FRI POD @SpenceChecketts on Whitt Stepping Down, Utes Newest Era, Big 12/CFB + more

Catch “The Drive with Spence Checketts” from 2 pm to 6 pm weekdays on ESPN 700 & 92.1 FM. Produced by Porter Larsen. The latest on the Utah Jazz, Real Salt Lake, Utes, BYU + more sports storylines.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, hello, how are you happy Friday? It is
fourteen minutes past the hour of two o'clock.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Porter. No need to play the cheesy breaking news sounder.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
We can handle this all, you know what, because it
is Friday and it's the most it's one of the
cheesiest things we have on the station. Why don't you
fire up our corny Aaron Sorkin Newsroom breaking news sounder
so we can lead the show with some breaking news today.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Right off the top.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
An email just spilled in from the University of Utah
Athletic departments.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Kyle Winningham, the.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
All time winning as coach in the history of the
University of Utah football program, will step down from leading
the Utes and we'll conclude his highly successful tenure in
the Las Vegas Bowl on December the thirty first. So
we have it official now. It is a release from
the University of Utah Athletic Department. It is not some
blogger on social media surmising some sort of random source.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Comes from the source themselves.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
Coach wit is stepping down, the winningest coach in the
history of Utah football, who took over in December of
two thousand and four. A member of the youth coaching
staff since nineteen ninety four. Coach wit finished the twenty
twenty five regular season with the most career victories at
the FBS level of all active Big twelve coaches one
hundred and seventy seven, ranking third among all active FBS

(01:25):
head coaches and third among head coaches who have remained
at the same school.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Here's what Coach wud had to say. I'm reading directly.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Directly from the release and we'll get into it throughout
the course of the show today with our guests that
do include Eric Weddle, so we'll bring an eat with
today quote. It's the time is right to step down
from my position as the head coach at the University
of Utah. It has been an honor and a privilege
to lead the program for the past twenty one years,
and I'm very grateful for the relationship's forge with the
players and assistant coaches that have worked so hard and

(01:56):
proudly warned the Drummond Feather during our time here. The
opportune unity to guide so many talented young men as
they pursued their goals both on and off the field,
has truly been a blessing. Thank you to the University,
the sal A community, all of you nation, and most
of all, the Drive was meant sit just kidding, and
most of all my wife and family for your unwavering
support that has helped make Utah football what it is today.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Okay, so we'll get into this.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
There are some other quotes that I'll read, some Mark
Harland quotes, of course, a lot of highlights from coach
WIT's tenure that spanned more than two decades as the
head coach of the Utes.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
But there it is. You're breaking news. We've been waiting
for it.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
The deadline for Kyle to inform the administration was actually
a week ago today, and so, as we've talked about
throughout the course of the program, just because he had
to tell the administration doesn't mean that we would know
a lot of kind of cryptic social media posts from
a lot of people that are kind of connected to
the Utah football program over the past twenty four hours.

(02:52):
And there you go, The news is official that coach
Wit will step down.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Hello, how are you happy? Friday?

Speaker 1 (02:58):
This program is called The Drive was Spent it check
Its My name is Spence Checketz. I hosted That's Porter
Larson behind the Glass today producing the show, and the
breaking news that came down literally six minutes ago is
that Kyle Whittingham is stepping down as the head coach
of the Utah football program, and Morgan Scalley, brutt and
center Buddy, it is now your chance. We'll get to

(03:19):
some other things, but this is probably going to essentially
permeate throughout the tapestry of the program today. Our first
guest coincidentally enough, is Eric Weddle, so that worked out
really well. We're gonna do a little NBA with Howard Beck,
We'll do a little golf with Paul Pugmyer. Dave Bartwo
will join us as well. Dave will have some good
perspective on coach wit stepping down, and we have an
open segment. So with the news today, we'll probably try

(03:41):
to reach out to some people to get some perspective
on exactly what this means for Utah football and some
perspective on the tenure of coach Witt, who changed the
scope of Utah football both now and forever moving forward,
really change the standards a lot higher than it once was.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Porter Larson young Man.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
Producer this program, host of our Utah football pregame show YEP,
he's been doing this for seven eight years now, and
you're close to the program, as close as any media member.
I will say, this isn't a surprise. It is what
I was expecting. Essentially, it was after the win over
case State, his post game press and when he got
emotional when talking about you know, the last chance at

(04:21):
Rice Equels was the sentence that got him. And then
after the Kansas win he basically admitted that he was
really close to walking away a year ago. He leaves
it much better than you found it, the old cliche,
a ten win season, a turnaround after last year's difficulties.
What are your thoughts as coach with officially will exit
stage left now?

Speaker 3 (04:40):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (04:40):
Man, And you mentioned that that press conference moment, and
that was what kind of did it for me. I
wanted to give Kyle, of course the chance to break
the news, as it's his to break, but also give
him the chance to change his mind maybe right. Knowing
the kind of guy he is, the competitor he is,
seeing the recruiting class that Utah had, the funding that

(05:01):
Utah has coming in, I thought maybe he'd have some
second thoughts. But you go back to that press conference
where he mentioned the last time in Rice Cycles and
he almost like broke down when he said that out loud.
And then after the game, Spence I hung around for
a while and usually the process a little behind the
scenes here. The very last thing that I do on

(05:24):
a game day is I go to Kyle's office and
I grab him and take him to the microphone to
interview Bill. And usually the very last thing Kyle does
is hangs up that headset and then gets the hell
out of Rice Cycle Stadium. That week, he and his
family were there longer than I was. They were at
Rice Cycles at an hour two hours maybe after the game,

(05:46):
and to me that just it kind of showed that
they were hanging on to something that was coming to
a close. And now, of course it's official, but scaley time,
and I think folks are excited rightfully so, but a
lot a lot due to Kyle Whittingham. And I'm sure
we'll spend a good portion of this bowl preparation giving

(06:10):
him his flowers.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
Which he very much deserves.

Speaker 1 (06:12):
Coincidentally, our first guest today is Eric Weddle, so we
will behave ourselves and stay on task before Eweb joins us.
On a Friday afternoon, go to see if I were
good friends and you're good friends too.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
At Prize Picks. It's time now for your opening tip.
Welcome to the Drive with Spence.

Speaker 5 (06:26):
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for the show. The opening tip.

Speaker 4 (06:34):
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(07:31):
play your first five dollars a lot of because on
prize picks. It is good to be right, all right,
it is official. And we received the email. I will
timestamp for this timestamp this for you. About eleven minutes ago,
healer Mcjunkstion, Mcjonkin, our guy, the Assistant ad for Strategic
Communications and the University of Utah Athletic Department send out

(07:53):
an email to all of us that Kyle Whittingham will
step down as Utah's head football coach, all time winning
as head coach in Utah football history, will coach his
last game for the Utes in the Las.

Speaker 2 (08:05):
Vegas Bowl on December the thirty first.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
And I will add this, We're gonna bring in Eric
Weddle right off the top today and we'll effort some
other guests to kind of give us some perspective here.
I know there were a lot of people that were
hoping to kind of pay honor to Kyle during the
last home game, which was Case State this year. And
you know, we talked about the possibility on the show
of you know, Taylor Randall or Mark Harlan going into

(08:31):
Kyle's office and being like, hey, it's your last home game.

Speaker 2 (08:33):
If you're stepping down, let us know so we can
do something for you.

Speaker 1 (08:36):
And how silly that pursuit would have been because a
lot of important football was still left on the table,
and at that time, Utah was actually still in the
CFP conversation. So I know there's a portion of this
community that would have liked to honor Kyle in their
own way at rice Eco Stadium that day. Well, the
good thing about this announcement is you still have a chance.

Speaker 2 (08:58):
To do it.

Speaker 1 (08:58):
Vegas is a very easy trip. You can drive there
and get there in four or five hours or whatever.
It's a very easy flight. There are worse places to
spend New Year's Eve. There's a small chance we're going
to be there as a station, and maybe this announcement
will make it even more important than we are there.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
Let's try to pack that stadium.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
Let's get as many youth fans as we can there,
you know, a good solid bowl game, a good solid
matchup against Nebraska, a fine team out of the Big
Ten as far as non CFP games go. This is
probably one of the top four or five bull matchups
out there. And now we have a chance to gather
and say thank you to Kyle and that to me

(09:37):
without prepping a show, because the news broke right as
we cracked the microphone today.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
Is just the one thing that I think I.

Speaker 1 (09:43):
Personally would like to say to them on behalf of
any Utah alum. They went to the school when I
did in the nineties, and certainly prior to that too,
when we were a basketball school with Rick Macheris and
making Final four runs and nearly winning national championships, and
obviously coach Mack was building a foundation. As I always say,
Mac built the foundation, Urban built the mansion, and Kyle

(10:04):
built the estate. Right, but twenty one years as Utah's
head coach, he has changed this school for the better
and forever. He has changed the football community for the
better and forever. So I'll just say thank you to
Kyle for his personal kindness to me over the years
on the shows that I've done. He's always been willing
to come on and answer questions, and every time I've

(10:25):
seen him off the microphone, he couldn't have been nicer.

Speaker 2 (10:27):
He is a good man. This is not just a
great football coach.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
Kyle Whittingham's a good man and there are dozens and
dozens of young men throughout the course of his tenure
of twenty one years that have gone on to do
great things, not just as football players, but his people,
as fathers, as husbands, and as stewards and members in
the community.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
This is not just.

Speaker 1 (10:46):
About a football coach who has developed football players to
win games at Utah. This is about a man who
has led young men to hopefully go on to do
great things in life.

Speaker 2 (10:58):
And there will be dozens.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
Dozens and dozens of former players that will come to
the forefront, whether it's social media, hopefully we'll get a
bunch on our show throughout the course of their ability
to express themselves in whatever platform that I would imagine
the outpouring of love for Kyle and his wife and
his family and everybody who was a part of this

(11:20):
project of taking Utah football from the Whack to the
Mountain West to the pac twelve now of the Big Twelve,
but ultimately as to taking it to one of the
pre eminent football programs in the Western United States, and
that's what Utah football is. You know, there were a
couple of down years, because that's how this thing works.
Sometimes injuries set in, sometimes tragedy strikes. One of the

(11:43):
things that I always remember about Kyle is how he
kind of led the community through the you know, the
Ty Jordan Aaron Lowe tragedies and how he kind of
showed a vulnerable human side to himself during that time.
You can tell how much that affected him. So, yeah,
you're not gonna have a great year every single year.
You win ten games every single year. You're not gonna
win conference championships every single year. He'll always have the

(12:05):
undefeated twenty eighteen, the Sugar Bowl win over Alabama. He'll
have Rose Bowl appearances. I'll have back to Backpack twelve championships.
But more than anything else, I mean, you know, certainly
for a sports talk radio show that makes it, you know,
makes its home a mile and a half away from
Risco Stadium, We're forever grateful for the way Kyle Bill
Utah football, but for the way Kyle, you know, led

(12:28):
young men and went into the living rooms of parents
and convinced them that he was the guy to help
their son become a man. And trust me with your
son over the next three or four years. Send him
to play for me. We'll teach him good habits. He'll
be a part of a winning program, and sometimes they'll
go on to be millionaires in the NFL. But if
they're not that, hopefully they go on to just be

(12:49):
good people. You, good fathers, and good husbands. That to me,
will be the legacy that Kyle leaves behind. So on
behalf of anybody that I would represent, even if it's
just myself. I say, Kyle, thank you for your twenty
one years as Utah's head coach. He has earned the
right to spend the back nine of his life however
he wants to, whether it's playing golf, ride in his motorcycle,

(13:11):
spending time with his wife, kids and grandchildren. I know
that's very important to him. Real quick, I'll share a
quick story. One of the chances I had to interview
him last year. We had to pre tape because ultimately
Utah Football typically practices in the afternoon, and before we
went live, he said to me over the phone, he said,
how is your father?

Speaker 2 (13:31):
I said, he's great. He said what, He said, what
is he doing right now?

Speaker 1 (13:35):
And I said, well, he's, you know, doing a couple
of different projects here there, but he's really spending a
lot of time with his grandkids, my nieces and nephews,
my son. I said, we have twenty one of them,
and he and my mom travel all over the country
where we all live, and they just hang out with
their grandkids. And Kyle said to me before he went
on air, I cannot wait to do that soon. And
here we are two years later, and that's what he's

(13:56):
about to do, and man, is he earned it. Shout
out to coach with thank you from all of us
to you, and best of luck and whatever's next, I'm
sure he'll be around the athletic department. And he has
left an undeniable footprint, all right, I said to Porter
during the break, you know it's favorite music better than
I do, favorite bands better than I do. So the

(14:16):
rest of the show today, every bump is going to
be one of Kyle's favorite bands or songs.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
And right out of the gates, what do we got here?

Speaker 4 (14:23):
A little quiet riot? Okay, really if you have like
some eighties hair metal, okay, you go little classic rock too,
but that's Kyle's late Okay, soll right, I've heard this
song in his office before.

Speaker 1 (14:35):
Well, we are honoring coach with we are saying thank
you to Coach Wit. Literally, as I cracked this microphone
this afternoon, the email came out from Utah Athletics that
after the bowl game, Kyle Whittingham will step down as
the head coach of the University of Utah.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
One of his best success.

Speaker 1 (14:50):
Stories, certainly, and one of our favorite guests, joins us
right off the top, Eric Weddle, Happy Friday, sir. I
just want your initial reaction now that we know that
it is official, after the ball game, Coach Wait is
going to retire.

Speaker 6 (15:04):
Man, my phone is getting blown up. I was I
was in a meeting with a couple of players, and
then I was meeting with a couple of coaches that
were coming through college coaches, and so I didn't have
my phone on me, and last last I heard or
assumed was coach was coming back. And for this to
come out just I mean full of gratitude, honored to

(15:31):
have played under him, to call him family, to call
him a father figure, and so when I look up
to and admire and I was honestly like, I owe
so much of my success from Gosh, from my family
to my playing career is owed to Coach Wit And

(15:54):
I said this numerous times. So I'm forever indebted to
him for believing.

Speaker 7 (16:00):
To me and going out on a limb when.

Speaker 6 (16:02):
Nobody else really wanted to offer me a scholarship, and
that includes Coach Meyer. For him to go to bat
for me and want me I again, I'm just can't
say enough great things about him and for him to
announce this and as a school, it's pretty crazy. But

(16:24):
also I think it's it's the right time and he's
done so much for our university and hopefully he could
sit back and be proud of what he has accomplished
at the University of Utah.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
Twenty one years at the Helm as the head coach,
over thirty years as a coach up on the Hill,
of course, the all time winning this football coach in
Utah history, contributed to two hundred and sixty two wins
in his tenure head coaching record of one seventy seven
and eighty eight and he went from my perspective as
somebody who was just a student there in the nineties
when we were a basketball school, and then watching this

(16:56):
dramatic shift after Coach Mack built the foundation, Urban built
the mansion, and then coach who built the estate. From
my perspective, we started the show and I just gave
like a very heartfelt thank you and a thank you
to Wit, thank you to his family, and gratitude from
my perspective, But you played for him, you know him.
Tell us about Kyle Whittingham the man, how he led

(17:19):
young men. We know about him as a coach because
we've all watched the team, but behind the scenes as
a father figure, as you call him as a man.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
What makes Kyle Whittingham sick?

Speaker 6 (17:30):
Gosh? I think what stands out to me mostly is
his consistency and his relationships. How authentic and real I
think he is. And you know he's just what you
see is what you get with him, right and good
batter and different. You always kind of know where you stand.

(17:51):
You're not You're not gonna not know what's going on.

Speaker 7 (17:56):
If you meet with them.

Speaker 6 (17:57):
He's he's very he's candid, he's got personality, he's got charisma,
he's funny and Uh, you know, he Gosh, it's just
it's been there for so long and made such an
impact on so many people that it's hard to kind
of put into words and in perspective on the change

(18:21):
he's made in so many people's lives. So it's really crazy.

Speaker 8 (18:25):
Uh.

Speaker 6 (18:26):
And as a coach now to kind of think of
coaching for that long and the impact he's had is
kind of overwhelming for me to kind of grasp. And
he did it, and he did it as a high
level and transitioned us into a powerhouse that is a
known commodity across the country.

Speaker 2 (18:46):
What do you think he was weighing?

Speaker 1 (18:47):
Because you you know, you talked to these coaches, you
talked to your former teammates, you're connected to the program,
and there were a lot of people that thought, you know,
it was gonna happen a year ago, and then we
all know what happened with the injuries, and even Kyle
himself after the Kansas game admitted that he was close
to stepping down last year but didn't want to go
out like that.

Speaker 2 (19:05):
Knowing him the way that.

Speaker 1 (19:06):
You do, what do you think he was weighing as
it pertains to his decision making process this time around
that ultimately led him to believe that this was the
right time.

