SALT LAKE CITY—Kyle Whittingham, the all-time winningest head coach in the history of the University of Utah’s football program, will step down from leading the Utes and will conclude his highly-successful tenure in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 31. The head coach at Utah since December 2004 and a member of the Utes’ coaching staff since 1994, Whittingham finished the 2025 regular season with the most career victories at the FBS level of all active Big 12 coaches (177), ranking third among all active FBS head coaches and third among head coaches who have remained at the same school.
“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.”
The true embodiment of the culture and identity of Utah Football for the past three decades, Whittingham led Utah to two Rose Bowls, three conference championships, an undefeated season capped by a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama in 2008, and stands as the architect of the most successful era in the 132-season history of Utah Football. In his 32 seasons in Salt Lake City, Whittingham has coached in 391 games and contributed to a program-record 262 wins, with a head coaching record of 177-88 (.668), surpassing previous record-holder and former all-time winningest Utah coach Ike Armstrong (141-55-15 in 211 games from 1925-49).
The second-longest tenured head coach in FBS college football, Whittingham earned three national Coach of the Year awards, including the AFCA and Bear Bryant Awards in 2008, and the Dodd Trophy in 2019.
“The legacy that Kyle Whittingham leaves distinguishes him as one of the most impactful figures in the history of Utah Athletics,” said Director of Athletics Mark Harlan. “As the head coach or as an assistant, Coach Whitt played a pivotal role in the most historic and successful seasons in program history, and established championship expectations. Perhaps more importantly, he established a legacy of tremendous character, integrity and class. Kyle Whittingham will forever be appreciated and cherished for his leadership and achievements with Utah Football.”
During his head coaching tenure, Whittingham had 35 players earn All-America recognition, including 17 who earned the honor from major award associations—10 of whom were either consensus or unanimous selections.
“On behalf of the University of Utah, I want to thank Kyle for his significant contributions over many years in elevating the institution in so many ways,” said University President Taylor Randall. “His impact went well beyond the victories on the football field—his leadership and character helped enhance our university’s reputation and brand, helped spur enrollment and growth, helped broaden and raise expectations for all of our sports programs and helped our athletics program during a time of tremendous change. We wish Kyle and his family the very best and he will always be a part of the University of Utah.”
Among the many accomplishments during Whittingham’s tenure:
- Utah finished with a winning record in 18 of his 21 years as head coach, including in 10 straight seasons from 2014-23.
- The Utes won 10 or more games in a season eight times under Whittingham (2008, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2025).
- Legendary for his postseason success, his 11 bowl wins (11-6) ranked fourth among active coaches through 2023—a record that includes a 2-2 mark in New Year’s Six bowls.
- Historic wins over Pittsburgh in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl (co-head coach) and Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.
- The Utes appeared in every weekly CFP Top-25 ranking for the first three years of the playoff system (2014-16), and Utah is tied with Oregon for the seventh-most appearances of any school with 50.
- 35 Utah players earned All-America honors during his time as head coach, including 17 that made major All-America first-teams (those determining NCAA’s consensus team) with 10 earning consensus or unanimous honors.
- His players also earned a total of 105 first-team all-conference awards, including 60 in Utah’s 15 total seasons at the Power conference level. With Whittingham at the helm, Utah also had eight different players earn conference player of the year honors.
In addition to Utah’s in-season success, Whittingham also earned a reputation for developing NFL talent on a yearly basis. Utah had 31 selections in the nine drafts from 2017-25, which ranks as the most among current Big 12 schools.
Utah also excelled academically under Whittingham, with six Academic All-America selections and 400 academic all-conference/academic honor roll award winners.
Whittingham graduated from BYU in 1984 and earned a master’s degree from the school in 1987. Born Nov. 21, 1959, he was raised in Provo, Utah. He is married to the former Jamie Daniels. They have four children: Tyler, Melissa, Alex and Kylie, and 11 grandchildren. Tyler and Alex both played for the Utes, and Alex currently serves as the assistant defensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
