This may not be popular

[bopahull]

on this board. I think Whit is the greatest coach Utah has ever had. I have been a Ute fan since the late 50s so I have watched the good bad and ugly. Though this season was bad, it certainly doesn’t rank with the ugly.
Our defense played their hearts out and should be praised.
The offense was offensive for sure.
Whit has made mistakes for sure. The first couple of years everybody on the other board (this board wasn’t in existence then) were convinced that Whit was a terrible choice, Utah should have gone after a big name assistant instead of hiring the DC.
I think Whit turned out pretty well. Now many of you are saying Whit should be fired, your through watching Utah football until they get rid of him.
This is because we live in a “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME TODAY” society.
I personally hope Whit stays for a couple more years because I think he is still a damn good coach and is far more likely to get Utah to the promised land than anyone else, including Scally.
I think Whit will turn this around and at very least should be given the opportunity to do so. Firing him should not be an option and I doubt it is. He should be allowed to retire on his own terms and a statue erected at Whittingham field when he does.

[Tony (admin)]

I would argue Urban Meyer was the greatest coach we’ve had.

[Ute Dub]

I agree, but a coach as good as Urban is not going to stay at Utah, therefore, Whittingham is the greatest coach Utah could have that would stay long term.

[AlohaUte]

I agree with you 100%

[RedRocks]

Urban Meyer is probably the best coach Utah has had (so far 😉), but he didn’t stick around very long.

Kyle Whittingham has been a great coach with some glaring blind spots (offense, fan engagement). I am not in the camp that thinks he should be fired or forced out, but I really wish that he would adapt a little bit more on offense.

Throughout all the different Offensive Coordinators, Kyle Whittingham has been the constant that keeps the offense the same (despite what he has said publicly). The only years where that hasn’t been the case is when Utah had a quarterback with the skills to mask/overcome those deficiencies (Huntley, Rising).

Poor QB play/progression, inconsistent offensive line play (despite constant praise for how good they are), and playing not to lose (instead of to win) have been hallmarks of the Kyle Whittingham era.

This is nothing new. We Utah fans have been complaining about these things for a long time. We just kind of forgot (or became hopeful they were gone) during the PAC-12 Championship years.

I am a Utah football fan, have been for a while, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. I think Kyle Whittingham has done great things for the program. However, when you get paid that much, you are expected to produce.

I hope he comes back next year, turns things around, wins the Big-12, and rides off into the sunset as a Utah legend. Not because I don’t like him (he seems like a great person/coach), but because I think we are all ready for a new era of Utah football (even with the potential growing pains).

[stubbornute]

My unpopular opinion is that Whitt while good, has difficulty adjusting and that is where is faults come up. This game is all about adjusting. Either you do our you lose.

[Utah]

Whitt’s best year was his fourth year. Every year after that, he has had major coaching issues that have screwed over Utah.

2008: Almost lost to New Mexico. Should have lost to TCU.
2011: Can’t beat Colorado to go to the PAC-12 title game.
2019: Got blown out by Oregon when a win puts him in the playoffs.
2021: Went with Brewer over Rising. Lost to BYU and SDSU. We should have been in the playoffs that year.
2022: Lost to a bad, bad, bad Florida team. Got blown out by UCLA and Penn St.

Even in Whitt’s best years, he shot himself in the foot over and over again. In 20 years, he has had one great year (16 years ago). Four very good years. No playoff appearances, when he had two GREAT shots at the playoffs.

He has made bad decision after bad decision at the most important position on the field.

I dunno. You take off the red glasses and really evaluate him…He’s really good.

He’s not great. His average record is 8-5.

[chinngiskhaan]

and none of that goes against the OP’s main premise. All of what you said can be 100% true, and Whitt could be (probably is) the greatest coach the UofU football team has ever had.

You also have to account for the fact that he was a big part of Urban Meyer’s and McBride’s success. Whitt has been here a VERY long time. Regardless of whether he is a great coach, a good coach, or a s**tty coach, he is the best we’ve ever had.

[RUUTES]

Whitt is our best long term coach and deserves a statue.
Urban was our best 2 year coach

We aren’t Michigan but we beat them. So I am not complaining about our run of the last 20 years.

I do think we may need to evolve soon.

[123punt]

Whitt is and will always be a legend. Urban imo is a better coach but arguably Whitt’s done more for the program.

I wish we could have seen a Whittingham team that supported and expected as much from the offense as it did the defense. That could have been really special.

[Author]

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