Speaker 6 (19:17):
Gosh, I don't, you know, I don't. I don't really know.
He's he's very h you know, anytime we have our interaction,
he's always up beating, he's optimistic. But he's also you know,
very honest with what's going.

Speaker 7 (19:31):
On landscape and how to navigate it.

Speaker 6 (19:34):
And I just know for me and my experience with
you know, when I retired, you just know, and only
he will be able to best describe how he knew
and if this is the right time or not, and
no looking back, like I just knew when my time
was up, I knew it right. And I think for him,
he just kind of get a sense, you get this

(19:54):
feeling like this is the time? Is it? Is it?
Wor us? The time and the sacrifice? And are you
ready for a new challenge? Are you ready for the
next step? Are you ready? You know, There's so many
things that go into it, and I just think like
for him to come to this moment and the realization
that it's time, then he knows and however that came about,

(20:20):
he would best understand that and be able to articulate
that to everyone else. But yeah, I don't know. I
just assume that he thinks the program's head in the
right direction with the new leadership, and he's done what
he can and the most that he can with and
he's ready to sit back and enjoy is the fruits

(20:42):
of his.

Speaker 2 (20:43):
Labor, which he's certainly earned.

Speaker 1 (20:45):
And I told a little anecdote to start the show
that last year before an interview I did with him,
it was a pre tape because they had a practice
in the afternoon, which is when my show is, and
so before he went live, he said, Hey, how's your
dad doing?

Speaker 2 (20:59):
And I said he's doing great. And he said, well,
what is he up to?

Speaker 1 (21:01):
I said, well, at this point, he has a couple
of projects going on, but he's spending a lot of
time with the grandkids, my.

Speaker 2 (21:08):
Nieces and nephews.

Speaker 1 (21:09):
And I said, there's twenty one of them, and he
and my mom fly all around the country and that's
pretty much what they do.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
And he said to me e Weddy said, I can't
wait to do that soon.

Speaker 1 (21:19):
I think a lot of players and coaches give you
lip service about Yeah, I want to spend more time
with my family and then they're home for a week
and then they go crazy.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
What insight can you give us on Kyle Whittingham, the dad,
the husband, and the grandfather.

Speaker 6 (21:32):
Well, you're like one hundred percent right, Like he is
so smart and so intuitive of how you're doing and
your family and still like you. I saw him a
few weeks ago when we came up for the Cincinnati game.
We're just hanging out in the defense staff room, and

(21:53):
he asked how my mom and dad are doing and
named them by their names, and my sister and Kathleen
are like not many people just have a good feel
and understanding about the person and really remember, Like I'm
terrible with names and I barely remember my kid's birthdays,
let alone people I've come across over the last twenty

(22:15):
five years. And it's just it just shows his just
the unique ability to make people smile and just feel
worse Like I feel like I think that was a
strong a strong trade to his is making people feel
their worth just about themselves, right and importance. And so

(22:37):
you know, he always he always talked about his family,
his wife, his mom who's still at the games right
coming around, and just the impact his dad had on
him and his life and his coaching and obviously his
kids and having them around in the building and all
his family, Like gosh, he's just had such an impact

(22:58):
and like look at what he's done just from his
brothers and family being a part of the program, Like
it's we all just marveling him. Wish that like that's
that's like the standard, right, That's what you wish to
be able to do for your family and the people
that you can impact.

Speaker 1 (23:17):
So you were a fourteen year NFL guy, you want
a super Bowl? You were a team captain here, you
had a long NFL career. Do you like throughout your
throughout the course of your NFL days when you played
for a couple of different teams and you traveled around
and you know, we all watched Sunday Night football when
it's like okay, they're introducing the team and you're Eric
Weddle safety, University of Utah. Do you think people around

(23:40):
the country, whether it's college or pro football, have an
accurate idea of just what kind of coach and person
that wit is.

Speaker 6 (23:48):
Yes, I think I think they do, because no matter what,
you know what you're gonna get when you play a
University Utah football team, and that is a direct reflection
of the head coach, and a lot of teams and
organizations out there are kind of searching, right for that.
Who are you? What are you about? What is your standard?

(24:11):
What are you going to our show out there on
the football fill And then with us and Coach Witt
over the last twenty one years, you knew what that was,
and that was a tough mentally, tough, disciplined, physical unit
that's going to hit you in the mouth, gonna play
team football, team, offense, defense, best teams and you're never

(24:34):
going to have an easy game when you played us.
And so I think that is who Utah football was,
That's who Utah football is and will always be. And
it's because of Coach wit and in the standard and
the expectation of what we are and what we have
always been. And you know, it's not meant for everybody, right,

(24:56):
you know, you come to our team and culture and
I think you have to understand that there's a specific
way to play this game and a specific way to
represent ourselves on off the field, and it's not for everybody,
But I mean, do come here and stick it out
and be a part of this program that you'll be

(25:16):
a part of this family for the rest of the time.

Speaker 1 (25:19):
Feels like one of the words that most everybody would use,
whether it's somebody like you who played for him, somebody
like me who's covered him, or just somebody from the
outside looking in, is intensity, Right, It feels like that
would kind of be one of the And there are
several superlatives.

Speaker 2 (25:35):
There are several adjectives that we could use.

Speaker 1 (25:38):
But when it comes to just the intensity of the
way he coached you guys during the week and was
able to get you guys ready to play on game day,
what was that experience?

Speaker 6 (25:46):
Like, Yeah, I mean there. I think as the years
have gone on, he's pulled back the moments where he
you know, you can see it in his eyes as
you see glimpses of halftime speeches in the locker room
where it has to come out, and the the intensity

(26:07):
and you know, I had him as a coach, right,
and that he was there back in his early days,
and and uh, they're just moment. When you become a
head coach, you have to pick your moments, and it's
much more managing personalities and making the team go in
the right direction and and and the vision and culture.

(26:29):
But there are times where you have to put your
foot down and everyone needs an understand and know like
the time is now. And I just remember those vividly,
like halftime or pregame and in the moment like he
gets in your face and those eyes they can pierce
through you because it means so much, and the intent
and the intensity, like you said, so, uh, it's always

(26:51):
been in there. I think as the years go on,
it's it's very few that people get to see, but
everyone knows when you see it, you better say, sit
right up, shoulders back and ready to rock when you
see it.

Speaker 1 (27:04):
So you referenced something earlier you wed where you said
something along the lines of it kind of does feel
like the right time. How much of that opinion of
yours is steeped in the gentleman who's about to slide
over a seat because now Morgan Scally, the show is yours?

Speaker 6 (27:18):
Right, Yeah, I mean, there's no better guy to take
over the program and to continue the success and the
culture and the standard, but also maybe improve it, maybe
put your own flair on it, put your personality. You know,

(27:38):
there's I've said this probably on your show in over
the years. You're not going to hire a guy from
the outside to run U tough football. It's just not
never gonna happen. It's got to be someone from within
who has experienced and understands our culture, because the alumni

(27:58):
would go crazy, right It's this is a special place,
a unique place that we are very dear to in love.
And he's I'm excited for him. I'm happy for him.
He's he's been I don't like to say groomed, but
he's been prepared for this moment since he became a

(28:20):
coach on staff, you know, almost twenty years ago. So
it's meant for him. He's ready for the challenge, and
he's I'm sure he's ready to take it to the next,
the next, the new heights that we all expect.

Speaker 1 (28:35):
Apologize for catching you off guard here, but I personally
am caught off guard right now. So Stuart Mandel from
The Athletic, who is a very well plugged in football
writer and knows whit, knows the program very well. He
is reporting he says, quote Whittingham is not retiring. He
could seek other coaching opportunities. A source tells The Athletic,

(28:56):
can you even imagine that? Can you even picture that
in your mind? I wouldn't him coaching another football team.

Speaker 7 (29:04):
Uh no, I mean but maybe, I mean I listen,
I mean, I love coach with and anytime we're together
it's as if we had never left.

Speaker 6 (29:16):
But it's not like I we talk like weekly or monthly.
It's so I don't really know what his ultimate desires are,
if he's still has challenged, if did he get forced.
I don't really know at this point. I all I
know is what was announced, just like everybody else. And shoot, I.

Speaker 9 (29:34):
Mean it's just like playing.

Speaker 6 (29:35):
If you still have a desire to play and you're
still wanted, then go do it. And the same thing
with coaching, Like well, however he came to the decision.
If he still has a desire to coach and someone
wants to allow him to coach and lead a program,
then shoot, go do it. I'm not gonna see here
and tell him not to. And if he did, then
I would go support his program just as much as

(29:58):
I would as if he was that you talk.

Speaker 1 (30:00):
Yeah, well, I hate to be irresponsible, but there's a
school in ann Arbor that needs a head coach right now.

Speaker 2 (30:05):
I don't know.

Speaker 6 (30:09):
Yeah, yeah, I mean that's that's that's for Michigan to
figure out.

Speaker 7 (30:14):
Yeah, I have no ties.

Speaker 6 (30:17):
I mean, I know the DC there Wink was my
old coach, so uh but yeah, there's there's a lot
of names going around and this, that and the other,
but I don't.

Speaker 7 (30:29):
I just know he meant a lot to me, still does,
and he's family and.

Speaker 6 (30:34):
Just super grateful to have been a player under him and.

Speaker 8 (30:39):
To call him family.

Speaker 1 (30:41):
Before I say you loose, and I appreciate your time
right off the top here, I want to go back
to Morgan a little bit and you reference, you know,
the right guy at the right time. Let's get into
obviously a good friend of yours and what you anticipate
as far as him continuing on what Kyle has built
and obviously Morgan cut his teeth on Kyle for basically

(31:01):
two decades here, and then how much of this new
generation of Utah football will he put his own stamp on? Like,
can you kind of explain that dynamic a little bit
for us before I set you loose?

Speaker 3 (31:14):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (31:15):
Like are you are you asking?

Speaker 3 (31:18):
Like what?

Speaker 6 (31:18):
How do I think the program is gonna be different or.

Speaker 2 (31:21):
Or similar or both?

Speaker 8 (31:23):
Right?

Speaker 2 (31:23):
Just like a combination.

Speaker 10 (31:24):
Yah?

Speaker 6 (31:25):
Yeah, I think I think the landscape of college football
is changing every six months, right, And so I do
think you're it's gonna be within the program. I think, uh,
you know, it's obviously gonna be different because this is
Morgan's program now, So uh, there are gonna be things
that he is gonna hold on to that Coach Witt

(31:47):
has done, and there's gonna be things that they are
gonna change and could be for the better, it could
be for not nobody's gonna know until we see what
it looks like five years from now. We do have
a national championship, do we have multiple Big twelve championships
or wherever we're playing at, Like, nobody's gonna know that,
But I do know that there are gonna be ideas
and visions and things that he's gonna want to implement

(32:11):
because it's his program now. So obviously he's gonna he's
gonna lean on people that he trusts moving forward. And
we all want to understand that as a head coach,
there are things that you're gonna have to do and
decide on and we're all gonna have to follow and
follow suits. So that's what good coaches and rely on

(32:32):
their support staff and and when you make a decision,
you don't look back you don't live with regrets Like
with me.

Speaker 7 (32:39):
I'm always moving forward.

Speaker 6 (32:41):
I live, learn and move forward. So I expect that
with coach Scally and and make our program better than
what it is right now. I mean, that's all you
can hope for. You don't want to be status quo,
right so you can only hope that we make he
makes the program.

Speaker 7 (32:57):
Better than what it was.

Speaker 2 (32:59):
You you're the man.

Speaker 1 (33:00):
I appreciate the time. Certainly a notable historic day. We'll
keep talking about it. You'd be well and be safe.

Speaker 7 (33:05):
Okay, you got it, buddy.

Speaker 1 (33:08):
Eric Wedll, one of the best to ever do it
here at the University of Utah, super Bowl champ, six
time Pro bowler, probably will be headed to Canton at
some point as an NFL Hall of Famer.

Speaker 2 (33:19):
I'll say this.

Speaker 1 (33:20):
Our guy, Matt Brown from Extra Points about a half
hour ago tweeted out, should I be reading anything into
the fact that I don't see the word retire anywhere?

Speaker 2 (33:28):
And wit statement?

Speaker 1 (33:29):
And then Stuart Mandel about ten minutes ago, sends out,
according to his sources at the athletic coach Waite is
open to other coaching opportunities.

Speaker 2 (33:40):
What am I supposed to do with that?

Speaker 1 (33:41):
Am I supposed to be the irresponsible media member that says, hey,
Michigan needs a coach.

Speaker 4 (33:45):
I don't you want me to be irresponsible?

Speaker 2 (33:46):
I would love for you to be irresponsible.

Speaker 4 (33:49):
I mean, I very much think that Kyle is calculated.
Kyle knows exactly what words were in that statement, and
he read them over multiple multiple times.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
Dude, this just got a little juicy.

Speaker 4 (34:03):
I'll be honest with you. I think Spence, the the
the fact that Morgan scaly' is the head coach in waiting,
I think is like a a good thing as far
as the turnover goes. But just put yourself in Kyle
Whittingham's shoes. There's been kind of a pressure on him
because of that. Hey when is when are you? When

(34:24):
are you done? Is it now? Is it tomorrow? Is
it next year? Is it this season? That's hard on you,
That's hard on your recruiting cycles, That's hard on everybody.
So I can see how there's some pressure in that
regard and how you maybe don't want to operate in
that space forever. And if you're not completely done, h

(34:45):
you're still having fun doing this. As Kyle told us
in his interview with US, what a couple of months,
a couple of weeks ago, a couple of months ago,
still having a lot of fun. If there is an
opportunity out there, I can see Kyle coach another football game.
I don't know where I could see it. I'll say, y'all,
I could see it.

Speaker 2 (35:05):
Well, let me.

Speaker 1 (35:07):
Let me take my listeners behind the curtain a little bit.
Itt'tle peak beyond the curtain for listeners, because I'm here
for the listeners. I'm a man of the people. You
know that if you listen to the show, you're part
of our family. And when I step down, I want
to be known and I want to statue outside of
Broadway media if you're a listener, I don't really want that.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
We'll see, I will tell you.

Speaker 1 (35:24):
Over the past thirty minutes, I've sent four different text
messages to people that would respond pretty quickly. If this
was if this was like okay, I'll phrase it like this,
if today was a okay, we're here to just honor
Kyle Whittingham as he retires as Utah football at Utah's
football coach. Every one of these people that I would

(35:45):
have texted would have responded back and basically would have
said when can I join. None of them have responded,
which I find interesting. These are not like I'm going
out on a limb to try to get somebody. That's impossible,
like I don't have Alex Smith's cell phone or else
I would text him. All four techts I've sent are
friends of the show that also have deep, deep ties
with Utah football that would get back to me and

(36:08):
sad even they would say something like I can't today,
but I do want to pop on and talk about
what he means to me. If this was simply a
day to honor a man that was retiring, I would
surmise that most of these, if not all, these texts
would be returned right away.

Speaker 4 (36:22):
Well, and if you heard Eric Weddle, who knows coach
very very well and talks the coach often, Eric said
he was surprised by it when you told him on air,
yes he did good point. He thought that it was
coming back, and he thought that as far as up
to like twenty minutes ago. So I don't know, man,
I don't know. I think that there's a part of

(36:45):
Kyle that, as we know, he's a competitor. I won't
speak for him, but doesn't want to let that go,
and that's just part of being a football coach. Scott
on the show before us talked about Don Shula, who
just coached until he couldn't right, we know about Rick
majeris here. When you have to send in that press release,

(37:05):
it's got to be a pretty conflicting thing, regardless of where.

Speaker 2 (37:08):
It goes from here.

Speaker 1 (37:10):
Send cam Ronnie a text and see if he can
kick the tires with Mandel. Let's see if we get
because Mandel is the one that's reporting his sources or
telling him that this is not a retirement and that
Kyle is interested in coaching elsewhere.

Speaker 2 (37:24):
There's a lot At this point.

Speaker 1 (37:26):
I'm just in real time digesting this and connecting dots.
So it might be a little bit irresponsible to basically.

Speaker 2 (37:34):
Just go. And I need to learn this lesson in life.

Speaker 1 (37:36):
Just don't say everything that's in your head all the
time usually gets you in trouble. But you hear some
things behind the scenes about whether or not Morgan was
kind of getting.

Speaker 2 (37:44):
Nancy and whether or not people were ready for a change.
I have no idea.

Speaker 1 (37:49):
That's me connecting dots and we've got some good guests.
Oh see, he's gonna join us. He's overseas doing some
PFL stuff, and we're efforting a lot of other people,
and you know a lot of channels that would very
much open or not today which may say something.

Speaker 2 (38:03):
So just a recap.

