Utah football has a succession plan in place after current head coach Kyle Whittingham retires. Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley will take over the Utes program when Willingham leaves, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Neither Whittingham, 64, nor the school have set an official retirement date. The coach agreed to a contract extension in 2022 that will take him through the 2027 season. But putting Scalley in his place should allow for an easier transition and maintain the success Whittingham has had during his 19 seasons at Utah.
Scalley’s current contract includes a provision that calls for him to take over as head coach when Whittingham steps down, Thamel said. The arrangement was agreed to last November.
Sources: Utah names defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley to succeed longtime coach Kyle Whittingham. Scalley will make at least $5 million a year as head coach if he is promoted, according to his latest contract. There is no set schedule for Whittingham to leave. photo.twitter.com/aVZZRiYI8L
—Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 1, 2024
If Scalley were to take the job at the end of the 2024 season, his salary would start at $5 million. That would increase by $100,000 each year thereafter, leading to a potential starting salary of $5.4 million if Scalley takes over in 2028.
Utah joins the Big 12 after the Pac-12 was dissolved and is considered the favorite to win the conference this season. Last season, the Utes finished 8-5 overall and tied for fourth place in the Pac-12 at 5-4. Utah lost to Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl, 14-7, and was unranked in the final AP Top 25 poll. Scalley’s defense finished No. 13 in the nation in total defense.
Here’s the official clause in Morgan Scalley’s contract designating him as the coach-to-be.
Scalley’s salary when Whitt announces:
Today – 15-1-25: $5M
16-1-25 – 15-1-26: $5.1 million
16-1-26 – 15-1-27: $5.2 million
16-1-27 – 15-1-28: $5.3 million
After 16-1-28: $5.4 million photo.twitter.com/CIKwiunX13— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) July 1, 2024
Scalley was a defensive back for the Utes from 2001 to 2004. As a senior, he earned All-American honors and was named Mountain West co-defensive player of the year in 2004. He began his coaching career in 2007 as an administrative assistant, working his way up from graduate assistant to safeties coach, then recruiting coordinator and special teams. He was named defensive coordinator in 2016 after John Pease retired.
“This is obviously a program that has always meant the world to me,” Scalley told Thamel. “I’ve played here, I’ve grown up going to games here. I love this program and where it’s going, and I have a lot of respect for the coaches that have made it what it is.”
This is the second time Scalley has been named as Whittingham’s successor by athletic director Mark Harlan. However, Utah rescinded that plan in 2020 and cut his salary after Scalley was suspended after a text message he sent in 2013 containing a racial slur was revealed on social media.
