Urban Meyer reveals his thoughts on Kyle Whittingham stepping down at Utah

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was revealed to be stepping down by the university on Friday. He has been the Utes’ head coach for 21 seasons, and now the upcoming Las Vegas Bowl will be his final game at the helm for the team.

Former Utah head coach Urban Meyer revealed his thoughts on the matter during the latest episode of The Triple Option. Ironically, Whittingham was Meyer’s successor when he moved on to Florida back in 2005.

“I talked to him a few days ago and I knew this was coming. Morgan Scalley played for me. All-American safety, defensive coordinator. He’s now the head coach. That’s a smooth transition. That’s nothing like what’s going on at the other spots. This is all — everyone kind of knew it was happening. Just a matter of time. Once they got the contract and everything worked out, then it’ll be a smooth transition,” Meyer explained.

“Morgan’s got a tough job. Everything Kyle Whittingham did there. The transition from the Mountain West Conference to the PAC-12 to the Big 12. To stay, arguably, the most, top-five consistent programs in all of college football over the past 20 years. It’s not an easy job. What I mean by that, Utah high school football? Not many guys. Your recruiting base is California. And then you’ve got BYU down the street to fight.”

All in all, it’s tough not to be impressed with the job Whittingham did with Utah. He’s their all-time winningest coach, amassing a 177-88 record during his time in Salt Lake City.

As Meyer mentioned, the expectation is defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley will take over as head coach. He’s been serving as the coach-in-waiting, On3’s Pete Nakos reported on Friday.

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As told, the Las Vegas Bowl will mark Whittingham’s final game as Utah head coach as the Utes take on Nebraska. In a statement, he said the time was right to walk away after more than 30 years with the Utah program, starting out as defensive line coach in 1994.

“The time is right to step down from my position as the head football coach at the University of Utah,” Whittingham said. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to lead the program for the past 21 years and I’m very grateful for the relationships forged with all the players and assistant coaches that have worked so hard and proudly worn the drum and feather during our time here.

“The opportunity to guide so many talented young men as they pursued their goals – both on and off the field – has truly been a blessing. Thank you to the University, the Salt Lake community, all of Ute Nation and most of all my wife and family for your unwavering support that has helped make Utah Football what it is today.”

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.