Kyle Whittingham Rides In On Harley, Says Coaching Passion Is At All-Time High
Oct 27, 2023, 1:09 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham made a statement rolling into the Pat McAfee Show on his Harley.
McAfee quickly proclaimed Whittingham a “legend” before locking up in an arm-wrestling match.
Things got a little more serious later on however when McAfee asked Whittingham if he’s going to coach until he dies. Whitt was quick to say no, but also noted his passion for the job is at an all-time high.
Kyle Whittingham minus his sleeves on @PatMcAfeeShow 💀 pic.twitter.com/czPReMqazp
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 27, 2023
Whitt Is Year-To-Year, But His Passion Is At An All-Time High
Head coach Kyle Whittingham has been with the Utes for 19 seasons as the head coach, and 30 years overall. McAfee was blown away by how long Whittingham has stayed in one place due to the volatile nature of the business, prompting him to ask Whitt if he was a lifer.
“No, not doing this till the day I die,” Whittingham said. “I’m a year-to-year guy right now. As soon as I run out of passion and energy it will be time to step down. I’ve got more passion and energy right now than I’ve had in 19 years.”
LEGEND pic.twitter.com/kA3QHcTsbD
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 27, 2023
It’s hard to argue that Whittingham isn’t perhaps hitting his stride as a head coach in the present having led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 Championships and Rose Bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022 with an opportunity to do it one more time this season.
Additionally, Whittingham has made some of those jumps through some of the most difficult times possible with the deaths of running back Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe at the end of 2020 and the middle of their season in 2021.
“We love that chip on our shoulder mentality”@UtahCoachWhitt #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/9nrWXYPg8f
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 27, 2023
This year, Utah is facing different adversity with numerous starters either injured or completely out for the season and the Utes are still finding ways to win.
Their biggest challenge to date of course is coming up on Saturday as they host the No. 8 Oregon Ducks whom Whittingham has complimented as being a very “well balanced team”.
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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