Kyle Whittingham’s Shocking Reason for Returning: The One Thing He Just Couldn’t Accept Ending

But he admitted to ESPN’s Pete Thamel that if Utah’s 2024 season went differently, that he might have called it a career.Will that be enough to get Utah to the conference mountaintop, or at least back to a bowl game? We’ll find out, starting in less than two months.“I couldn’t stomach going out on that, with that season, as frustrating as it was, and as discouraging as it was,” Whittingham said. There would be no ride into the sunset for Whittingham after that season.“I mean, it was something that we didn’t do a good enough job of overcoming and so it motivated me very much so to get ready for this season and get a team ready that is going to be extremely competitive and we’ve got a lot of things going for us,” Whittingham said. “We haven’t played anybody yet, but I’m excited to watch these guys play on August 30th.”“Win the Big 12. I mean that’s our objective. When we were in the Pac-12 it was win the Pac-12, when we were in the Mountain West, it was win the Mountain West, so that doesn’t change from year to year,” Whittingham said. Whittingham has long maintained, as recently as a couple weeks ago, that as long as he has energy and passion to coach, that he will continue on with his career. “You can’t get to the playoffs or whatever else there is unless you take care of business at your own conference. So that’s always the first objective is to win the conference.”At one point, Utah lost seven straight games, and finished at 5-7 — just the third losing season of the Whittingham era. Any Big 12 championship hopes went up in smoke when Rising was injured for the second time in Utah’s 27-19 loss to Arizona State in early October.To get the program back to the historical winner it has been under Whittingham, the Utes underwent a complete offensive rebuild, bringing in New Mexico offensive coordinator Jason Beck and quarterback Devon Dampier, plus Washington State running back Wayshawn Parker and a whole new cast of wide receivers to go alongside a veteran returning offensive line.“It just didn’t sit well with anybody, but most of all me and so I thought, ‘Hey, that’s not going to be the final act of my deal. I got to come back and try to get the ship right and get back on track.”“I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating and too disappointing.” He added: “Had we won the championship last year, I might not be sitting here,” he told Thamel.Speaking publicly for the first time since announcing his decision to return for his 21st season at the helm of the Utah football program, Kyle Whittingham shared part of the reason why he decided to come back.When Kyle Whittingham decided to roll up his sleeves for a 21st season steering Utah football, it wasn’t a casual “let’s keep the good times rolling” call. Nope, there’s some serious drive behind that decision—something deeply personal, fueled by frustration and a hunger that just won’t quit. After a 2024 campaign that slipped away with injuries and seven straight losses, this isn’t just another year signing. Whittingham openly admitted to ESPN’s Pete Thamel that had things broken differently last season, he might’ve hung up the cleats for good. But walking away on a sour note? Nah, that just wasn’t his style. With the offense revamped from the ground up—highlighted by fresh talent like coordinator Jason Beck and quarterback Devon Dampier—the Utes are gearing up not just to compete, but to conquer the Big 12. Whittingham’s message? Winning the conference remains the ultimate target, no matter the league. As August 30th approaches, the question isn’t if they’ll show up—it’s whether this veteran coach can right the ship and steer Utah back to glory. LEARN MOREIn a scrum with reporters later in the day, the longtime Ute coach repeated that he couldn’t end his storied career on a losing season.The Utes entered the 2024 season projected to win the Big 12 behind quarterback Cam Rising. But after Rising suffered multiple injuries and missed the majority of the season, the year fell apart — especially offensively. It’s a crucial season for the Utes, who are trying to avoid back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2012-13 and get back on a winning track.