ESPN Ranks Kyle Whittingham as No. 3 Head Coach In 2024
It's widely accepted that Kyle Whittingham is one of the greatest college football head coaches in the nation.
Respected by his peers, applauded by his current and former players, and one of the most beloved figures in Utah football history by fans, Coach Whitt is a national treasure for all the right reasons.
For over 30 seasons he has dedicated nearly every day to his program, beginning his tenure as a defensive line coach in 1994 and moving up the chain of command to become Utah’s head coach in 2005.
When Whittingham took over the helm of Utah’s program in 2005, a football renaissance began.
In 19 seasons as the team’s head coach, Utah has achieved 17 winning seasons under Whittingham. That number includes 10 consecutive winning seasons, with back-to-back Pac-12 Championships in 2021 and 2022.
In addition to being a close associate with success, Coach Whitt is also a guru at developing the players in his program. He has had 34 players make All-America teams during his time as head coach, had 34 first-team selections since 2018, and solidified Utah as an NFL development factory with 25 Utes selected in the seven drafts from 2017-23.
Perhaps even more impressive than his team’s statistical output is the culture Whittingham’s staff has instilled. The Utes are widely accepted as having one of the toughest teams in the nation year in and year out. Some of the best coaches in college football history attest to this fact, with a notable coach, Urban Meyer, recently noting Utah’s “tough-nosed, gritty play” shines on the gridiron.
For his previous awards and exploits, ESPN recently ranked Whittingham as the No. 3 head coach in the country entering the 2024 season.
Whittingham’s ranking was bested only by Georgia’s Kirby Smart and former Washington Husky’s coach Kalen DeBoer.
“Utah is the only home Whittingham has known since arriving at the school as the defensive line coach in 1994,” confirmed ESPN staff writer Kyle Bonagura, “He was elevated to defensive coordinator the next year and to head coach upon the departure of Urban Meyer just before the end of the 2004 season.”
“Since then, Whittingham has been a hallmark of consistency, finishing with just two losing seasons in 19 years (right after Utah made the jump from the Mountain West to the Pac-12). He guided the Utes to an undefeated season in 2008, two Pac-12 titles, and eight top-25 finishes in the AP poll, including six in the past 10 years. All at a school without the resources of the other coaches' programs on this list.”