Speaker 1 (38:05):
The press release was sent about two minutes after, well
two minutes before we were about to go on air,
and the press release the languages he is stepping down
and not retiring, and according to Stuart Mandel, open to
other coaching opportunities. All right, so we're getting weird on
a Friday, getting really weird on a Friday, efforting more information.

(38:30):
Two minutes before we cracked the mic to go on
air today, it was announced by the Utah Athletic Department themselves.
The coach Wit is going to step down, is the
language in the release. He will coach the Vegas bull
but it did not say retire. And then Stuart Mandel
from the Athletic is reporting that coach Wit is still

(38:52):
very much interested in coaching. There's a vacant head coaching
job in ann Arbor. Andy Reid, his buddy coaches the Chiefs.
Maybe ends up in the NFL. I don't know, this
is getting this is getting weird, but there's no better
writer to join us to get weird on a Friday,
to take a little break and talk some NBA than
our guy.

Speaker 2 (39:09):
Howard back Howard, Happy Friday, sir. How are you doing?
Are you good?

Speaker 1 (39:14):
Have you ever seen a coach go out like what coach?
Can you think of the like that, like went out
on his terms at the right time. It seems like
most of the time retirements are clunky and people hold
on way too long.

Speaker 9 (39:27):
Yeah, I think that that's probably true in like ninety
nine percent of cases. I did a piece last spring
on the Ringer dot com about the idea that and
this is I kept specific to NBA coaches, but I
think this applies across the board, that coaching is an
addiction of sorts, and that these guys they can't pull away.

(39:49):
And it doesn't matter how many millions you've made, how
much fame and fortune, how many wins, how many championships, whatever,
nobody goes out like, you know, on top, because they
all hold on too long. Because and they admit this.
I talked to George carl and Larry Brown and Steve
Clifford and Steve Kerr, like they all basically acknowledge, like, yeah,
they even if they didn't. Some of them use the

(40:10):
word addiction or that they're addicted to it, and some
of them just said I just love it and don't
want to don't want to stop doing it. It's the
best thing in the world. So I think this is
a common thread, and I've talked to broadcasters in the
NBA who have been doing this for decades who feel
the same. I just had a conversation about this with
somebody last week where it was like, yeah, I love this,

(40:31):
I never want to stop doing this, So you know what,
I guess on the plus side, if you love it
that much and you're doing it for the right reasons,
that's that's great. But we never like seeing somebody overstay there, welcome.

Speaker 1 (40:42):
Yeah, and it also happens, I think fair enough to
say it happens with most players as well. I've always
found this very interesting as too, And yeah, to your point,
maybe there's just you're addicted to it.

Speaker 2 (40:53):
What else am I going to do? Type thing? You know?

Speaker 1 (40:56):
Seeing Patrick Ewing in a Sonics uniform was weird a
Orlando Magic uniform or a Lajon with the Raptors. I mean,
I think it's also a player dynamic where a lot
of them just don't know what to do after their
plane life.

Speaker 9 (41:07):
Yes, yeah, and you know, I sort of get it,
But also it's a little sad, right, Like you know,
we'd all like to think that we are there's more
to us, that we have more interests and things that
drive us and passions than just the thing that defined
our career. But I mean, listen, it applies in my
universe too, Like there are writers I've known who kept

(41:30):
doing this into their seventies and eighties and then maybe
even beyond, where I look at it from a younger
standpoint and think, like, I hope I can walk away
before that age, but also like hard to judge somebody
else's life decisions, right if that's what still drives them. Cool,
But like, yeah, I mean, I'm gonna do this long
enough that I am closer to the end than the beginning.

(41:54):
And I'd like to think that when I hit retirement
age whatever we wanted to find that as that I'll
be right to kind of say, Okay, I had my time,
and I'll occupy myself other ways. But I do get it.
We all tend to overidentify ourselves with our careers and
let that define us. And you know, depending on whether

(42:14):
or not you have a family or a lot of
good friends or other things, sometimes that just takes.

Speaker 2 (42:18):
Over for sure.

Speaker 1 (42:20):
And while we're in this space, I mean, you know,
once upon a time in this market, the Utah Jazz
traded up with the Portland Trailblazers for the number three pick,
and I think it was the two thousand and five draft,
and they had the option of taking Darren Williams or
Chris Paul, and I very wanted. I was like giddy
at the potential of seeing Chris Paul. Here they go,

(42:43):
do will because as the story goes, Jerry Sloan preferred
Darren because of his size, and of course for a
few years there was a legitimate debate who was better.
And then over the course of the career, I mean,
Chris just had a longer, overall better career. But for
a few years, like Darren was a you know, elite,
elite guard. Did Chris Paul decide to hold on a

(43:03):
little bit too long? And ultimately it feels like he
is It's kind of like Durant, like he's too good
to have played for like six seven different teams. Is
this a scenario where, over the course of his career,
he just ended up grading on people and just had
to find a fresh change of scenery.

Speaker 9 (43:21):
Probably it's interesting to think about, right, Like Jerry Sloan
insists on Darren Williams, and Darren Williams is the one who,
as the stories go, kind of caused you know, Jerry
Sloan to finally hang it up.

Speaker 2 (43:31):
Yep.

Speaker 9 (43:32):
But if you think about it, like, well, if they
had gone with Chris Paul, considering Chris Paul's demeanor and personality,
might have ended up in the same place for all
we know, or who knows, maybe they would have had
better success or maybe, you know, Jerry and Chris would
have respected each other in a healthier fashion. Hard to
say interesting draft though, right? That one started out with
Andrew Bogan to the Bucks and then Marvin Williams to

(43:54):
the Hawks. And you know, none of those guys should
have been taken it out of Chris Paul before doing
the proverbial redraft, right, And how different is NBA history
if that happens. You know, listen, Chris Paul, if everybody
across the NBA universally admires the hell and just respects
the hell out of Chris Paul, amazing player, incredible professional,

(44:17):
but he's incredibly demanding and he does great on people,
even the people who will swear by him.

Speaker 8 (44:22):
And we saw it.

Speaker 9 (44:23):
You know, Blake Griffin now doing an incredible job. By
the way, on Amazon Prime. Blake Griffin and that whole
crew has been a fantastic studio show edition. But Blake Griffin,
DeAndre Jordan, JJ Reddick, Jamal Crawford. Anybody who would ever
tell you about playing with Chris Paul in LA will
speak of him in the highest terms, but when they're

(44:44):
being honest, they'll they'll kind of laugh and say, like, yeah,
he could be tough, he could be tough, and like you,
you know, when Chris is at his peak, you put
up with that. But it's like with everybody in every
walk of life, Like when you're great at what you do,
there's a certain amount of things that will get overlooked
or forgive. And when you can reach this stage of
your career where you're now like the ninth or tenth

(45:05):
man and you're still a pain in everybody's rear and
you're demanding everything of everybody else, but you can't do
what you used to be able to do. Your credibility
or your the latitude you get kind of diminishes, and
I think that's where the Clippers got to. But it
is sad, right, Like you know, Chris Paul is not
always the most sympathetic figure, but he is a Hall

(45:26):
of famer. He has an all time great and it
was kind of cool seeing him go back to the
Clippers to kind of finish his career there and that
they end up. You know, they haven't cut him because
they're trying to trade him because of all kinds of
other cap issues, but to see it in this way
where he's just sent home, Eh, Yeah, kind of blows
for everybody. Like I just I just don't like seeing it.

Speaker 1 (45:46):
I agree with you. Do you think there's a final
stop for him before he hangs it up? I mean,
for me, I would just kind of I don't know.
I was such a fan of his both in college
and then throughout the course of his career. Really for
a while, he's like my favorite player to watch. I
don't I'm not interested in seeing him limp around anymore.
Maybe maybe a personal preference would be just to kind
of call it quits.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
But what do he thinks next?

Speaker 9 (46:10):
He clearly wants to have one more season because he
signed up for one more season, and whether that was
gonna be with the Clippers or elsewhere, it seemed to
me that he was not ready to just walk away.
He wanted to have some sort of of kind of
definitive ending on his terms, where I'm gonna play one
more season and then I will say it's done. And
he you know, started moving that direction when he made
the announcement a couple of weeks ago when they visited

(46:31):
Charlotte and his home state of North Carolina. Hey, this
is going to be It is my last trip to Charlotte,
and you know, the farewell tour was kind of underway
and then it got you know, halted by this, you know,
this whole Clippers you know issue. So they're going to
find somewhere to trade him. If I had to guess,
this is not intel, this is just me just you know,

(46:52):
walking through it. Logically, they can't cut him without serious
roster and cap issues, so they're going to try to
trade him to load number you're gonna have to offload,
and probably just somebody who's way under the cap, like
say the Brooklyn nets in my backyard. But then you're
gonna have to give them some sort of incentive, some inducement,
So it's gonna cost you, like a second round pick
or something for the price of offloading the contract. So

(47:15):
they'll do something like that, and then that team will
probably wave Chris Paul and then he'll be free to
sign with whoever he wants to. The question then becomes
is there a fit out there? Is there a team
that wants Chris Paul as a backup point guard and
veteran presence with all the wisdom and all the other
stuff that comes with it, including all the nagging and carping.

(47:36):
Is there a team that fits that, and is Chris
Paul willing to go there? I don't know where this
ends up, but if I had to guess, it will
follow that series of events. He will be traded somewhere,
that team will wave him most likely, and then he'll
sign with maybe a contender somewhere, and that's how he'll
finish out his career.

Speaker 1 (47:58):
So I continue to just try to try to find
something about the Jazz to ask you, you know, for
like the fourth straight year, it's just they're not interesting.
But here here's something that's surfaced as of late. So
this is year four of like Hey, we're not sure
what we're doing with new ownership and a new front office.
Will Hardy's contract runs through twenty thirty one. He has

(48:21):
a massively long runway. They've identified him and they've said, Okay,
this is our guy. And certainly, there are only a
handful of NBA head coaching jobs. If you have an
opportunity to get one, and you get security, you want
to keep it.

Speaker 2 (48:35):
And I understand all that.

Speaker 1 (48:37):
But as you referenced earlier when we're talking about coaches retiring,
you know, with the news today that Kyle Whittingham is
stepping down as Utah's head football coach. After a certain point,
you have more money than you will ever need. After
a certain point, maybe you've accomplished certain things that you
know you probably will never get back to. And whatever
keeps you hanging on, keeps you hanging on. And Will's
only thirty seven, and certainly we talk a lot about Okay,

(49:01):
we think he's a great coach. He's going to be
here until at least twenty thirty one, if not beyond.
But there's a video that surfaced recently of Will just
lighting it.

Speaker 2 (49:10):
And I loved it. I got I got it.

Speaker 1 (49:11):
I gotta say I loved it, just lighting into his
players because they don't play hard, they don't guard, and
for the fourth year, they're going to be one of
the three worst defensive teams in Pro basketball. And there
are other people that have pointed out during some of
Will's postgame pressers, he just sounds more despondent than he
did over the first couple of years of his tenure.
And you know, look, you're well respected across the league.

(49:34):
Most people think he can coach, but you're also what
your record says, and he's won thirty four percent of
his games.

Speaker 2 (49:40):
Like, at what point does.

Speaker 1 (49:42):
The Okay, thanks for the security, thanks for the contract,
but can I get some freaking players here?

Speaker 2 (49:46):
At what point does does it have to really get
to a coach?

Speaker 9 (49:50):
That's a great question.

Speaker 6 (49:52):
You know.

Speaker 9 (49:52):
The first thing I thought of was that, you know,
Danny Ainge hired Brad Stevens way back when after they
traded I think it was right at the same time
they trade to Pierce and Garnett and it was the rebuild,
and he gave him this a contract that was unheard
of for a rookie NBA head coach, and as young
as Brad was at the time, and so it reminds
me of that a little bit, with just kind of
like we have identified our guy. We believe in this guy,

(50:16):
and we know we're in a tough spot, so we're
going to give him a long runway in part because
as a show of faith, like you know, they're going
to be rough years. It's going to be hell on
the coach, and we want to support him and we
want to make sure that everybody understands, from the coach
to the public, that this is our guy, through thick
and thin, and there's going to be better days ahead.
But it's on us to get there as a front

(50:36):
office to put together the kind of roster that that
is befitting of this really great, bright, young head coach.
What that contract cannot account for, and what none of
us can is just the mental and physical and psychological
toll of all that losing in the meantime. And yeah,
sure that the money's great, the lifestyle is great, but yeah,

(50:58):
if you're you know, as you notice you're seeing it
and hearing it in Will's press conferences and as I
saw that clip too, and like you, I kind of chuckled,
and I love it. I think it's great. But that's
easy for us to say. It's entertainment for us, it's
for Will Hardy, it's it's just utter, you know, frustration.

(51:19):
I think it's a really good question. The only one
that Will Hardy and and you know, his maybe his
family a support group can answer, is how long can
he take this, this whole process, this rebuilding process. You know,
I look, there are some bright spots along the way, right,
We've seen some some moments from the team from Kiante,
and you know, marketing is still there. Maybe who knows,

(51:42):
no matter what you and I say about trading him,
maybe he stays there. And maybe they're just a piece
or two away from becoming at least respectable and more consistent,
And you know, maybe that will answer the question about
Will Hardy.

Speaker 1 (51:54):
Psyche back to I'm going to intertwine the Clippers into
the storyline because the jazz I, I don't think that
they have.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
You just cannot allow your draft pick to go to Okay.

Speaker 1 (52:06):
See, as we've talked talked about, it's top a protected
and for a small market team rebuilding, that is an
asset you have to maintain. For a minute, it looked
like maybe they were going to win their way into
like nine or ten. Austin h before the season said
they would not lose intentionally in the name of draft capital,
where well, you have to. There's just no other way
around it unless you want to be stuck in purgatory.

(52:27):
But okay, see also owns the Clippers first round pick
and they're six and nineteen, Like, what do the Clippers do?

Speaker 2 (52:34):
Is their way out of this?

Speaker 9 (52:38):
I have half of mine to suggest that the entire
NBA should conspire to give the Clippers better players in
lopsided trades for the good of the league, right, Like,
there's all these NBA conspiracy theories over the years, and
I don't believe in basically any of them, but I
believe there actually needs to be one in this case,
Like the league has a whole nobody wants to see

(53:01):
the Oklahoma City Thunder get another lottery pick and possibly
a top three pick in a pack draft with multiple
potential franchise stars. But short of a conspiracy to help
the Clippers and deny the Thunder another lottery pick, I
don't know. I don't know how they get out of this.
Like they can't tank, obviously, and they wouldn't want to,

(53:22):
but I do think it's not out of the question
to start trading guys just to change up the chemistry
and the vibe. And you know, it's not working with
Harden and Kawhi Leonard anymore. And there are probably teams
out there who, despite Kawhi's injury track record and whatever
else and Harden being up there in years like you might,

(53:42):
there are teams that could use those guys who are
playing for something this season and maybe trading one of them.
You probably don't want to have to trade Zubox, but
maybe it's him. I don't know where they go, but
I think you can't just stand still. You can't. You know,
it's the whole definition of insanity. And you know, doing
the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Like they've got to try something else to get out

(54:03):
of this. And look, you can we can all sit
here and say, oh, sunk cost fallacy. There's no way
to get the pick back, there's no there's no you know,
fixing this. But I do think there is an extra
psychic toll to for that, you know, the whole front
office and everybody else to potentially give up a high

(54:25):
lottery pick to the thunder and again reverberations for the
whole league because the Thunder already feel unbeatable.

Speaker 8 (54:33):
Nobody needs to.

Speaker 9 (54:34):
Be sending them another blue chip prospect.

Speaker 1 (54:36):
That's actually what I was gonna ask before I say loose.
I mean, look, they've won sixteen straight, their net is
seventeen point four, and they've played the majority of the
season without their second best player. Is there anybody in
the league that even exists in their cul de sac?

Speaker 9 (54:55):
And I think they own the whole tool de sack
at this point, they're not. They've knocked down other homes
and they've just kind of expanded them their property. I
you know, I said this on on Zach Lowis Pod yesterday.
I think like there's a lot of season left, there
are teams that will make trades that will change the
complexion of the league in one way or another. You

(55:18):
may not be honest or Anthony Davis, but you know
they're gonna be deals and teams. Teams are not going
to just sit idly by and concede the season to
the Thunder.

Speaker 3 (55:27):
And for an.

