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Kyle Whittingham sought to remain Utah coach before taking Michigan job, report reveals
By David Wasson
Published:
New Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham wanted to stay at Utah, the place at which he spent 21 years coaching the Utes football program – but it was going to cost Utah nearly $4 million more per season to make it happen.
That revelation is among the trove of documents released by the university to Yahoo! Sports and reported Friday – as Whittingham’s contentious departure from Utah was at the result of a failed negotiation by Whittingham and his agent to secure a higher salary, more money to spend toward Name, Image and Likeness costs and higher salaries for his assistant coaches.
Specifically, the 66-year-old Whittingham requested, through his agent, Bruce Tollner, a $1.6 million increase in his salary (from $7.4 million to $9 million), a $20 million figure for “NIL” and an increase of $2 million toward his staff salary pool. Utah countered with a one-year deal for an $8 million salary if Whittingham were to cede several aspects of the program to assistant coach Morgan Scalley.
That request from Whittingham came just days after the Utes completed a 10-2 regular season with a 31-21 victory at Kansas on Nov. 28. But nine days after Whittingham’s request was countered, the coach resigned suddenly after 32 consecutive seasons with the program.
Utah then took umbrage with Whittingham’s decision to accept the Michigan job after Sherrone Moore’s unexpected firing – claiming that Whittingham did not uphold language in his contract that called for a “smooth and successful transition” to a new coach – who ended up being Scalley.
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan detailed in a January letter to Whittingham that the university was “disappointed by your actions last month” related to accepting the Michigan job and subsequent recruitment of Utes assistant coaches and players – but still paid Whittingham the first $8 million toward a $13.5 million “transition bonus” set for three installments over two years.
Whittingham signed a five-year contract with an average salary of $8.2 million and brought to Ann Arbor with him six position assistants and the strength coach, as well as five players, including 4-star signee Salesi Moa.
An APSE national award-winning writer and page designer, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.