Woof! This is a very bad product, folks. It is very evident the coaching staff has lost the locker room, which is concerning because Scalley is included in that statement. This isn’t something that occurred overnight. The foundation for mediocrity is starting to form.
1. Whittingham needs to retire. He built his reputation/legacy on motivating under-recruited athletes and positioning them to exceed expectations. However, as the program has evolved, the caliber of athlete has changed, too. These kids are motivated by other factors (NFL, NIL, etc.). KW simply does not connect and resonate with them. Additionally, it looks like he’s completely lost all interest. There is no fire with him. You’re either all in or in the way. KW appears to be the latter.
2. Harlan needs to be held accountable. What has he done to improve Utah athletics since he has been here? The Scalley announcement was premature and now it will be incredibly difficult to reverse that decision regardless of if Scalley should be the next HC or not. The basketball program is atrocious and the worst thing he did was expand the stadium. It made ticket prices increase, ruined the food experience (the food trucks in the south EZ were amazing) and the suites add zero intensity.
3. The development of the QB room is one of the poorest coaching jobs anywhere. How can a program with annual ambitions as high as Utah unsuccessfully and ineptly recruit and develop viable quarterbacks for so many years?
I know this is a longwinded diatribe. We have hit a plateau with the current coaching staff and when that occurs, it usually doesn’t take long to slide backward. There needs to be a different voice and a different vision in order to break through the established ceiling. Hopefully Scalley doesn’t become Whittingham 2.0 because it simply doesn’t translate to current college football.
As for the remaining games, it’s hard to see two wins remaining for bowl eligibility. I’ll still be watching and cheering. Go Utes! Hopefully we can change the trajectory of the program before it flies too far off the path.
Utah @ 
UCF 
.
