Where Did ESPN Rank Kyle Whittingham In Top College Football Head Coaches List?
Apr 5, 2024, 2:59 PM | Updated: 3:04 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – There has been talk for several years now that Utah football’s head coach Kyle Whittingham doesn’t get the national respect he deserves.
ESPN just gave the man some major credit after releasing their list of the top college football head coaches, putting the longtime Utes frontman within their top five.
According to the article, ESPN’s college football writers were allowed to rank their top 10 coaches on criteria that ranged from past accomplishment and potential success down the road.
First place was worth 10 points and whittled down to one point for No. 10.
Wise word from @UtahCoachWhitt to kick off the year 🙌 pic.twitter.com/0Dndst2dSS
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) January 11, 2024
Where Did Kyle Whittingham Land In ESPN’s List Of Top College Football Head Coaches?
- Kirby Smart, Georgia
- Kalen DeBoer, Alabama
- Kyle Whittingham, Utah
- Dabo Swinney, Clemson
- Mike Norvell, Florida State
- Dan Lanning, Oregon
- Steve Sarkisian, Texas
- Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
- Lance Leipold, Kansas
- Ryan Day, Ohio State
Are there any surprises in ESPN’s Top 10? Let us know what you think in the comments.
What Kyle Bonagura Had To Say About Kyle Whittingham
ESPN provided a section for all of their writers to defend their votes, and that is where Kyle Bonagura explained why he had Whittingham at No. 2 in his own rankings.
How’s this for sustained excellence? Whittingham earned national coach of the year honors in 2008 (13-0; beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl) and 2019 (11-3; in CFP contention until the Pac-12 title game). He has guided the Utes to top-20 finishes in three decades and built a program that was the Pac-12’s most consistent over the past six years. To have that level of success at a place without the resources of the programs in the sport’s upper echelon is beyond impressive. It’s fair to wonder what heights he might have reached if he was blessed with some of the advantages of the blue-blood schools.
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Whittingham is about to enter his 19th season as Utah’s head coach and 30th season overall on staff as the Utes look to a new adventure in the Big 12 in 2024.
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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