Kyle Whittingham Gets a Five-Year Contract Extension with the Utes

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has agreed to a new five-year contract that will pay him approximately $1.2 million per year. This salary is quite a bump and the specifics are sparse at this time, as there is no information on whether this is his base or with incentives. Most often the number reported is the base, which is most likely.

It is hard to believe that last year after that UNLV loss, a lot of people wanted Whittingham out of Utah, partly because of the quick success former Utah coach Urban Meyer had in his two short seasons.

People tend to forget that Whittingham has won three straight bowl games and now is 12-0 going to the Sugar Bowl.

Below is his record, season by season:

Year W-L Pct

2005 7-5 .583

2006 8-5 .615

2007 9-4 .692

2008 12-0 1.000

Total 36-14 .720

Of course, there were games that Utah should have won and did not, with the most notable being the 2006 New Mexico debacle where Utah was leading big at half and blew the game. Or, in 2005, with Utah playing Colorado State, a game in which the Utes had four chances at the one-yard line to win the game and were unable to do so.

Utah now has one of the best coaches in the country, and this deal should keep him around for a while. And next season should provide a huge test, with a new quarterback as well as a new offensive and defensive coordinator.

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