promoted to defensive coordinator, running backs coach Mark Atuaia, defensive tackles coach Luther Elliss and cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah.

Eleven months later, Scalley is unbeaten with a rebuilt staff, and Whittingham is fighting through a season at Michigan with many of the coaches who left Salt Lake City with him. Michigan’s year has had real wins, including one over then-No. 11 Oklahoma and another on the road at Penn State, along with losses to Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana and now Michigan State.

Utah takes the nation’s longest winning streak into the final weeks of its Big 12 schedule, and Michigan has three regular-season games left in Whittingham’s first season, starting Saturday.

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