LAS VEGAS — The Morgan Scalley era at Utah officially kicks off in less than 24 hours.
“I’m new to this. Apologize, if any mistakes,” Utah’s new head coach joked as he took the podium for a press conference the day before the 2025 Las Vegas Bowl.
Utah arrived in Las Vegas last Friday ahead of the New Year’s Eve bowl game against Nebraska, and to say that the five days has been a whirlwind would be an understatement.
Kyle Whittingham, who stepped down as Utah’s head coach on Dec. 12, was supposed to coach Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl in one final sendoff, but that all changed on Friday, when Whittingham accepted the head coaching position at Michigan.
“You don’t want to be the guy that follows the guy. Well, I am that guy, but I’m extremely confident in moving forward and also preparing for this game.”
— Utah head coach Morgan Scalley on following in the footsteps of Kyle Whittingham
After 21 years as Utah’s head coach, Whittingham told Utah players in Las Vegas that he was taking the Michigan job, then hopped on a plane to Orlando, where Michigan is playing Texas in the Citrus Bowl.
“What I do know is that I guess it was his initial intent to truly retire, but then he did express that if there were certain opportunities that came up, that he would think about those, and he expressed that one of those opportunities did come up,” Utah center Jaren Kump said.
“But initially it was his intention to retire and to just be done with coaching, unless there was some opportunities that arose, and he expressed that one of those opportunities arose, so he put some thought into it and considered it with his family and did what is, I believe, a great decision for him.”
Scalley, who was set to take over on Jan. 1, had that timeline moved up a bit earlier. Utah’s new head coach will make his debut Wednesday instead of on Sept. 3, 2026, when Utah opens next season at home against Idaho.
In addition to preparing his team to play against Nebraska, Scalley has been busy assembling a coaching staff and readying Utah for the transfer portal, which opens just two days after the Utes’ season concludes.
CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that offensive coordinator Jason Beck will be targeted for Whittingham’s staff at Michigan. Offensive line coach Jim Harding is another target, along with BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill. Other members of Utah’s coaching staff, like receivers coach Micah Simon, are also potential candidates to follow Whittingham to Michigan.
Scalley also needs to try and keep players that are considering entering the transfer portal at Utah. One key player already entered the transfer portal on Tuesday — defensive end John Henry Daley, who had a phenomenal 2025 campaign but suffered a season-ending injury in November.
While Scalley’s focus is on winning the Las Vegas Bowl and getting the Utes to 11 wins, he also acknowledged the change that is about to happen.
“We’re focused on this bowl and sending out our seniors the right way. Is there a plan in place? You better believe it. And our players understand, and this is what college football is now. Change is going to happen. And how you handle that says everything about your program,” Scalley said.
“So my job is to sell Utah and to prepare for the future of this program, and that’s what we’re doing. But the priority, priority No. 1 is sending these guys out the right way, and then we move on from there.”
One key player that has not officially announced a decision for 2026 is quarterback Devon Dampier, who arrived with Beck from New Mexico and was instrumental in turning around Utah’s offense.
“We got to get this game out the way,” Dampier said Tuesday. “There’s a lot of seniors that I’ve been playing for this whole entire year. So that’s honestly where my focus is at overall. But man, I can’t say enough how much I love being a Ute since I’ve gotten here.
“I knew coming here that Scalley was going to have his opportunity back then before I even came here. So I knew what the situation was when I signed up for this. So I’m very confident in what the future holds.”
What does the future of Utah football look like with Scalley in charge?
Senior linebacker Lander Barton said it’s been “a new energy, a new life” with Scalley taking the reins. “We knew it was coming, but we didn’t know it was going to come this fast. And so I mean, I think it’s just new excitement for everybody,” Barton said.
Scalley acknowledged the task in front of him and how hard it will be to follow Whittingham, who took Utah’s program to new heights during his 21-year run as head coach.
“You don’t want to be the guy that follows the guy. Well, I am that guy, but I’m extremely confident in moving forward and also preparing for this game,” Scalley said.
At the beginning of his press conference, Scalley expressed gratitude to Whittingham for all that he did for Utah’s program and for Scalley himself. The Highland High product played under Whittingham, then the defensive coordinator at Utah, then coached with him for the better part of two decades.
“I love Kyle Whittingham. He’s given me my start in the profession and has kind of mentored me throughout my entire career. To see him step down and move away, a lot of tears,” Scalley said, while also acknowledging his own excitement for the next chapter of his career.
Whittingham has no doubt had a huge impact on Scalley’s coaching career, and Utah’s new head coach said that his biggest challenge in taking over as head coach will be to not try and be Whittingham.
“I think to be able to be true to myself and who I am as a coach and not try to be Kyle Whittingham, not try to be Urban Meyer, not try to be Ron McBride, the coaches that have mentored me along the way,” Scalley said.
In setting Utah’s new culture, Scalley said that a lot of elements will continue on from Whittingham, but he will also put his own stamp on things.
“Culture is what you believe, how you behave and the experience that’s delivered by that behavior. And the No. 1 thing that I want to be able to establish is what is that culture?” Scalley said. “A lot of those elements are going to continue from what Kyle did, but it’s getting people, getting everyone on board and moving that same direction as what our culture’s going to be.”
Barton, who has been around Scalley as much as anyone on Utah’s roster, provided a window into what Utah’s new head coach is like.
“From what I’ve seen this week in just a few days watching Coach Scalley as a head coach, I mean, I think you can expect a lot of energy on the sideline from him,” Barton said.
“He emanates energy every day in the building and just laughing, joking around. But then when it’s time to get serious and go to work, he can do that. You can buckle up and it’s time to go.
“But I mean, it’s fun to be out there when you can just be loose and be yourself and you have trust in your coaches and you know your coaches are having fun out there too. So I mean, I think you’ll be able to see that tomorrow on the field, just see that different energy on the sideline.”
Between the transfer portal and finalizing a staff, the next 72 hours are going to be madness for Scalley.
In the midst of it all, Utah’s new head coach will be vying to win his first game.
“I was made aware that we were 0-4 (vs. Nebraska) by the Nebraska media. They let me know that. So it’s like, all right, that’s the challenge. That’s the gauntlet’s been set down. So we’re excited for this moment,” Scalley said.
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