Speaker 9 (55:28):
Oklahoma side of it, some combination that the reason we
don't get repeat champions very often, and not just this
last seven eight years, where we haven't had a repeat champion.
I mean even back you know, the Warriors repeated, but
before them, it had been years since we had the
Lakers three peat. The Spurs won five titles and never repeated.
It's hard to repeat because of some combination of fatigue, injury,

(55:50):
and maybe boredom. And right now there does not seem
to be any sign of fatigue, injury or boredom with
the Thunder. I mean, they did start the season without
Jalen Williams, they've been without Isaiah Hartenstein, but nothing catastrophic,
and certainly nothing that's happened to Shay, who is the
most important piece there. But there's a lot of season
left and I'm not wishing anything on anybody, but odds

(56:10):
are history suggests that some combination of fatigue and injury
and maybe boredom, we'll catch up to them. But short
of that, it's hard to see anybody beating them. But
you know, you got to beat them four out of seven.
And that's a thing too, because within a series there's
a lot of variability. I do think the Nuggets and
the Rockets, teams we've been talking about since the summer,

(56:32):
are built to at least try to challenge them and
we'll see who else emerges. But yeah, it would be
crazy to pick anybody but the Thunder.

Speaker 2 (56:39):
Right now, Howard, you're the man.

Speaker 1 (56:42):
Appreciate the time, Have an excellent weekend, sir, and we'll
get you back on soon. Thanks Ben stick care all right,
the great Howard Beck from The Ringer, one of my
favorite NBA riders of all time. At Howard Beck is
where you find them on social does a really really
good job. Brought to you today by our friends at
Advanced Window Products, which is Utah's number one window replacement company,

(57:02):
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building installing and guarantee the best windows in Utah. Okay, Hello,

(57:38):
how are you did a little MBA there? The news
of the day today that is very fluid is the following.
We'll get you caught up. So this radio show typically
begins just after two o'clock. We usually do cross talk
when Shawn's and town Scott Mitchell in for Shan o'conddle today,
So we did cross talk till about two oh four,
took a break, and then right as I was about

(58:00):
to crack this microphone to go on air, an email
spills in from UTA Athletics announcing that coach Wit has
stepped down. It did not say the coach Wit is retiring.
It said that he is stepping down now. It says
he's going to coach the Vegas bull on December the
thirty first. And then after the first segment with which
I basically treated it as if Kyle was retiring and

(58:22):
kind of transitioning into his role as an advisor to
Morgan in the football program for the athletic department, Stuart Mendel,
who we have reached out to from the athletic is
reporting that his sources are telling him that this is
not a retirement, hence the language of the announcement, and
he is stepping down and he has interest in other
coaching opportunities. What does that look like, Well, Michigan needs

(58:45):
a head coach.

Speaker 2 (58:47):
Coach.

Speaker 1 (58:47):
WIT's good friend Andy Reid coaches the Chiefs, where his
son is an assistant.

Speaker 2 (58:50):
Could he go to the NFL?

Speaker 1 (58:54):
Very fluid receiving a lot of texts about how this
is going down, Well, I'm getting a lot of texts,
men messages. I want to imagine our next guest is
getting the same. So just to catch you up, literally,
as the intro to this show was going, we receive
the email from the Utah Athletic Department that Kyle Whittingham

(59:15):
is stepping down as Utah's had football coach. Did not
say he is retiring from coaching. So the first segment
was a heartfelt thank you to Kyle, and then we
brought Eric Weddel on and as the Eric Weddle interview
was kind of moving along, Stuart Mandel from the Athletic

(59:35):
reports that his sources and Stuart would know.

Speaker 2 (59:38):
Okay, I know a lot of people might not love
Stuart Mandel.

Speaker 1 (59:41):
What you can't argue with is that he is very
plugged in, maybe one of the top four or five
college football media members in the country, and his sources
are telling him that this is not a retirement and
Kyle is still very much interested in coaching. There's a
school in ann Arbor that needs a head coach. There
is a NFL team nam the Kansas City Chiefs that

(01:00:01):
is coached by Andy Reid, who is one of Kyle's
good friends and Kyle's son as an assistant.

Speaker 2 (01:00:06):
I don't know what to make of this entire thing.

Speaker 1 (01:00:09):
We go live to France because this is a classy
show where we find Sean O'Connell sipping on a bacleava shake.

Speaker 2 (01:00:15):
Hello, Sean, we we no baclava shak.

Speaker 11 (01:00:20):
It is, man, what a news dump for Utah football
throwing this out at ten pm France time?

Speaker 3 (01:00:26):
What are we doing?

Speaker 2 (01:00:27):
Yeah, consider the French Mick Jenkin.

Speaker 1 (01:00:30):
My goodness, all right, Sean, I said, I'm getting blown up,
but you're an alum.

Speaker 2 (01:00:35):
You played there. I would imagine your phone is going crazy.

Speaker 1 (01:00:38):
So let me just get your reaction to the news
that he is stepping down, the Mandel report that he's
still interested in coaching, and what you think comes next.

Speaker 11 (01:00:49):
Well, the reaction is I think the only appropriate reaction
is one that sounds like you started the show with
just gratitude. You know, we had twenty one pretty incredible
years and now have a Utah football program that the
entire alumni, based, the fans of the university, the professors
at the university, you can be proud of Utah football

(01:01:09):
and that's that's something pretty special. And Kyle Whittingham is
the biggest part of that. So, you know, gratitude to coach.
He's been a great example to a lot of young
men that have thrown, you know, flown through that program,
and he's won a lot of football games. And it's
there was a time spence when you and I were
going to school at the University of Utah, especially when

(01:01:31):
you were going to the school at the University of Utah,
where what was accomplished under Kyle Whittingham was completely unfathomable.
It was like a most ridiculous figment of the silliest imagination.
And he climbed a lot of hills and did a
lot of things, and we should be appreciative of that.
I did think that this was probably coming at some

(01:01:52):
point and then we saw the big time commitments rolling in,
and we saw this private equity deal that's supposed to
provide more resources, and I was like, man, we know
that Kyle Whittingham is still pretty competitive, and it might
be enticing to him to say, can I be even
more competitive if I have these resources.

Speaker 2 (01:02:09):
At my disposal?

Speaker 11 (01:02:10):
But also, he is not one who's prone to the
whims of external factors, and it seems like this is
a decision that he and his family have made, probably
over the course of the last two almost three years.
So I'm not shocked to see him go. I'm not
even sad to see him go. But there's a little
melancholy in it, because you know, it's the end of
an era at the University of Utah. As far as

(01:02:34):
the report that maybe he's still interested in coaching, I
think that's true, But I think you hit the two
jobs on the head. I think that he's not interested
in taking a lateral step, but he's not certainly not
interested in taking a backward step. If you can go
to a place like Michigan and call the waters there
as a you know, sort of short term fix while

(01:02:55):
they figure out who their next athletic director is probably
going to because you've got to get rid of Wardman,
and you're obviously anti scandal right now if you're a
Michigan president a Michigan fan. There are a few coaches
in all of college football who are less scandalous than
Kyle Whittingham. So I think that's an incredibly far fetched possibility,

(01:03:18):
but it's probably the type of job that he would
be interested in, and he has said for years, I
think publicly and also privately, that the NFL does intrigue him.
That's a different level. And Andy Reid is not exactly
having his best year, and Kansas City Chiefs are probably
going to have some mix up on their coaching staff.
So maybe Kyle Whittingham does get a call to be

(01:03:40):
at some type of advisor there. But I think the
most likely outcome here is that Kyle Whittingham entertains a
couple of phone calls and offers and decides that he's
going to ski and ride his motorcycle and hang out
with his grandkids and will continue to give him his
flowers as we watch Morgan Scaley takeover.

Speaker 1 (01:03:58):
And I don't have witch contract in front of me,
but my understanding is throughout the years when he's been
able to renegotiate, like when Tennessee came calling, or when
he was able to get extensions as part of his
contract is a very lucrative retirement package where I guess
you would be a special advisor to the athletic department
of the football program. And with I'm not a contract lawyer,

(01:04:21):
I don't know if you knew that, Sean, My guess
would be if he took another job, that more or
less would be compromised, right, isn't that fair to say?

Speaker 10 (01:04:31):
Well?

Speaker 3 (01:04:32):
Probably?

Speaker 11 (01:04:33):
But also it's Kyle Whittingham, not the guy who's going
to have either his name on the field or a
statue in front of a Sego stadium. So let's say
that he does take another job, and again I think
it's probably less likely that he does than anything else.
When he comes back and says, hey, I'd like to
be an advisor to the program or I'd like to

(01:04:55):
help you out in the athletic department.

Speaker 2 (01:04:57):
Who's going to say no to Kyle Whittingham the athletic director.

Speaker 11 (01:05:01):
I guess you have a private equity bro to say that.
But I mean if the athletic director says, okay, all
time winning as coach. Okay, legend, who helped build this
program from you know, not nothing, certainly because the foundation
had already been laid, but build this program up to
its highest heights. We don't want you involved anymore. It

(01:05:22):
just doesn't make sense that that would be the case.

Speaker 2 (01:05:25):
Well. See, I gotta be careful here.

Speaker 1 (01:05:29):
I don't know how much of this to go on
air with because I don't want to even imply.

Speaker 2 (01:05:35):
That that wit was encouraged to do this.

Speaker 1 (01:05:38):
I would imagine whether it's Taylor Randall or Mark Carlin
or but I honestly don't know. I'm just trying to
connect the dots, and you know, surmise how this most
likely went down. I guess I'll just ask you, as
an alum and somebody who's plugged in with former teammates
and the coaching staff up there, is there any part
of you that believes that this wasn't Kyle's call entirely?

Speaker 2 (01:06:00):
I'll just ask you.

Speaker 11 (01:06:00):
Like that, No, I think this was Kyle's call. I
think I mean Spence, you and I talked about this
before the Kansas State game.

Speaker 2 (01:06:11):
YEP.

Speaker 11 (01:06:12):
I said, I think this is his last home game.
I think that I'm going to look into the stands
and I'm going to try and figure out who is
there from the Whittingham family. And every single Whittingham was there,
every one of them. Every person who's maiden name was
Whittingham was there, every person who I mean. It was

(01:06:33):
a gathering of the Whittingham clan at the Kansas State game,
and that was the sort of final straw for me.
I said, Okay, they don't gather on the field after
they weren't being real sneaky about it. Spence and I
didn't go to the air with this because it felt
ikey to do so because it was a family thing.
But when we walked out of the postgame presser after

(01:06:55):
that Kansas State game, and you have to kind of
exit through that tunnel right the Crimson Club seats have
the tunnel that goes out into the south end zone.
I walked out there to go up into the parking
lot and there was a massive group family photo being
posed on the field at rece Eco Stadium. I've been
to a lot of final home games in a lot

(01:07:17):
of seasons that Kyle Whittingham's been the head coach. I
haven't seen that before, and so I think the family
had been told this is probably it. And I was
told by people who went on the road for the
Kansas game that there was a heck of a lot
more Whittinghams at that game than they were used to seeing.
So I think that the klan knew that this was
probably it. And maybe it wasn't a final decision made

(01:07:38):
at that point, but the tea leaves have been giving
us these signs for three years. He would have walked
away last year, he said as much on My show
and on your show. Couldn't walk away on a bad
note like that, which means I was thinking about walking away,
but I couldn't do it on a five to win season.
I'm too competitive for that. So he came back for

(01:08:00):
another year. I think he made his intentions relatively clear
to Morgan, Hey, you're not gonna have to wait that
much longer. You probably said the same thing to Mark Carlin,
or probably with Wes Clarity. I mean, maybe they said, hey, man,
you've been leaning this way, and we have this new
era of the athletic department coming in with this money
and stuff, so do you feel like now is the time?

(01:08:22):
Because we feel like now is the time. But ultimately
the decision was always going to be his. And it's
not like he hasn't been hinting at this for months
and months and months and years.

Speaker 1 (01:08:32):
Yeah, and I've I've just been echoing your sentiment on
my show all year that you've been steadfast and you're
belief that this was it. I was convinced after the
k State game, then after the Kansas game, the final
two games of the season, when he became emotional after
the k State win and lost in the coverage was
the actual sentence that sent him. It wasn't about a player,

(01:08:55):
it wasn't about a game. It was when he said
the last chance at rice Eco Stadium that got him,
all right, And so that hit me right away. And
then after the Kansas win when he admitted, really for
the first time, I mean, you had a good interview.

Speaker 2 (01:09:09):
With him that I think a lot of.

Speaker 1 (01:09:10):
People don't give you enough credit for where he did
kind of talk about his thought process, but he was
very front facing and admitting.

Speaker 2 (01:09:17):
That he was close to walking away a year ago.

Speaker 1 (01:09:20):
So after the Kansas game my show all week, I
led with it. On Monday, I said, I'm now comfortable
saying into this microphone that it is my opinion not Okay,
Sean tells me this, and I trust Sean like I
am now of the opinion that Kyle is going to
step down the.

Speaker 2 (01:09:36):
Deadline. As I understood it was a week ago today.

Speaker 1 (01:09:39):
I didn't know when we were going to hear it publicly,
and today it is now public news. I've had a
couple of people's surmised that they don't believe he's coaching
in the bowl game. Do you think, come on New
Year's Eve against Nebraska, Kyle Winningham's on the sidelines.

Speaker 11 (01:09:54):
I think so, unless heat and By does take some
other job, and again I think that's less than likely.
But I think you'll you'll have him there, even just
for appearance's sake, even just to say, you know, wave
at the fans that make the trip down to Vegas
and kind of do that, which is feels much more
like a Jamie Whittingham thing than like a Kyle Whittingham thing.

(01:10:17):
But you know what's being reported right now is that
he intends to coach the bowl game, and that he
pointed to Morgan Scalley and said, after the bowl game,
that's going to be your head coach. So I think
he'll finish it out. I mean Kyle Whittingham is the
dude who finishes what he starts right, So if there's
one more game in the season, he's going to be

(01:10:38):
there in some capacity, all right.

Speaker 1 (01:10:41):
Moving over to what we do know, and that is
there is a new coach, and it is Morgan.

Speaker 2 (01:10:46):
He slides over seat.

Speaker 1 (01:10:47):
Weddle was great earlier basically speaking for the alumni, and
if there's a guy that can speak for the alumni,
I would think it's safe to say that it's Eric Weddle.
But the sentiment among former players and the confidence that
this is the right move sounds like wat.

Speaker 11 (01:11:01):
Sewn incredibly high that Morgan is the dude. Now, look,
Morgan's going to have to do whatever he head coach
does and make sure he fills his staff out with
the right guys, and sometimes that means, you know, building
bridges with other people that you don't know very well.
One of the criticisms if you go back ten years

(01:11:21):
to when you know Kyle Whittingham was struggling with his
offense and hiring a new coordinator every year, one of
the criticisms was you have to be able to hire
people that don't come from your coaching tree, that you
didn't coach yourself that aren't you know, your nephews or
whatever it was like, So Morgan, I might have to
do that at some point. Kalini Sataki when he took

(01:11:43):
over at BYU, what did he do. He hired a
bunch of guys that he had made promises to on
his way up the ladder, and guys that he was
really close friends with and he was teammates with. And
he had to overhaul that staff in order to find
the era of success that he's got right now. So
there might be some growing pains with Morgan in filling
out his staff. But Morgan absolutely is the right leader

(01:12:04):
for this program. I think he's an incredible recruiter. I
think he's a great person. I think that he is
as Utah as Utah comes. I mean, his entire coaching
life has been here, his playing life was here.

Speaker 8 (01:12:16):
He went to high school.

Speaker 11 (01:12:19):
I guess East High School is closer than Highland is
and West is probably closer.

Speaker 3 (01:12:23):
Than Highland is.

Speaker 11 (01:12:24):
But he went to high school at like the third
closest high school to the university. I mean, he is
he grew up in the shadow of Right Cycle Stadium
in a figurative sense, so there could not be a
better person to take over the program, could not be
a person with more knowledge of exactly what it takes
to get people to love it here, to stay and

(01:12:47):
appreciate the development that they're going to get from guys
that have been on this staff. I don't know if
he's going to be able to keep all the assistants
that we're used to, but he is the right guy.

Speaker 2 (01:13:02):
The Sean O'Connell. It's the Christmas season.

Speaker 1 (01:13:04):
So if you had to write a letter to Sanna
Sean and you're asking Santa to deliver your preferred defensive coordinator,
what would that letter sound like?

Speaker 2 (01:13:13):
Exactly?

Speaker 11 (01:13:14):
Oh Man, I would say, Santa, I would like co
defensive coordinators, which won't happen, by the way, but this
is my Christmas letter it is, so you don't get
to correct me on it, and I would say, Santa,
I would like co defensive coordinators at the University of Utah.
I would like Jy Hill because he's only going to
be a coordinator for one more year and Colton Swan

(01:13:36):
to be the co defensive coordinators share that load. Jay
ends up taking a head coaching job. Colton Swan then
is fully prepared, having been mentored through the process by
somebody like Jay Hill, and the side bonus there is
it undermines BYU success because they don't have j Hill anymore.

