The Ute coach will be entering his 21st season as the program’s head coach this fall, with hopes of capturing his first Big 12 title.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham during the Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Frisco, Texas, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Kyle Whittingham is used to winning football games.
He has an all-time total of 167 career wins in his 21 seasons in Salt Lake City.
But the Ute head coach would tell you himself that last season’s 5-7 campaign was forgettable.
“To say the least that is not who we have been traditionally, that is not who we are,” Whittingham said at Big 12 Media Days on this week. “That’s the way the season went. So there’s no excuses.”
The losses certainly stuck with the seasoned head coach. After speculation surrounding his potential retirement in 2024, Whittingham ultimately decided to return for another ride in December.
Utah’s first year in the Big 12 was marred by injuries, including a season-ender to former Utah star quarterback Cam Rising, who recently medically retired from college football altogether. By their season-ending matchup against UCF, the Utes were down to fifth-string quarterback Luke Bottari.
Former offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig also resigned from the program during the season due to Utah’s offensive struggles, which had Whittingham’s unit ranked second to last in the Big 12 in total offense.
Clearly, going out with a losing record — his worst stint as Utah’s coach since 2013 — wasn’t an option for the 65-year-old.
“I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “It was too frustrating and too disappointing.
“Had we won the championship last year, I might not be sitting here.”
That isn’t the case though.
Whittingham, once again, is back in the saddle and is hopeful to return Utah to its former glory.
With a new dynamic quarterback in Devon Dampier, the of Jason Beck as the Utes’ new offensive coordinator and the tandem of, potentially, two of the most promising offensive tackles — Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu — in college football, the Ute coach is feeling hopeful.
“We have some things going for us this year,” Whittingham said. “We think we have a tremendous offensive line. It’s a great starting point offensively anytime you’re good up front — and we feel like we have really good players up there, a couple projected first-round draft choices at the tackle position. We expect to be very good up front, which will make life much better for our quarterback, Devon Dampier.”
So far, the coach has been impressed with the new leader of Utah’s offense. Dampier has worked hard both on and off the field, Whittingham says, to establish a connection with his teammates.
Dampier’s play in spring ball left a good impression on the head coach. The New Mexico transfer was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in 2024, finishing with 2,768 passing yards and rushing for 1,166 yards.
As Utah’s head coach describes him, Dampier has that “it factor that you look for in a quarterback.”
“Everybody looks to Devon as the leader of the offense,” Utah’s head coach added. “That’s pretty impressive [because of] the short time that he’s been on campus.
“He’s a guy that is a proven commodity. There are things he needs to work on. We’ve got to get the completion percentage up a little bit higher. We’ve got to get the touchdown-to-interception ratio a little bit better.”
With a new season, new offense and new quarterback walking into Rice-Eccles Stadium this fall, Whittingham is hopeful for a rebound season following 2024’s fall from grace.
If everything goes as planned, the Utes and their legendary head coach could be back on the mountaintop by the end of 2025.
“The rubber will hit the road when we start playing in the fall, Whittingham said, ”but I’m excited to see how it goes.”