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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah football has a future.
The University of Utah announced Monday that defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley was named "coach in waiting" as part of his latest contract extension signed in November.
Once longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham announces his retirement — a date that Whittingham has yet to specify — Scalley will be his successor, keeping the program's stability and consistency that has been built under Whittingham.
Whittingham has said for the last few seasons that he will continue to be the head coach as long as he continues to love what he does. And though there have been several tough moments for the longtime coach — the death of Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe being chief among them — Whittingham has said he's having the most fun of his career and has no plans to retire anytime soon.
Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan said Whittingham has built Utah football into "one of the nation's elite programs through a strong culture, tradition and exceptional student-athletes" and plans to lead the program through the Big 12, but the university needed to also look to the future.
"We must plan for the future, and coach Whittingham and I both strongly believe that that future lies with Morgan Scalley," Harlan said in a statement. "Morgan has played a critical role in our success through his embodiment of our core values and his leadership, and I have witnessed first hand his growth as a coach and as a person over the last several years.
"He is an elite coach who has been trained by the best — coach Whittingham — and whenever it is time for Morgan to take the helm, I have no doubt that our program will continue to have success."
Whittingham said 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."
"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," Whittingham said. "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."
Scalley joined the football program as a graduate assistant in 2007 before moving over to coach safeties in 2008 — a position group he has maintain through his tenure at Utah. In 2016, Scalley was named the program's defensive coordinator and has coached the defense to several top-10 finishes, including a No. 2 defense in the 2019 season.
In that time, Scalley has coached several athletes that have gone on to play in the NFL, including his latest group Cole Bishop, Jonah Elliss, Sione Vaki and others.
Scalley has long been courted by other programs, including USC recently, to take similar positions within their programs, but he's maintained his love of the University of Utah, where was the 2004 Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year and second-team All-American.
"Utah football and Utah Athletics have always been home to me and my family, and I am honored to receive this distinction," Scalley said. "I want to thank President (Taylor) Randall, coach Whittingham and Mark Harlan for the trust they have shown in me, and I remain committed to my continued growth as a coach and person, and as a member of the amazing University of Utah community.
"Our staff is excited to start a new era of Utah football in the Big 12 this fall under coach Whittingham and to continue the traditions that have become a part of our proud history."
Scalley is currently set to make $2 million this season as a defensive coordinator and will see a $100,000 increase each season over the next two seasons.
If Whittingham retires before Jan. 15, 2025, Scalley is set to make a minimum of $5 million his first season as a head coach. That figure goes up by $100,000 each year until Whittingham announces his retirement, as follows:
- Today - 1/15/25: $5 million
- 1/16/25 - 1/15/26: $5.1 million
- 1/16/26 - 1/15/27: $5.2 million
- 1/16/27 - 1/15/28: $5.3 million
- After 1/16/28: $5.4 million