Speaker 2 (01:13:56):
The natural follow up is have you been naughty or
nice this year?

Speaker 4 (01:13:59):
Sean always nice?

Speaker 2 (01:14:01):
Okay, so no lumpacole. You get what you wish for,
all right.

Speaker 1 (01:14:05):
I'm going to be irresponsible here for a moment because
we're it's sports talk radio. You know, we'll leave the
journalism to the camaradies of the world. The hypothetical sounds
like this, we find out within the next I don't
know twenty four hours that the University of Michigan has
hired Kyle Whittingham, who goes with him Tan Arbor.

Speaker 11 (01:14:27):
Oh, man, you're killing me by making me say it.
I already took my tweet down because I started to
feel bad about stirring up the drink. Look, Kyle Whittingham
takes Gary Anderson to be his defensive coordinator and he
takes Chason Back to be his offensive coordinator.

Speaker 1 (01:14:50):
I cannot believe that we're even talking about this on
sports talk and talk radio.

Speaker 2 (01:14:54):
It's so weird.

Speaker 11 (01:14:55):
I want to make it clear. I think that is
less than likely because the Michigan would be Michigan would
be very wise to make that phone call. I don't
think they're going to I think they're going to be like, well,
let's get Kaitlin the Boar out of Alabama and let's
pay him fifteen million dollars a year, and they're going
to reset the market again by doing it. Well, you
wouldn't have to do that with Kyle Whittingham necessarily, but

(01:15:18):
you know that's those are Michigan problems.

Speaker 3 (01:15:20):
Not mine.

Speaker 2 (01:15:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:15:21):
I mean, ultimately, it actually and it's a weird show
to do today because I didn't prep for any of this,
so I didn't know the news was going to come
down that I didn't expect the Mandel report that he
still wants to coach. But honestly, Kyle Whittingham in ann
Arbor feels like it makes a lot of sense.

Speaker 2 (01:15:36):
Like it actually feels like a pretty synergistic fit. Yeah.

Speaker 11 (01:15:43):
I mean, like I already stated, there's nobody that could
calm the waters more quickly than Kyle Whittingham, and it would.
It's not like the splash higher that gets every Michigan
fan and the students excited like, oh my gosh, this
is a guy who's going to win us A national
championship next year. But it is a hire that you

(01:16:05):
could not find a single person out there willing to
criticize or able to criticize. Because what your goal should
be at Michigan right now are to hire someone who's
a proven commodity as a head coach, as a recruiter,
as a developer of talent, and as a steadying force.
And I mean, I guess you know what you could
Kirk Farrens at Iowa might be just as good as

(01:16:27):
a hire, but they're very familiar with him. They know
his problems in the Big Ten, and they don't want
those at Michigan. So I don't think it's going to happen.
But if I were the athletic director of the university
president at the University of Michigan, as soon as I
saw that news come across my desk, I'd be getting
the phone number of Kyle Whittingham's agent, especially when I

(01:16:48):
saw Camaraanie and Stewart Mandel saying, hey, he might still coach.
He's just stepping away from Utah because it's time and
it's Morgan Scalley's turn, all right.

Speaker 2 (01:16:56):
Last thing that I'll set you loose, away from the rumors,
away from what next.

Speaker 1 (01:17:00):
The Sean O'Connell opinion, if you just were if I
should to be a bit reductive so I can sell
you lose. Kyle Whittingham's legacy as Utah's head football coach
sounds like what.

Speaker 11 (01:17:14):
Best coach in program history, one of the best coaches
and we've seen in all of college football. Put up
the statue and just be happy that you had someone
who was able to navigate the craziness of taking over
from Urban Meyer, replicating the Fiesta Ble success and taking

(01:17:38):
it to a higher height by beating Alabama in a
Sugar Bowl, and then of course pushing this program, this university,
at this athletic department, this community, this team through a
transition into power football, into the Pac twelve Conference, where
you didn't just like hang around and you didn't just
do a decent job. You ended up building yourself first

(01:18:00):
into a conference championship contender, and then into a conference
champion and into a nationally respected perennial Top twenty five team.
You were a college football power in Salt Lake City, Utah,
that two decades ago was a basketball town, mostly because
of Kyle Whittingham. That's as good a legacy as anyone's

(01:18:21):
going to leave at any college football program.

Speaker 2 (01:18:24):
Well said Sean.

Speaker 1 (01:18:25):
Appreciate the time, Enjoy the PFL Championships, Enjoy France.

Speaker 2 (01:18:29):
Travel safe, and we'll see you next week.

Speaker 11 (01:18:30):
Okay, all right, see you next week. Thanks.

Speaker 2 (01:18:33):
All right.

Speaker 1 (01:18:33):
Great Sean O'Connell with some perspective on the massive news
that broke right as we were starting this radio show,
Kyle Whittingham stepping down after twenty one years as Utah's
head coach.

Speaker 2 (01:18:43):
We are out to several different guests.

Speaker 1 (01:18:45):
A lot of them have gone quiet, and we'll explain
why coming up in a bit, but we'll do a
little golf as our guy, Paul Pubmeyer stops by out
of Friday.

Speaker 2 (01:18:53):
Hello, Paul, how are you, sir?

Speaker 3 (01:18:55):
Doing good?

Speaker 10 (01:18:55):
Spencer? You're a busy man.

Speaker 1 (01:18:57):
I am a busy man, and you know, we thought
we were to have a slow week, but it certainly
has been the exact opposite.

Speaker 2 (01:19:03):
Look. I know you're a golf guy, but you're also
a man in our community.

Speaker 1 (01:19:06):
What do you make of the twenty one years with
Kyle Whittingham as u Top Football's head coach?

Speaker 10 (01:19:12):
Jerry Sloan territory. Absolutely one of the greatest sports figures.
But I'm even bigger than that, because I think Sloan
was bigger than that. One of the greatest people our
state has produced. He happens to be a sportsman, but
I think he is one of the one of the
great people, one of the great men this state has

(01:19:33):
ever produced.

Speaker 2 (01:19:34):
Have you ever golfed with him? I know he loves you,
haven't I know?

Speaker 10 (01:19:38):
I know I've looked for the opportunity, but I haven't
had it yet. But look, he's not done. And you know,
whether he goes in there, whether O'Connell changes what he
says and decides, whether Wit takes me to Michigan with him,
who knows. But but you know, Kyle Whittingham is stepping
down as coach of the Utes. He's going to be

(01:19:59):
a and he's still a solid guy. I'm still hopeful.
I'm still looking for a chance to play golf with
this guy.

Speaker 1 (01:20:05):
I often find it hilarious that so many gentlemen are like, Okay,
I'm going to retire now, I'm going to go play golf,
when golf is like the worst possible thing for your
mental health that you could do. Why is it that
so many people want to retire and do something that
is so maddening.

Speaker 10 (01:20:20):
Oh, isn't that a puzzle? I think it's hasked to
do with the time that it takes, and you know,
now they'll have time for what can be long rounds.
We all know that that's a frustrating thing that it
can happen, and then of course the time that it
takes simply to work on your game. So I do
think it's a time issue as much as anything. But

(01:20:40):
we all know that people who are committed to the
game and want to make time for it absolutely can
do that throughout their lives.

Speaker 1 (01:20:50):
Is there a common denominator in an anybody that you've
seen that ultimately retires because a lot of these guys
are so competitive that I don't think they care to
just go do anything casually, Like I would imagine if
Witt wants the golf, Wit wants to be really really
good at golf. Like, have you seen any of this,
Like former players, former coaches who were like, Yeah, I'm

(01:21:11):
going to take up this sport and then realize how
hard it is and then just get maniacal about trying
to be better at it.

Speaker 10 (01:21:18):
Well, the top of that list is John Brody, who,
of course was an All Pro quarterback, mostly for the
Chargers but also the forty nine Ers. Brody won a
tournament on the Champions Tour when he was done with football.
He kept himself in shape and he put the effort
into it. Obviously an athlete. He got good, he got

(01:21:41):
way good, and he won on the Champions Tour no
small thing.

Speaker 2 (01:21:45):
Man.

Speaker 1 (01:21:46):
Is there any sport that kind of lends itself to
be naturally good? I mean, look, golf is so hard
that when you say you're good at it, it's very relative.
But is it like baseball because of the swing. Like
my brother in law was the captain of BYU's hockey team,
he swings his golf club like he's taking a slap shot.

Speaker 2 (01:22:04):
Seeing a lot of X basketball.

Speaker 1 (01:22:06):
Players be really good because of you know, ultimately hand
eye coordination. Is there another sport that lends itself to
just be naturally not good at golf, but just be
able to grasp the basics?

Speaker 10 (01:22:16):
You you you identified the top three. The baseball swing
is a golf swing on the horizontal. They there's a
great baseball swing coach named George Loo who taught two
Hall of famers, Rod Carew and George Brett, and Loo
was famous for saying it's a golf swing on the horizontal,

(01:22:36):
and he taught a golf swing. There's and and then
you mentioned basketball. There is the hand to hand eye
that goes in with basketball, but it's more than that.
There's the balance that is essential and making a jump
shot and is essential in executing a golf swing. And
then of course you mentioned hockey. If you want to

(01:22:57):
have some fun, drop a quarter in Mike Weir and
talk about the similarities between the hockey action and the
golf swing. They're rotational and with hockey you have to
keep your back skate from sliding dow from underneath you, right,
so you have to push off. In golf, they're very similar.
And then to that, I would add one that's counterintuitive

(01:23:20):
but very strong, and that's dance. Dancers know where they
have great body spatial awareness, They know where their body
is three D in space, and that is a real
asset in golf as well.

Speaker 2 (01:23:34):
Well.

Speaker 1 (01:23:35):
I'm signing up for ballroom as we speak, Paul. That's
the deal, all right. So I've got the schedule in
front of you. This obviously is a bit of a
downtime known as kind of the off season. But we've
got PGA Tour Q School going on right now, which
I can't imagine the intensity and the pressure on those
young men trying to take the next step. But any
other storylines in the world of golf that are catching

(01:23:57):
your attention right.

Speaker 10 (01:23:57):
Now, Well, Q School is the big one, and there
is so much human drama going on in Q School.
And just real quickly, the format here four rounds, so
seventy two holes, which is what a championship should be.
Seventy two holes to determine the top five. The top
five get APG Tour card the next forty so from

(01:24:18):
six through through forty forty six, they through forty one,
they get corn Faery Tour status. Now, there's a lot
of players in the field. In particular for what we follow,
there are three utons in the field who already have
corn Fairy status or in the case of Zach Blair,

(01:24:41):
conditional status on the big Tour, on the PG Tour.
They are there because they can do it, and they
are there trying to play into the top five, but
they're playing with house money. I'm talking about Zach Blair,
Daniel Summer Hayes and Peter Quest. They're playing with house money.
They already have Quest and Summer Hayes already have corn
Ferry status. Zach Blair has corn Fairy status plus conditional

(01:25:05):
status on the PGA Tour. They're just trying to play
into the top five. If they do, bully, if they don't,
then they already know what they're doing next year.

Speaker 2 (01:25:13):
Anyway, good points.

Speaker 1 (01:25:15):
All right, what's coming up on the show tomorrow before
I set you loose?

Speaker 10 (01:25:19):
Yeah, well, there's a lot still going on in Utah golf.
We have an amazing champion in Utah in Max Togy Salah.
Max is in a dominant way, the best seeded player
in the world and he just won. He plays out

(01:25:41):
of a wheelchair. He was paralyzed in a skiing accident
and he just won the Arizona seeded Championship, added to
the Minnesota seeded Championship and the three time USGA National
Championship that he has won. We're going to be talking
with Max Toby Salam and we're going to be talking

(01:26:05):
about the awards that were announced here recently from the
Utah PGA.

Speaker 1 (01:26:10):
Good stuff, Paul, thanks for the time on a Friday.
Have a great weekend and maybe get out and play golf.
We still have some decent weather.

Speaker 10 (01:26:15):
Yeah, look at that, it's December somewhere that it looks
like springtime to me out there.

Speaker 1 (01:26:20):
I'll take it as long as I can get at
playing Davis on Sunday. Be good, all right, nice, thank you,
all right, Paul pug Meyer. I want to remind you
that ESPN seven hundred and the Rocky Mountain Chevy Dealers
and by you to help those at the road Home
this holiday season with needed blankets, coats, shoes, hats and gloves.
Drop off donations at any Rocky Mountain Chevy dealer. Visit
ESPN seven hundred sports dot com for dealer locations, spread

(01:26:43):
the warmth and help others find their way home and
join us at the Midvale Road Home Media on December
eighteenth and the nineteenth. And by the way, if you're
looking for good Christmas gifts for the golfer in your life,
you got to go to you into Golf.

Speaker 2 (01:26:55):
I was there this week.

Speaker 1 (01:26:55):
They've got great deals latest on Ping Calloway Titleist tailor
made it More Salt Lake, Riverdale, Sandy and or serving
Uta since nineteen seventy one, simulators, club fitting and repairing more.
Go to uentogolf dot com. In a wild day Porter
trying to make the community emotional playing free Bird. As
Kyle Whittingham has stepped down as Utah's head football coach.

(01:27:18):
He has not retired, but he has stepped down. Out
to a number of different guests. We got about two
hours left on the show. Started things out with Eric Weddle,
one of coach with certain success stories, and Kyle Beshawn
Sean O'Connell who's oversea. He's doing a little PFL. I'm
not sure what Friday brings for Dave Bartwo but Dave,

(01:27:39):
how are you, sir?

Speaker 9 (01:27:40):
Dude?

Speaker 3 (01:27:40):
I'm doing doing good. The phone number starts coming in
and I was like, hey, coach, I gotta I gotta go.
I got another coach and so you got me out
of a staffing discussion from across the country.

Speaker 8 (01:27:54):
So I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (01:27:55):
Okay, there you go, and look you have joined us
over the years and you have all He's had very
very kind things to say about with high praise for
Wit and now he steps aside as the head coach.

Speaker 2 (01:28:07):
What sort of perspective can you give our community?

Speaker 1 (01:28:09):
As far as just how good of a job he
did here as Utah's had football coach.

Speaker 3 (01:28:14):
Well, I mean, you lost a top twenty graded active
head coach. I mean, those guys just don't grow on trees.
And look at the turnover of that industry and how
almost impossible it is to have a tenuere of well
greater than ten years. So, I mean, he navigated the

(01:28:35):
program out of a group of five into the Pac twelve,
built it into what it is today. There's not a
whole lot of guys in college football that can say
I am unequivocally the man that built this football program
from from basically the ground up. So, you know, you

(01:28:57):
think about guys like that across the huntry. You know,
b why You's got Lavell Edwards, I mean, the Duck's
got Mike Bolotti, Tom James at Washington. I mean you
think about all the number one guys Bill Snyder at
Kansas State. You know, you start putting into perspective of
all these number one guys of these top programs that

(01:29:18):
are out there.

Speaker 5 (01:29:20):
He was.

Speaker 3 (01:29:20):
He's not just an amazing active head coach that that's
stepping down. It was a you know, a legendary guy
in college football.

Speaker 1 (01:29:29):
And you analyze a number of different uh you know
pieces when it comes to what makes college football coaches
either you know, uh very successful, and you're also good
hit pointing out the college football coaches that might be
a little bit over their skis what what can you
share about what you believe with secret sauce? Was recruiting,
you know, defensive prowess, sexs and o's whatever.

Speaker 2 (01:29:51):
That sounds like Dave, Why why was he so good
at his job?

Speaker 3 (01:29:54):
Gosh, you know, there's all there's so many intangible things.
You know what, all the head coaches I've worked with
over the last decade plus, really really good ones, they
all have little distin tangible stuff that you really can't
account for. I would say number one though, is mentally

(01:30:17):
the ability to be organized and focused and driven day
in and day out. There's so many people, especially now
with people getting fired. Look at how much money to
make I should have been a head coach.

Speaker 1 (01:30:28):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:30:30):
These are different, different animals. They are just wired differently.
Everything that their genetics you know, they're born with and
how they're brought up, and it's almost inexplicable. And sometimes
you got to get a little lucky on the way
you know, and I'd probably say the thing I point
to when you look at a lot of coaches that

(01:30:52):
have done it really, really good for a long time,
is they are able to find and reach pain excellence
better than most guys. And you know, so when I
think of Utah football, the first thing I think of
is Whittingham. But I also look at the staff and

(01:31:14):
I go, he's got a top ten defensive coordinator in
Morgan Scalley, and he had him for a long long
time relative to what most other coaches have in terms
of coordinators. So I think part of it is maybe
one of the intangibles, besides those things I just mentioned,

(01:31:34):
is the ability to build a culture and bring in
coaches that don't want to leave, you know, because you
can leave for more money in a lot of places,
especially when you're that good. I think probably one of
the unsung things that people don't talk about that much
is the coaching continuity that he was able to manufacture
at his time in Utah.

