Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kyle Whittingham Wished Return to Utah, New Docs Reveal

Originally posted on Heartland College Sports
By Conner Becker | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 2:26 PM ET

Kyle Whittingham, in an attempt to renegotiate his contract at Utah through 2027, failed to reach an agreement with the university’s athletic director, Mark Harlan, according to new documents revealed by the Deseret News on Friday.

As imagined, Whittingham’s play for a raise – in this case, $1.6 million for both the 2026 and 2027 seasons – pushing his salary over $9 million in the next two years, did not pan out. That proposal ultimately resulted in Whittingham’s jump to Michigan.

The Desert news reported, “On Dec. 2, ahead of a Dec. 5 deadline for Whittingham to inform the university of his future plans, Whittingham’s agent, Bruce Tollner, emailed associate athletic director for football administration Jeff Rudy to inform Utah that Whittingham “does not intend to retire at the conclusion of the 2025 football season.”

pic.twitter.com/NYGCKWgIBb
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 20, 2026

Inside the letter, Harlan voices his disappointment with Whittingham’s coaching hires in the immediate days following his arrival in Ann Arbor. Former Utes offensive coordinator Jason Beck, offensive line coach Jim Harding, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr. and wideouts coach Micah Simon all followed Whittingham over to Michigan and the Big Ten.

The university makes the case that Whittingham didn’t aid the coaching change by alienating Scalley from those assistants already on staff, but to act like any of those coaches couldn’t independently leave the program is a bit naive. How does that hold up in any contractual situation? Are we amending everyone’s terms just so Whittingham can’t bring his longtime guys with him to the biggest coaching job of his career?

The irony is that the same letter includes a check for over $8 million, and now their longtime coach is off at another program.

This article first appeared on Heartland College Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: