UTAH UTES

Colorado’s Deion Sanders Calls Utah’s Kyle Whittingham A ‘Darn Legend’

Nov 22, 2023, 4:38 PM

SALT LAKE CITY – From one football legend to another, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders called Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham a “darn legend” in his press conference earlier this week.

Not every coach the Buffs have faced this year has earned that level of praise from Prime, but this week it was all love for the ultimate “Utah Man” from the first-year Colorado coach.

Sanders and Colorado will be heading to Salt Lake City later this week to face the Utes on Saturday, November 25 with a 1:00 p.m. MT kick.

From One Football Legend To Another

This will be the first time Sanders and Whitt will have faced each other in their careers.

Sanders spent 16 seasons in the NFL as one of the most formidable cornerbacks the league has ever seen bringing the flash both on and off the field. Sander’s play both in college and the pros have earned him spots in both Hall of Fames.

Prime jumped into college coaching starting in 2020 with HBCU Jackson State and immediately saw success. That success led Sanders to try a new challenge with Colorado starting this season.

On the other side, Whittingham has seen most of his success come from coaching, starting his career as a G.A. for BYU in 1985 a few years after wrapping up his time as a linebacker with the Cougars.

Whittingham’s true career launch came when he joined the University of Utah staff in 1994 as the defensive line coach. He has remained at Utah since, eventually being promoted to defensive coordinator during the Urban Meyer era (2003-2004) and then being named head coach in 2005 when Meyer left for Florida.

Prime was asked about Whittingham’s nearly 20-year career as the head coach of the Utes and had this to say:

“He’s a legend man,” Sanders said. “He’s a darn legend. He’s a guy I truly respect. I truly admire and his consistency and persistence speak volumes. I love what he’s doing with that program. I love what he’s done with that program.”

Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports

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Colorado’s Deion Sanders Calls Utah’s Kyle Whittingham A ‘Darn Legend’