Speaker 1 (01:31:55):
So when it comes to your reference, Morgan Morgan Scalley,
who now will be the guy he slides over one
seat and your metrics have always indicated that he's also
elite at what he does. What sort of head coach
do you think Morgan Scalley's gonna.

Speaker 3 (01:32:07):
Make Dave no idea, man, no idea. We can get
hammered right now and throw darts. It's the same same probability,
right because he's never done the head coaching thing before,
he can become one of the greatest head coaches in
college football. You know, but we've seen plenty of guys
that are elite at offense or defense fail at that,
and vice versa. You know, there's guys that you know

(01:32:30):
aren't good at what they've done, and somehow they look
at Kenny dilly Am in one good year his entire
life with Oregon and Bo Nicks, and somehow he parlayed
it into doing a great job at Arizona State. But
by the numbers, could we have seen that coming?

Speaker 9 (01:32:47):
No?

Speaker 3 (01:32:48):
No, now, we'll it surprise us. If you talked a
teams having great defense and he's a really really good
defensive head coach, No, that won't surprise us. But how
well he handles the offense and staffing and recruiting and
nil and so forth. Look, Kyle had a long run
way to figure all that stuff out. And I know

(01:33:11):
Morgan has been learning this side by side, But it's
really different for guys watching people put their feet in
the fire versus getting your feet put in the fire.
Kind of like that Mike Tyson and everybody has a
plan until they get punched in the mouth. Oh, we're
going to find out what Morgan's all about when he
gets punched in the mouth. He's been doing this long enough.
But there's no guarantee of success or failure at this level.

(01:33:33):
We're just well, this is a blank slate. Baby, it's
not good, it's not bad. We're just hopeful as you stand, do.

Speaker 2 (01:33:41):
You have any and I may be catching you off guard.

Speaker 1 (01:33:44):
So there's probably a spreadsheet somewhere that you have where
you could dig this up. But when it comes to
the history of just moving coordinators into the head coach role,
you know, Ryan Day, you can come up with a
lot off the top of your head that have worked
and maybe some that haven't more or more often than not.

Speaker 2 (01:34:02):
Is it the right move or is the data kind
of cloudy?

Speaker 3 (01:34:06):
It's pretty cloudy on that.

Speaker 6 (01:34:07):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:34:08):
Next man up always scares me, man, it really does.
But I think a lot of it though, depends on
how much influence Kyle continues to have, you know, in
that transition. Now, this has been a long runway, so
this isn't a surprise, you know, he isn't suddenly retiring
and oh my gosh, now Morgan's up to bat. I

(01:34:28):
mean this was probably decided last year at the beginning
of the season, who knows when. So so emotionally there's
been a preparation there. But if you notice in recent years,
next man up has been very, very successful when the
guy that planned it all out sticks around, right, Jip
Kelly was nothing without Mike Bloody. We didn't realize it

(01:34:49):
until Chip left and tried to be a head coach
somewhere else and go, wow, he really sucks at this
except for the x's and o's. So so Mike helped
with the transition because he built that in. Bob Stoops
helped with the transit. Lincoln Riley you know, and built
that in. So this transition between Kyle and Morgan has
been going on for a while. It'll be interesting to

(01:35:09):
see going forward because everybody's talking about, well, he's not retiring,
he can still work out there. Yeah, I've seen his contract.
You can retire if you want to. I know what
the pay is going forward for the rest of your life,
so he can do whatever the hell he wants to do.
I would just love to see him be a greater
part or stick around in that transition for the utes,

(01:35:30):
but you know it's not necessary. And again back to
your question, there's no rhyme or reason if it's going
to be successful or fail just because of the situation.

Speaker 1 (01:35:42):
Let me ask you about Utah's offensive coordinator Jason Beck.
It's a new situation with one year of data at
least on the P four level in the Big twelve.

Speaker 2 (01:35:52):
I mean, he had coached in other places, but we talk.

Speaker 1 (01:35:55):
A lot with you over the years about with about
Morgan and of course coach lot Andy Ludwig, who is
no longer here was leco last year. But what does
your data say about Jason Beck as far as a
play caller and offensive coordinator.

Speaker 3 (01:36:09):
I'd extend him right now if I could. From Morgan scale.
It's probably the first thing I do for continuity. He's
been really good. The offense has been solid. He's done
it at two places now, so it's portable.

Speaker 6 (01:36:20):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:36:21):
This is an offense that works in two spots. It's
not just one that worked somewhere at one spot forever.
So we've got a portable offense, we have a rising
star in terms of offensive coordinator ability, and we're looking
for continuity here. So I think that I'm honestly surprised
I haven't had more people In all the coaching searches

(01:36:42):
that I've been in around the country, there haven't been
a lot of reports requested for him, which has really
been a bit of a surprise for me, because I
think there's a tremendous amount of upside and in the
Big twelve, like it or not, big teams can poach
your guys, right, There's just more money on the other
side if they want to do that. So I like
the hire when Kyle hired him, and I think he's

(01:37:06):
done a very very good job, and I think it'd
be very very difficult to upgrade that position right now
given the current circumstance in college football.

Speaker 1 (01:37:16):
So it's been an interesting day, Dave, because the Kyle
Whittingham news came down two minutes before we started the show.

Speaker 2 (01:37:23):
We were expecting it at some point.

Speaker 1 (01:37:27):
The deadline for him to inform the administration was last Friday,
but nothing became public until literally we cracked the mic.
And this is live radio. It's not a podcast. The
light goes on, you got to do the thing. So,
you know, we had Eric wedelon. We've talked a lot
about you know, Kyle's legacy and said thank you and
ultimately what it means. And then as the Weddel interview

(01:37:48):
was ending, Stuart Mandel from The Athletic is reporting that
Kyle is not retiring and is interested in other coaching opportunities.
So it's kind of become this like fluid situation. And
you know, there's a school in ann Arborg that's been
in the news that might need a head coach. Do
you do you think that there would be any interest
there either with Michigan calling Kyle or Kyle answering that

(01:38:10):
phone call.

Speaker 3 (01:38:11):
Okay, Okay, I'm gonna say this again for the million time. Okay,
not on the show, but this is just for everybody listening,
because I have been in dozens of head coaching searches
and I've been in hundreds of staff builds. Okay, everybody
in the media throws s against the wall when it

(01:38:32):
comes down to the coaching carousel. There's no accountability. Anybody,
even Stuart Mandel can make anybody can make anything up
for a click, and they do. Okay, ninety nine percent
of what you hear out there is made up. It
doesn't exist. It is just simply there to drive people
talking about it and get people to click. Now there

(01:38:52):
is one percent that is real, and that one percent
is driven by agents. Okay, the agents get stuff out there.
You ever wonder why somebody has a suddenly of you know,
why is John David Baker suddenly the hot name out
there when he's had one good year in his career.
Agents drive this up. So it's a nine to one,
and I can unequivocally say every search I've ever been in, Okay,

(01:39:14):
head coach, coordinators, unit guys, you name it. I'm working
on seventeen right now, just right now, this year alone. Okay,
nothing has ever leaked, Nothing other than agents putting stuff
out there and people guessing, nothing has ever leaked. So
to your question about Kyle, yeah, maybe he is. I
take all of that with an incredible grain assault. No

(01:39:36):
matter who it comes from. It could just simply be
a dart throw just getting a reaction. So that could happen,
but let's just wait and see. It doesn't change the
trajectory of the youth program right now, But I'll believe
it when I see it.

Speaker 2 (01:39:52):
Fair enough, and more or less, I'm with you.

Speaker 1 (01:39:55):
Mandel's a guy I've had on the show and seems
to be, you know, well sourced, and I have been
in contact with somebody who knows him and said most
of his contacts are agent. So maybe it is Kyle's
agent floating it out there to say, hey, my guy's
not done done, but let's let's move over into the
space of what you think is most likely with Kyle.
I mean, he has a very nice retirement package at

(01:40:18):
his disposal once he steps aside. He's quote a special advisor,
which means he's still being paid a lot of money
to stay as connected to the program as Morgan wants.

Speaker 2 (01:40:28):
Him or has Mark wants him.

Speaker 1 (01:40:29):
And you referenced earlier that the succession plan that has
worked has included the next man up, but also the
guy was that was there before kind of sticking around
to help him, you know, guide him into the next
era of Utah football.

Speaker 2 (01:40:41):
Do you think that's the most likely thing we're going
to see with Kyle?

Speaker 1 (01:40:45):
I do.

Speaker 5 (01:40:45):
I do.

Speaker 3 (01:40:46):
And as far as Michigan goes, you know, I see
a lot of names floated out there. I've heard that
Michigan is a quote unquote nuclear right now, a lot
of issues going on to there, But that doesn't seem
to perturb a lot of head coaches because Michigan is
still a ginormous brand and the amount of money to
get paid to go there is huge, and the talent
is well, we know what the talent level is. So

(01:41:11):
I still go with best man available. I don't think
that's Jed Fish, a guy who's won less than thirty
percent of his road games as a head coach. Yeah,
not my guy, and so I would stick with me.
I'm sticking with the bigger names. I'm going Bram, I'm
going Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly. I think those are

(01:41:31):
the three names that you should look out for in
the process. If I had to pick one. Yeah, I
don't think I'll pick one. That's a pretty big job.
But I think those If you said, Dave, give me
three that you'd go after first and foremost, I think
it would be those guys.

Speaker 1 (01:41:50):
I don't know what to ask you about Sharan Moore.
I mean, that was such a wild twenty four hours.
You know, we were on air when the news came
down that he had been five and then as I
was driving home, I get the alert on my phone
that he had been arrested. So, I mean, look, talk
about a generational fumbling of the bag.

Speaker 2 (01:42:10):
You lose your job, you're not going to get any
of the money owed to you.

Speaker 1 (01:42:14):
And I don't know his wife, but I would imagine
she's not pumped about this entire thing. But but away
from that, what sort of coach was he? And what's
your reaction to just kind of how that whole thing
went down?

Speaker 3 (01:42:25):
Well, you know, I mean as as a person personally
and have known a lot of people. I think we've
all known a lot of people that as we get older,
because I ain't no spring Chicken anymore, what we know
of we've had, but there's probably a lot of people
listening that just emotionally, there's missteps, there's breakdowns. It's inexplicable,

(01:42:49):
you know, triggers in our heads. So whatever drove him
to his emotional situation, that's rough, and I hope he
he's better for it and can work his way through that.
But as a coach, there was pretty average. There wasn't
anything special there offensively struggled on the offensive side of

(01:43:13):
the ball hiring that side, I think he lived a
lot off of Harbaugh's culture and the depth of the
defensive side. You know, he brought in wink Market. Martin
Dale has done a pretty good job overall at Michigan
relative to the talent. But when it comes right down
to it, has he excelled the gifts that he was

(01:43:35):
given from a talent and schedule standpoint No? And I
think on the offensive side he struggled to find any
sort of rhythm there whatsoever. And I do feel that
since he took over, the program's been on a slow regression.
It makes me feel when you look at the numbers.
If I put Mark Helfrich Oregon and Schwunmore Michigan side

(01:43:57):
by side, and is just coach A and coach B,
and you watch the regressions of where it came from,
They're pretty similar in terms of their spiral down over
the years.

Speaker 1 (01:44:09):
Other piece of coaching news before I say you lose
since you and I last spoke and when you and
I last spoke, Colonie Satake was flirting with Penn State,
but he decided to continue to live with his wife
of b Yu A very healthy raise for Klonnie and
his assistance as a guy that knows the landscape. Your
thoughts on Colonie say no to a very premier job

(01:44:30):
to stay with Buyu.

Speaker 3 (01:44:31):
Yeah, I don't think he's ever going. I don't think
he's ever going. It wasn't even if you'd asked me,
dab Or you're worried about Colonia leaving for Penn State. Nope,
I'm just wondering what his raise is going to be
when they renew him.

Speaker 6 (01:44:42):
That's it.

Speaker 3 (01:44:43):
That's it. There wasn't even any I think once the
president of Penn State took over, it was all Matt
Campbell and that was it for a long time. So well,
you know, I'm glad Colanne got the raise. I hope
everybody did. They've earned it. They've done a tremendous job.
I mean, if you look at the last twenty four
regular season games outside of Kurt Signetti, has anybody been

(01:45:04):
more amazing than Klonie Sataki, No, not, I don't belief so. So,
you know, all very very deserving there. But I think
there was a little bit more drama. Remember what I
said about the ninety nine percent of the media driving clicks.
I think there's a lot more drama there than there
actually was.

Speaker 1 (01:45:22):
Okay, fair enough, and you're the guy that would kind
of help us understand all this, Dave, So look, I
appreciate the time, have a great weekend, whatever you're doing
hunting elk cocon utibules.

Speaker 2 (01:45:31):
It's always good to be Dave, bar two.

Speaker 3 (01:45:33):
Take it ey these Fenzer appreciate you well.

Speaker 1 (01:45:35):
Was expecting kind of a quiet Friday show. And then
as we were about to crack this microphone to start
the program today, we received an email from the Utah
Athletics Department, our guy Keeler mcjunkin that Coach Wit is
stepping down Kyle Whittingham, the all time winning as head
coach in the history of the University of Utah's football program.

(01:45:56):
We'll step down from leading the Utes and we'll continue
his highly successful well tenure in the Las Vegas Ball
on December the thirty first. Our next guest is one
of Coach WIT's success stories. Certainly, the bulk of the
credit goes to the player, which is Garrett Bowles on
a Friday afternoon, Garrett, Happy Friday, buddy.

Speaker 2 (01:46:14):
How are we doing.

Speaker 8 (01:46:15):
I'm doing good tickets. How are you, my guy?

Speaker 1 (01:46:17):
I'm well, I really appreciate your time, So just your
instant reaction. You know, We've had Eric Wedelon, We've had
Sean O'Connell, and it feels like a lot of people
maybe saw this coming, but now that it is official.
What does Garrett Bowles have to say about coach witz
stepping down?

Speaker 8 (01:46:33):
Well, Number one, it's always sad when you have a
coach like that step down that has done not just
so much amazing things for me, but just amazing people,
for so many players and so many people in the
state of Utah. And you know where he took, you know,
obviously took over for herber Meyer and then took you know,
this team to where it's at now is just an

(01:46:54):
unbelievable career for him. And you know, the relationship that
I have with him means the world to me. Him
so much. He's given me everything I can imagine. Taught
me to be a better father, better football player, taught me,
you know, mental toughness and so many things that has
applied to my life, not just as a father and
a husband, but as a football player in the NFL.
And I'm beyond grateful for our friendship. You know, obviously,

(01:47:18):
you know, coach Scalley is going to do a phenomenal
job taking that over. And you know, we keep everything
in the house at Utah. That's one thing that's special
about this program is all of our coaches have been
there for ten plus years, and you know, that's a
very unique situation, especially this day and age in college football,
keeping the guys around and keeping this Utah family so tight,
and that's just what it is. It's always the next

(01:47:39):
man of mentality. And I know Coach Scaley's going to
do a phenomenal job. But you know, hats off to
coach with for everything he's done. Has given his life
to this team and he has blessed so many people's lives.
So it's a sad day and a good day at
the same time.

Speaker 1 (01:47:55):
You know, the consistent theme Garrett has been the effect
that he has had on his players and young men
like yourself. And you know, he wedd called him a
father figure and your comments just now all of us
from the outside looking in simply know what he did
for the program as a coach, because you guys won
at such a high level and the program is now

(01:48:15):
one of the pre eminent college football.

Speaker 2 (01:48:17):
Programs in the Western United States.

Speaker 1 (01:48:19):
But as far as what allows him to have such
an impact on all of you as a leader and
a father figure. What's kind of his secret sauce? How
has he been able to mentor so many young men
the way he mentored you?

