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Utah has named defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley as its coach-in-waiting.
The program announced that news on Monday morning. Scalley is poised to replace longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham at some point, although there is no timetable for Whittingham’s exit.
“Morgan Scalley is an exceptional football coach and his naming as the head coach in waiting at the University of Utah is a testament to that,” Whittingham said in a statement. “It is a distinction he has earned not only because of his outstanding coaching abilities, but also because of his selfless dedication to the program as well as to the Utah Athletics family. The culture and tradition within Utah Football is a point of pride for our staff, and when the time comes for a transition in the leadership of our program, we know that Morgan will carry on those traditions the Utah Football way.”
Coach Scalley has been named our Head Coach In Waiting @RSNBUtes https://t.co/kzmDD2tiKC pic.twitter.com/FHH5XYMyCC
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) July 1, 2024
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that Scalley’s salary will be increased to at least $5 million when he’s elevated into the role.
Scalley played at Utah from 2001-04 when Whittingham was the program’s defensive coordinator. Scalley has also spent the entirety of his coaching career with the Utes. He’s been Utah’s defensive coordinator and safeties coach since 2016. Scalley has been on staff with the football program since 2007 when he was a graduate assistant.
This is the second time that Scalley has been named the coach-in-waiting at Utah. That title was removed in 2020 following an investigation into Scalley’s use of a racial slur in a text message in 2013. Scalley was later reinstated by the university.
Whittingham, 64, has been Utah’s head coach since the 2005 season. He initially joined the program back in 1994 as its defensive line coach and worked his way up to the head coaching position. Utah has been very successful under Whittingham — the Utes have won 10+ games in 3 of the last 5 years. They also won the Pac-12 3 times during his tenure.
Utah will move to the Big 12 this season. The Utes are expected to compete for a College Football Playoff berth in 2024. FanDuel currently has Utah’s regular-season win total posted at 9.5 wins for the 2024 campaign.
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Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
