Andy Ludwig: This Is The Place, Coach Whitt Is The Guy I Want To Work For
Mar 22, 2023, 3:50 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – There was some concern before March rolled through that Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig would be calling plays for Notre Dame in 2023. Ultimately, Ludwig stayed on with Kyle Whittingham and gave some details to the Utah media as to how that whole situation played out.
The Irish made a big push for Ludwig late in February flying him out to South Bend for a hockey game and to talk with head coach Marcus Freeman. When asked about how he enjoyed the hockey game, Ludwig gave a bit of a cheeky answer, “very good, it was entertaining.”
I’m A Utah Man
When asked about the brief Notre Dame courtship, Ludwig simply said, “I’m a Utah man.” Ludwig’s history with the Utes is pretty long and storied at this point. He was part of the undefeated Sugar Bowl squad before going off for several years before finding his way back to Utah in 2019.
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“I came back in 2019 to finish my career with coach Whitt,” Ludwig said. “There was some intrigue with that position, but as all things were measured out, I made the decision – the commitment here, the commitment to the coach, to the program, to the administration, to the players and I’m just fired up to get this spring ball this march for a championship repeat, repeat going.”
Ludwig revealed part of being in the profession of sports is you are always talking to people. It doesn’t matter if you have serious ambitions of making a move elsewhere or not, people are always talking to each other and in his estimation, that’s simply what he was doing with the Irish.
“That’s a big part of this profession and there was some intrigue,” Ludwig said. “When all the chips are on the table and you’re measuring the pros and cons- this is the place, coach Whitt is the guy I want to work for and the Utah players, the Utah culture is where I want to be a part of.”
Be Careful What You Accept As Truth
Another Utah coach who was attached to Andy Ludwig and the Notre Dame rumors was offensive line coach Jim Harding who had a stern message about what people read and digest as truth- be careful because it’s not always accurate.
“Things that are reported or put on Twitter aren’t necessarily the truth,” Harding said of the situation. “I’ll defer to coach Whitt, but I love it here. I have two little kids- 7th and 4th grade that to us, this is home. I think there were some things in place that would prevent me from ever wanting to go anywhere else whether it’s contractually or discussions I’ve had with coach. I guess the easiest way to say this is not everything you read is necessarily true.”
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 Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