Speaker 8 (01:48:32):
I mean, I think number one is just his faith
and what he believes in and what he believes that
all men should be. And you know his obviously Mama Woodingham,
love her so much too, but his companion to rise
and die with him every single day, that right, just
hardly with him and all those things, like those two
people are so incredible. The whole Woodingham family is incredible,
but specifically you know Kyle and what he does and

(01:48:55):
what he stands for, his moral values, his family, his
knowing what is why is and sharing these stories. I
mean you you know, because one of him was one
of the big reasons why you know, I committed the
University of Utah and continue to go there because of
him being so consistent, you know, like what he told me,
He's like, listen, we're recruiting you, but I want to

(01:49:16):
know about your mom. I want to know about your wife.
And he still textes my wife, he still talks to
my mom, and like That's that's how it is, and
that's one of the reasons why I went to the
University of Utah. Obviously for you know, coach Harding as well.
But like what he is as a person. I mean,
he'll call me, text me, tell me he's watched my
game and ask me how I'm doing. He'll write me

(01:49:38):
personal letters, like he's just so involved and wants to
be involved. And you know, obviously when I have my
foundation events and things back during the summertime, like he
wants to be involved. He wants to be there, you know,
him and his wife coming. So that just means the
world to me. And you know, obviously, you know, I
play for my family and and my faith, you know,
being in the NFL, but I also play for the

(01:50:00):
tough football family too, because that's the type of man
that I want to be. That's the type of person
I want to be. He's just so involved in the
youth and just wants to be involved in everything. I mean, obviously,
you know he with ty Jordan Airon love, Like just
the respect that he has for his people, like most
coaches want to do what he does, especially for people

(01:50:20):
that passed on or that you know that are there
for a short period of time. Like he knows everybody
by name, he knows everybody's family by name. He's just
an incredible person. And I'm just being grateful to be
able to have a mentor like that and to be
able to play under a football coach like that. And
you know, just the GMS and the coaches in the
NFL respect Coach Winningham so much. I mean, my GM

(01:50:43):
coach Payton, I mean George Payton respects Coach winning him
so much. You know, obviously he brings him out, let
him come to games and stuff, but just to be
there and to see him and his success, it's just
truly remarkable. And I'm just I'm grateful, man, I'm so
grateful to be able to play for a man like that.
And he's left, he's left this program. He should be
proud of for what he's accomplished and this where this

(01:51:06):
team is going.

Speaker 1 (01:51:07):
As far as his secret sauce as a coach, you know,
the one word that feels like it will be consistently echoed,
because of course, we're going to do our best next
week to get as mini guests on as we can
to continue to reflect on his tenure. But the intensity
that he seemed to bring day in and day out
practicing and then preparing you guys to play for the
game on Saturday. So, as far as you know, we've

(01:51:30):
just talked about coach with the man, the coach with
the coach intensity, preparation. How would you articulate what has
made him so effective in that lane?

Speaker 8 (01:51:41):
He talks to us like man. I think that's the
first and foremost is he talked to us like we
were his own kids and he wanted won us to
be able to do anything if he wasn't going to
tell his own kids that. And you know from the
way that he prepped us, the way that we trained,
the way that we ate, the way that we travel,
the way that we did, you know, every little thing

(01:52:02):
from AB to C to be so successful. And there's
a reason why we win ten plus games a year
because he's gonna practice, he's gonna push his hard, and
he knows when to push us. He knows when to
pull back, he knows when he needs to jump down
our throat. He knows when to pull back. But like
when he yells, it's not like hey, man, get to
get the heck out.

Speaker 6 (01:52:20):
Of the room.

Speaker 8 (01:52:20):
It's like like dude, what are you doing? You know,
it's so mental and it's so powerful on the way
that he coaches and you don't want to let him down.
And you know, there's a reason why there's so many
dudes in the league that play for you know, five
to ten years or beyond that because of that mental
toughness that he embraces, that he puts into us and

(01:52:44):
we have to embrace it and inst the grind and
like when you get to the NFL, like, yeah, there's
there's coaches that are easier than others, but like coach Peyton,
you know, the pads and banging each other, Like I'm
so used to that because that's what we did at
Utah And I think that's just what transitions so well
into the league. And there's a reason why, you know,
Alex Smith's was so successful and all these amazing people,

(01:53:05):
because that's who coach Winningham is And it's just that
culture that he's built, the love factor, the respect factor,
and like when I say that we're truly a family,
we are. Like there's guys that are in the league
that I never played with, like a Caleb Lomber, the
tight end, and he's a brother to me because that's
the relationship and the culture and the you know, faith

(01:53:27):
based team that he built is that everyone love everybody.
And when you have that type of a culture and
you don't want to let your brother down, that's when
this team is powerful. And everyone's going to say, oh,
we never won the big games, but we did win
the big games because we put dudes in the league
number one. We put dudes in the business field number two.
And there are so many people that played for this

(01:53:48):
program that are so successful in life because of Coach
Winningham and what he does for all of us from
from Mondays to Saturdays.

Speaker 1 (01:53:55):
Yeah, I was, I was asking wet all this. He
played in the league for fourteen years? Is this your
eighth year, Garrett? That's hard to believe. Have you been
in eight years?

Speaker 8 (01:54:02):
Now? Nine tickets?

Speaker 2 (01:54:05):
Oh smokes? Okay, nine years in the league?

Speaker 10 (01:54:07):
Now?

Speaker 1 (01:54:08):
I wonder you know, because once upon a time when
I was in school with your uncle, and he and
I were in school together back in the nineties. You know,
Utah football, maybe one or two players per year would
either get drafted or to get an invite, and there
weren't a ton of you players across the landscape in
the NFL, there were some, but now it's very rare
to watch any game where there aren't multiple Utah Football

(01:54:31):
players involved in, you know, one team or the other
of the combination. What's the reputation in the NFL of
Kyle Whittingham and Utah football.

Speaker 8 (01:54:44):
Number one is that they don't have to worry about us,
because we're going to be respectful, we're going to be reliable,
We're going to show up every day to work. We
love football, and we're good people in the communities and
we want to we want to push each other in
all aspects of life. You know, we're good fathers, were
good husbands, were just good men in general. And you
know when you when I got drafted. When I was

(01:55:05):
getting drafted, I remember there's a lot of teams that
came up to me, was like, hey, there's a reason
why we brought you here for a thirty man das
or brought you in for a formal interview at the
combine because of your coach and your coaching staff. And
I mean, I mean, look at our team check It's
like coach Wineham coach there for so many years, but
like the staff, I mean, he kept this staff together

(01:55:26):
for so many years, and one thing was like, you
have to be consistent in football, like you had to
have a consistent staff, you had to have to consistent people,
and everyone's working for one goal and that's obviously, you know,
winning big games, which we did win a lot of
big games. And you know, there's a lot of dudes
that went onto the league. But like his whole thing
was he wanted to make you know, good men better

(01:55:47):
and that's truly what it was. And it was just
that culture, man and being in the NFL, Like they
know when they drafted Utah guys, they know exactly what
they're going to get. They're going to get a guy
that doesn't complain, that works hard, that loves football, that
just wants to be on the field and give it
everything he has, because that's how we were trained at Utah,
you know what I mean. Like when it's October or November,

(01:56:09):
there's other teams that aren't in pads. Oh, we're in
pads and we're working like there's no days off and
it's the off season and it's red zone Fridays. Like
it sucks, check its It sucks what you do in
the off season, but it pays the price.

Speaker 6 (01:56:23):
Forward.

Speaker 8 (01:56:23):
And what's so cool about being you know, a former
Utah Utah football players, Like we pay that tribute forward
for all the other kids that come through, all the
young men that come through. Like you know, when you
put that jersey on or you put that home on
out like it's tradition, and you know, all the guys
that played here went through the same thing, the same training,

(01:56:44):
running the heels with Coach e on Saturdays by Highland
High School. Like it's all these same things because it's
a family and we're all going to do this together.
And obviously, like it's not that's guys that's just play
in the NFL. It's guys that are businessmen, Like you're
going to get a Utah football player that it's just
us worthy that wants to work hard, that are good
people and and and loves football. And there's a reason

(01:57:05):
why guys in the league play longer than the average year,
which is three and a half years. Like guys are
playing five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, you know, fifteen
years because of what Coach Widingham has done for us,
the way that he's taught us, the physicality that we bring,
the mental game that we bring. You know, also the
spiritual game that we bring, because that's just the coachure

(01:57:25):
we have, and it's just it's just a really cool thing.

Speaker 5 (01:57:28):
Man.

Speaker 8 (01:57:28):
I mean, I obviously have talked to a lot of
my old teammates and and got to you know, I
still talk to him, I still love I still have
that connection because that's we embrace each other, and that's
what He's created and that's what the gms and the
coaches in the NFL level also also see it, and
they love that factor. There's a reason why Denver, ever
since that I've been here since twenty seventeen, I have
on average three to five guys on my team every

(01:57:51):
year that I played in college because of that reason,
and because you know, they know what we're going to
get out of each other, and they know exactly the
type of person that they're going to get.

Speaker 2 (01:57:59):
You know, you reference the spiritual side of the program, Garrett.

Speaker 1 (01:58:02):
I want to dig into this for a moment because
it's kind of a It's an interesting thing where even
though you know, the University of Utah's in Salt Lake
City and we're in the state of Utah, where there
are you know, depending on where you live, the majority
of certain folks down south and up north, the majority
LDS church Saalt Lake.

Speaker 2 (01:58:19):
The number is a little bit different.

Speaker 1 (01:58:20):
But in the Utah football locker room, you have coaches
of all different faiths and you have players of all
different faiths, and it's not like BYU where most of
them are LDS.

Speaker 2 (01:58:30):
It's a little bit different now.

Speaker 1 (01:58:31):
But what sort of what sort of leadership does Kyle
provide in that space to encourage, you know, everybody.

Speaker 2 (01:58:37):
Just to kind of find their own path and find
their own way.

Speaker 8 (01:58:41):
Yeah, I think I mean number one, I think that
what's so cool about University Utah's there's all different religions,
you right, There's there's Muslim, there's there's Movement, there's there's Catholic,
there's there's Christian. There's non dominational people, those people that
just believe in God but don't go to church. But
you know, we you know, Pastor Davies comes in, you know,

(01:59:01):
he's a pastor in the Salt Lake City community that
comes up and talks to us, you know, and then
we have another minister that comes in that they rotate
and so we also, you know, we get the Christian world,
we get the Mormon world. We can we get the
Catholic world and they rotate that and it's so cool
because after practice, you know, we'll get together in a corner.
I don't know what they do now, obviously they probably

(01:59:22):
get in the defense or offensive team room, but we
used to just do it on the field. I think
it was like every Wednesday or Thursday we would have
a little session and you know, first some weeks it
would be ten to fifteen guys and some guys it
would be fifty to sixty guys. Like it's just such
a neat experience, and you know, to have that spiritual
side because I truly believe like we're a balanced it's
a balanced university and especially a football team that you know,

(01:59:45):
it's all about faith, family, and football. I mean, that's
really what it is. And when you have those three
things that become your why and why you do what
you do. Obviously you build a culture that's just strong
and there's there's a reason why. You know, there's two
football programs in the entire country that I think, you know,
build their programs off of that, and it's coach Winningham

(02:00:06):
at you know, University of Utah, and then there's obviously
the program at University Iowa and I think both of
those head coaches obviously you know he's still coaching at Iowa,
but the one that Utah, like, if you talk about
who's the toughest, all the gems are gonna say, oh,
you football players and Iowa football players. And that's just
the truth. And I think it's because of that that
faith background and the love that we have each other.

(02:00:27):
And they're very similar coaches in a lot of ways.
Obviously there's more utes in the NFL that Iowa. I'll
admit that, but we don't have to say that out
too loud. But but that's that's what it is, check
it's in. It's just it's truly just a remarkable university.
Like I wish I was there longer than just one semester.
Obviously I did two years at Snow College. But I

(02:00:47):
claim Utah through and through. I've bleed read and I
love all those coaches so much, and especially Coach winning
him and and what he's given me to be able
to spring me forward to the man I am today.
And it's those it's those little things that you miss,
you know what I mean, when you get to the league,
as you miss those moments of you know there's a
day where we can get together and we can talk

(02:01:08):
about God, we can talk about faith, and we're all
there together and it doesn't matter you know, what race
you are or what religion you are, We're all coming
together because we all love God and we all love
each other, and we went what's best each other. And
he's just always there to help every single personnel. And
there's always a different program. There's always something going on
that each person like if you need a little bit

(02:01:29):
of help with homework, or if it's religion, or if
it's you know, my family's hurting, like there's somebody to
always talk to. And I think it's just who he
is as a person to build that strong unity and
that coach that we have there.

Speaker 1 (02:01:41):
What about your specific positional group, Garrett, because obviously Kyle
is a believer that you got to win in the
trenches and that's what U taught football is known for.

Speaker 2 (02:01:50):
And Jim Harding the offensive line coach.

Speaker 1 (02:01:52):
And of course you are a left tackle, one of
the best, by the way, according to Pro Football Focus.

Speaker 2 (02:01:58):
Are you aware that you're the best lefe tackle in
the NFL? Did you even know that?

Speaker 8 (02:02:04):
I mean I knew a little bit of it. But
I just, man, I just, I mean, obviously my team
talks to me about it, but really, man, I just
it's just one game at.

Speaker 1 (02:02:12):
A time for me to be honest with you, sure,
but like, what's the secret sauce with wit in Jim,
Because you know, I'm Spencer Fono was about to be
a top ten pick, you you know, the best left
tackle in the country. So when it comes to the trenches,
where Kyle really believes football games are one, why did
you taugh football develop such great offensive linemen?

Speaker 8 (02:02:33):
Yeah, I think well number one, shout out to all
the old blocks if anyone's listening. But yeah, I mean
those are the two big reasons. I mean, I mean,
there's three reasons why I came to Utah. Well, obviously
there's three coaches. You know, you got coach Whotyham, you
got coach Scalley, which is recruiting me, and then coach
Harding and they were just so consistent in all my recruiting.
And you know, to be honest with I never really

(02:02:56):
wanted to go to Utah, that was really the truth.
I wanted to go out of the state. I wanted
to go to Arkansas. I wanted to go somewhere big,
and it was just like the Lord was like, Nope,
this is where you're going. And there's a reason why
I went there. And it's the relationship factor that I
have with Coach Harding and just the small and things
that he knows what he does. And you know every
single person, you know, you got Cable Lomo, you got

(02:03:17):
you got Spencer fun. I mean, they're obviously the two
tackles that are going to get drafted in the in
the top. You know, thirty picks or forty picks is
what they're saying, which isn't remarkable. And I think, you know,
I think there's a streak of Utah that every tackle
that has played for coach Whitting or for Coach Harding
has been drafted. I think I'm I may be mistaken

(02:03:39):
by I believe that's still the ongoing training. It's just
the it's the culture that we build their number one.
It's the offense that we play in. It's it's the
mental toughness that they created us, and they just let
us be ourselves. I mean, to be an offensive tackle,
you sort of have to be a weirdough you know
what I mean, Like you have to you have to.
You have to be you have to be a little
freaky because there's so many good the ends in this

(02:04:00):
league and you have to want to. And you know,
obviously coach Harding is a phenomenal coach, and you know,
I talked to him on a regular basis. He means
the world to me and I can run anything by
him on any little thing of what he saw in
the game or what he sees that I can do better,
and he still coaches me. And that's just the type
of Manny is. But it's definitely the family atmosphere. I

(02:04:20):
think that's number one what brings these guys in and
brings it together. But you know, he knows how to
he knows how to look at guys that are athletic
and big and strong, and you know, we may not
be the biggest names, which is you know, the biggest names,
or you know, the guys that go to Alabama and
Auburn and whatever they want to say. The SEC has
did lineman, but I mean, quite frankly, we produced some

(02:04:41):
of the best linemen in football for the last ten years.
And for Jordan Gross and all these guys, Zame Beatles,
I mean, all these guys that came in before us.
I mean, there's a reason why there's been so many
big time offensive lineman and defensive lineman in the league
just because of that competitive nature. He knows how to
recruit people. You know what's so unique about Coach Hardening.

(02:05:02):
He's a math teacher. I don't know if you knew that.
Check It's like he he was a math teacher. And
you know, when you go to school, you're like, oh,
I get a math teacher, Like, what the heck is this?
You know what I mean? They just talk so calm
and direct and patience and loving and just want what's
best for you and a teacher of the game. I mean,
that's literally what Harding is is like he's a teacher
of a game and you know all minute Like when

(02:05:24):
I was when I was coming out of the draft,
a lot of teams didn't think I was the smartest
and brightest, But what they didn't realize was I just
learned differently because I have a learning disability, and there's
day in and day out. I'd go to Coach Harding's
office and I'd sit down with him, and he would
teach me x's and o's, and he would walk through
plays with me. He wanted what's best for me, and
you know, sometimes the guys just learned differently. But he

(02:05:45):
can put the most talented guy out there and make
him the smartest guy because of the teacher of the game.
And obviously when you get in our weight lifting program
and our you know, obviously our nutrition program, and then
what's coach Harding's you know, freaking a your mindset of
knowing how to attack people and knowing technique and knowing
how to do these things from Dan and add to

(02:06:06):
be a good offensive lineman. I mean, there's a reason
why these guys are getting produced. And Spencer's gonna have
a phenomenal career, Caleb is going to have a phenomenal career.
And it's just so much fun to watch these young
guys just go and dominate. You know, Crumb in the middle,
Jared Crumb had a phenomenal career, you know obviously about
tow injuries and came up and stepped up big at center.
And it's just so much fun to watch these young

(02:06:27):
boys to dominate the line of scrimmage. And obviously we
had what the best O line in college football in
my opinion, and it just speaks volume of the program
that we have and the atmosphere that Coach Harding provides.

