Utah Coach Kyle Whittingham Doesn’t Believe 2020 Season Will Start On Time

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham doesn’t believe that the Utes will start the 2020 season on time or will play the schedule as outlined.

Whittingham told Jim Rome on CBS Sports Network that he thinks there will be a lot of modifications to the season.

“It’s such a fluid situation,” Whittingham said. “It seems to be changing daily. The one thing that I believe is for certain is that it’s not going to be status quo. I don’t believe we are going to start on time as outlined on the schedule and play the schedule as outlined, have fans in the stands completely. I think there is definitely going to be some definite modifications. Who knows what those are, it’s anybody’s guess. We just have to get a season in somehow some way.”

"The one thing that I believe is for certain is that it is not going to be status quo. I don't believe we are going to start on time as outlined on the schedule or play the schedule as outlined." – @UtahCoachWhitt on the 2020 season.#GoUtes @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/bgDJq6KE3m

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 18, 2020

“You may see a conference-only schedule if we limit the season to 9 or 10 games and get a little later start and just play conference games that is certainly a viable option,” Whittingham stated. “Obviously, the fans in the stands is another concern and we will have to see what happens there. There is so many different ways that this thing can break that it’s really tough to predict. The one thing that I can say confidently in my opinion is that it’s going to be different in some shape or form.”

12 Players In 2020 Landing On NFL Rosters

Whittingham and the Utah football program saw 12 players land on NFL rosters during the 2020 NFL Draft. Seven players were selected in the draft and five players signed undrafted free agent contracts. Whittingham took a lot of pride in that accomplishment.

“It was a great deal of pride,” Whittingham mentioned. “That’s one of the primary reasons that these young men come to college. First and foremost is to get their degree and then secondly is to try to take their game to the next level. When we have 12 of our 16 seniors have an opportunity to do that, that’s a great situation for us and it helps us in recruiting as well, it’s a great selling point for recruits.”

"It was a great deal of pride. That's one of the primary reasons that these young men come to college." – @UtahCoachWhitt on seeing 12 of his 16 seniors getting a chance to go to the NFL. #GoUtes @CBSSportsNet pic.twitter.com/E2LuxlhWSA

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 18, 2020

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson was taken in the second round by the Chicago Bears, safety Julian Blackmon (Indianapolis Colts), running back Zack Moss (Buffalo Bills) and safety Terrell Burgess (Los Angeles Rams) were all selected in the third round. Defensive tackle Leki Fotu was drafted in the fourth round by the Arizona Cardinals, defensive end Bradlee Anae was taken in the fifth round by the Dallas Cowboys and defensive tackle John Penisini was selected in the sixth round by the Detroit Lions.

Quarterback Tyler Huntley and cornerback Josh Nurse signed undrafted free agent deals with the Baltimore Ravens. Linebacker Francis Bernard signed with the Cowboys, cornerback Javelin Guidry inked a deal with the New York Jets and offensive tackle Darrin Paulo joined the New Orleans Saints.

Three Spring Practices

The Utes held three practices during spring football camp in March before the coronavirus pandemic forced them to cancel the rest of the spring practices and the red vs. white spring game. This camp was crucial for the Utes because they lost 9 starters on defense along with their starting left tackle, quarterback and running back on offense.

“It was three good days,” Whittingham said. “It was very productive and I have watched each practice about 200 times now, just trying to evaluate. We have a situation this year where we have to replace nine starters on defense, so we have a big task ahead of us there. Then we have to replace our starting quarterback. We really could’ve used spring ball in it’s entirety but it wasn’t the case. So, now we have to get ready for a quick evaluation process once we get them back in fall camp and try to make some quick decisions.”

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham told @jimrome on @CBSSportsNet that he has watched the three spring practices "about 200 times."#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/y8Y31YySnk

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 18, 2020

Spring ball was supposed to be a time for the young players to develop with the Utes bringing in over 50 newcomers. Now, Whittingham and his coaching staff will have their work cut out for them in the fall.

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.