Speaker 1 (02:06:40):
Spencer obviously is gone. Do you think Caleb is too?
Do you think he's ready, because we're really hoping that
he comes back for at least one more year.

Speaker 8 (02:06:48):
Yeah, I mean, I'm not quite sure. Obviously, I spent
a lot of time with him, and you know, this
whole agency thing, he signed with my agency, which I
think I had the best agent in all of in
the NFL. And that's just the truth. And he'll be
the first one to say every year when he's about
to recruit kids, of who he wants to recruit, the
first team he goes to is the University Utah because
he knows the type of character that he's going to get.

(02:07:09):
And you know, Caleb's a phenomenal person. I mean, obviously
Spencer's going to go have a phenomenal career in the NFL,
and Caleb is, you know, your prototypical left tackle. He's
going to get the job done. He's smooth with it,
he's he's strong, he's agile, he can pend. I mean,
he protected you know, Dumber so well this year and
it was just so much fun to be able to
connect with him and have that relationship with him. And

(02:07:31):
you know, we talked and obviously I need to talk
to him more. I've just been so busy, but it's
always good to talk to him and catch up with
him and be able to train with him in the
summertimes when I'm back at back at home, and hopefully
we continue to do that throughout the years.

Speaker 2 (02:07:44):
Before we get to a really cool honor for you.

Speaker 1 (02:07:46):
I did want to ask you a question about Morgan,
who is now sliding over a seat and taking over
as the head man. It feels like it's a consensus, Garrett,
among the alum that this is the right move. Why
what gives you the most confidence that Morgan can keep
this thing going.

Speaker 8 (02:08:03):
It's because he's played in the system. He's been at
Utah for you know, his whole career. He played here,
he coached here. He knows what it takes. But his
he's so enthusiastic, you know what I mean. He's just
so kind. But he's gonna he's gonna run you. He's
gonna he's gonna push you, he's gonna push his limits.
But you know, this day and age, you need somebody

(02:08:23):
to come in and and have that culture, in that
mindset of of taking young men and turning them in
the man. And you know this, You know, these younger
generation kids, they are a little bit different than when
I when we went to school, you know what I mean,
check it's they're a little bit just different with how
many technology and things like that. That nature and coach
College does a phenomenal job of knowing who to talk
to and who to bring in. Obviously, he is one

(02:08:44):
of the best defenses in college football and has been
like that. And you know, obviously I don't know what
it is, but Utah football just loves defensive minded coaches,
from Herbert Mayer to Coach Woodingham to you know, Ron
McBride to coach was a coach Meyer, right, is that Ron?
And coach Whittingham and now Scalley. I mean, obviously it's
just defensive minded people. And uh, it's just that mental

(02:09:05):
toughness that he has, that direct has, the relationship, fact
that he has the loving atmosphere. It's like having Coach
Woodingham all over again. It's just a two point zero
version of him and and and more, you know, Yipida
and and and that's really the difference. I mean, I
don't think we'll see a slight not even a slight
drop off. I think it's just going to continue to

(02:09:26):
go forward and it's gonna move for our program. You know,
obviously it's sad to let Wooding him go and you know,
him to go live his life, but he's been doing
it for a long time, and I'm excited to see
what Scaly can do. Obviously, you know, I have a
great relationship with him with the whole Sigma Kai thing
through my uncle, so that was pretty cool to be
able to learn about that when I was up there.
But I love him. I think the world of him

(02:09:48):
comes from a great family, and I'm so excited to
see what you can do for this program.

Speaker 2 (02:09:51):
Your uncle's gonna love that you drop the Sigma Kai there, Garrett.
You know your uncle's gonna love that.

Speaker 1 (02:09:57):
Hey, before I say you lose, not only are you
elite what you do on the field, you're very elite
on what you give back off the field. And you
are the Broncos nominee for the Walter Payton Man of
the Year.

Speaker 2 (02:10:10):
Number one. Congrat young man, keep making us proud. Number two.
How can our listeners help you?

Speaker 8 (02:10:16):
Yeah, I appreciate that it's a tremendous honor to be
able to represent the Broncos organization, to be you know,
a participate in this man the year. You know, it's
my second the nominee. And you know, I built my foundation.
I started in twenty seventeen and I've started to grow. Obviously,
it started in the Utah and now I'm starting to
get over here in Denver. But I help underprivileged kids

(02:10:37):
to be able to get back to there, to give
them a life that you know that I never lived
when I was younger, and to be able to provide
for them and to give them if it's mentor, if
it's mentoring, if it's counseling, if it's you know, spiritual, physical,
whatever it is about helping them find their why in
life and why we do what we do, and why
we want to wake up and why we want to

(02:10:57):
go be successful. And obviously we're modeling some pods right
now at the Marvin Foot Center, which is the correctional
facility right by my facility here in dub Valley in Colorado,
and I'm basically remodeling all six pods with new paint,
new carpet, new furniture, a century wall, some TVs, some
more technology for them to connect with their mentors so

(02:11:19):
they're not just feeling like they're locked up and nobody
cares about them. My mentor over there mentored over two
hundred youth and that correctional facility also, so we're remodeling
that area. And then also, you know, my son was
diagnosed with the practice of speech, we a launched the
first ever. It's called B and B so it's a
b Orman Bowls Training center for kids with the PRACTXIER.

(02:11:40):
We're going to train specialize special speech teachers to be
able to have them specialize in a practice of speech
to be able to help kids that are needed. My
son was diagnosed in twenty twenty one Kingston, So the
curriculum is going to be called I Am king which
is his name for sure, and we'll be able to
get back to the communities here. It's the first one
ever in the entire world to be able to train

(02:12:02):
these people with the most renowned speech therapist, Jennie b Orme.
Never knew that when I signed my second contract when
my son was diagnosed, that she was going to be
twenty minutes away from my house. So God works in
mysterious ways but I knew this was something that I
wanted to do. I wanted to open up a school
and training center to be able to provide kids for

(02:12:22):
the things that they need. There's so many amazing things
that we have in store that we want to do
and continue to make this as big. We have our
first training coming up in this June. We just opened
up in August, right before the season started, and then
we're just going through all the board members and being
able to come up with the curriculum, and there's just
a lot of work we're doing. So Number one, you

(02:12:43):
can vote for me for Pro Bowl. You can also
vote for me for a Walta Man of the Year
because there's so many different things that you guys can
do for me. I'm also doing a twelve day giving
on my Twitter, twelve days of Giving for Christmas. So
today's I think we have a signed jersey by me,
and then there's some other things to doughout the week.
So I appreciate all my fans and all the love

(02:13:04):
that I have for Utah. You know, it's an honor
to be able to represent the state and to be
able to come over here and represent in the NFL.
So I'm grateful for all you guys and the love
that I have for all you guys.

Speaker 1 (02:13:17):
Well, don Garrett, like I said, keep making us proud.
I appreciate the time and go Broncos.

Speaker 8 (02:13:21):
Okay, yeah, much love brother, Talk to you soon.

Speaker 1 (02:13:24):
Garrett Bowles one of the best to ever do it
at the University of Utah, first round pick for the
Denver Broncos back in twenty seventeen, and according to Pro
Football Focus, we just had the best left tackle in
the NFL.

Speaker 2 (02:13:37):
On did you No? I didn't think so. Great stuff
from Garrett.

Speaker 1 (02:13:40):
He is the Broncos Man of the Year nominee as
far as the Walter Payton Man of the Year. So
go find him on social media and then he's giving
away an autograph Jersey. I sent out the tweet on
my Twitter page. He's got an Instagram post as well.
So really appreciate Garrett stopping by today and really appreciate
the shout out to sigem Ma Kay that apparently my
producer just wasn't really a.

Speaker 2 (02:14:01):
Fan of you guys do your thing. Well, I'm just saying,
when are you going to accept that we run the city?

Speaker 10 (02:14:07):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (02:14:08):
Yeah, I guess you do.

Speaker 2 (02:14:09):
Kind of well, shout out Morgan Garrett definitely more now.

Speaker 1 (02:14:13):
Garrett's uncle McKinley, who helped us get him on the
show today A proud I believe he was the pro
con which is vice president when I was a pledge.
So you guys were there together, Yeah, we were there.
Morgan was there a few years after us. How about
Garrett Bowls the best left tackle in the NFL.

Speaker 4 (02:14:30):
Something else he has been and listen, he showed flashes
of of what he could be at the University of Utah.
He had some of those those plays where it looked
like the blind side right where he was just blowing
over other players in my manhandling guys at the Division
IE level. You could see, oh, there's some potential here,

(02:14:54):
but Garrett was not like ready to play the position
at a pro level. The the growth that he's made
since he stepped foot on campus, that potential coming to
fruition shout out Jim Harding and the co there, and
then to get to Denver and just keep getting.

Speaker 2 (02:15:12):
Better and better.

Speaker 4 (02:15:14):
It says a lot about his work ethic, phenomenal football player.

Speaker 2 (02:15:16):
And what a sweet kid. I mean.

Speaker 1 (02:15:18):
If you're not familiar familiar, excuse me with his story
I would encourage you to look into it has overcome
a ton to literally be a master at his craft.

Speaker 2 (02:15:27):
Okay, well, I guess if it's not busy enough.

Speaker 1 (02:15:29):
On a Friday, breaking news from Ross Dellinger, the Big
Twelve is nearing a deal with Redbird and Weatherford Capital
for a cash infusion as much as five hundred million schools,
as well as striking a strategic investment partnership with the
firms at the League officials. Redbird was the former private
equity firm that the Outro guys left to start their firm.

(02:15:53):
So as if we weren't busy enough, there's more breaking
news on a Friday before we catch a break. Our
friends it out Loud is still a rea have got
great honeybourbon, new barrel proof bourbon, vodka, spice rum and
coffee rum. You can try some of their spirits either
at our VP tailgate next season. Go check out every
one of their offerings at Big Willie Sports Bar. Another
fantastic partner of ESPN seven hundred Outlaws truly agreeing to

(02:16:15):
glass product. Check out our friends at Outlaw Distillery. Nothing
is breaking as we speak, but what a week of news,
What a day of News. Two minutes before we started
the show, we get the email from Utah Athletics that
Wit is stepping down. Thirty minutes into the show, we
get the Stewart Mandel report that he's not retiring and
is interested in coaching. About an hour and a half ago,

(02:16:38):
we get the Tribune piece quoting Alex Whittingham that he
still very much wants to coach somewhere. Spencer Fano has
won the Outland Trophy Award and that's the first offensive
lineman in Utah history to win that award. And then
you know, Ross Dellinger is reporting the Big Twelve is
in conversations with Redbird and Weatherford Capital for a cash

(02:16:58):
infusion of millions. Interesting, as I read through the news
during a break, this is not an equity deal, this
private equity. These private equity firms will not receive any
equity in the Big Twelve. According to Brett your Mark,
it's more to create a quote create a multi fasted
strategic business partnership focused on growing commercial operations of the

(02:17:20):
league while also providing an opt in capital solution for
our member institutions to take advantage of up to five
hundred million dollars in capital so look, I don't know, man,
I just need to go to sleep for a minute
and just kind of digest everything that's happened. I'll dig
into this over the weekend, and of course we will
bring any information that comes our way to you about

(02:17:41):
this new capital deal in the Big twelve. Searan Moore
was in court today kind of via zoom. He's still
in jail. He's charged with three crimes criminal charges, felony
third degree home invasion, two misdemeanors stocking a domestic in
a domestic.

Speaker 2 (02:17:59):
Relationship, been breaking and entering.

Speaker 1 (02:18:01):
He was released actually, and he met the twenty five
thousand dollars bond. I guess as he went home to
a wife. They wanted to talk to him about a
couple of different things. The Jazz are playing. They're gonna
play Memphis tonight. The I almost said Grizzlies. The Utah
Mammoth are playing, They're gonna play the Seattle Craken. Neither

(02:18:21):
the Jazz or the Mammoth are very good.

Speaker 2 (02:18:23):
Right now.

Speaker 1 (02:18:24):
We've got Utah basketball against Mississippi State tomorrow night. B
YU hoops, and then you know, an NFL weekend that
we didn't even really talk about that were starched to
at football last night. A bunch of great matchups coming
up over the weekend as we're high speed ahead to
the e postseason. Am I missing anything? I feel like

(02:18:44):
I've been very thorough. Is there anything I'm missing?

Speaker 4 (02:18:47):
When you say the phrase drinking through a fire hose,
that's usually kind of a figure of speech today, was
I mean pretty accurate?

Speaker 6 (02:19:00):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (02:19:01):
But yeah, no, I think he covered most of it.

Speaker 6 (02:19:02):
There.

Speaker 4 (02:19:02):
There you go.

Speaker 1 (02:19:03):
And to the people that were mad that we had
Howard Beck on the show, we just did four hours
of radio and three hours and forty eight minutes were
about Utah football and coach Wit. So just find something
else to do with your time. Like we booked Howard Beck.
He's one of the best riders in the country.

Speaker 4 (02:19:17):
It's frankly a weekly guest that we haven't had to
have on or been able to have on. And just
to be clear for those who are upset and don't
know the behind the scenes here, we did actually allow
for that spot to be taken by youth people who
were not available, so we just went.

Speaker 2 (02:19:35):
With Howard who was already scheduled.

Speaker 1 (02:19:36):
It's so exhausting these people that think they know how
to do this job. Three hours and forty eight minutes
of a four hour radio show are about the news.
We talked to Howard Beck for twelve minutes. Shout out
to Spencer Fono. Really cool thing for Spencer Outland Trophy
Award winner first time in the program history.

Speaker 2 (02:19:53):
Very well deserved. I tried.

Speaker 1 (02:19:55):
You know, it's interesting when we were talking to Garrett
Bowles and he told us that, first of all, what
a great interview.

Speaker 2 (02:20:00):
That kid has evolved as a guest.

Speaker 1 (02:20:03):
McKinley's uncle was telling us that he now does a
weekly hit with the Denver radio station and he gave
us twenty five awesome minutes. But Garrett was telling us
a story about how Caleb Lomu, who's signed with the
same has now signed with Garrett's agent's agency, And so
I was trying to kick the title, like, hey, is
he gonna leave? Is he going to come back? Because
Spencer's gone and he should be might be top ten,

(02:20:26):
but it would be nice to have Caleb Lomu anchoring
the left side of Utah's offensive line next year.

Speaker 4 (02:20:30):
And hey, maybe you come back and have the kind
of year that your comrade Spencer Fono just had and
you can have yourself a top ten type pick, if
NFL draft scouts are already looking at you, and hey,
there's a new cash infusement where you can stay here
and make money. You don't have to take your talents
to the professional level. So five years ago I would

(02:20:54):
have said, you know, Caleb Blow was gone. He's a
second third round pick projected maybe mid rounds. But now
you have an opportunity to keep those kind of guys.

Speaker 2 (02:21:07):
Yes, it would be nice.

Speaker 1 (02:21:08):
I mean, we've got a great young man who was
signed by Utah's the highest rank recruit ever, the Kevin
Obot kid who's an offensive lineman. But having certainly having
Caleb lo move back would be great. All right, I'll
be on TV.

Speaker 2 (02:21:23):
I'm going to do that now.

Speaker 1 (02:21:24):
I just found out we will do a little coach
with tonight on cam Why are you talking Sports? You
can see that at ten thirty five, me and my
guy Adam Miklitz will be talking about the legacy of
Coach Wits and then we will be back with a
Monday edition of the show.

Speaker 2 (02:21:38):
Oh, I want to give a quick shout out real quick.

Speaker 8 (02:21:40):
Mom.

Speaker 1 (02:21:40):
My aunt Judy passed away this week. My father's older
sister and she loved listening to the show because she
was the sweetest lady, and she was always so nice
to tell me how proud of.

Speaker 2 (02:21:51):
Her she was.

Speaker 1 (02:21:52):
And I know her daughters Jenny and Jill, and her
sons Jared and Jason are big time local sports fan.
So my Judy pass, we're going to go celebrate her
life coming up tomorrow and then we'll be back on
a Monday show. So I wanted to give a shout
out to her and my father and everybody kind of
morning that loss have a great weekend porter what comes
our way hopefully on a more docile, normal Monday edition

(02:22:14):
of the show.

Speaker 4 (02:22:14):
Well, first off, a shout out to you and Judy
indeed and the folks man that's not a not a
fun one ever, all too familiar with it. So thoughts
with the family there also, sir, shout out to one
Kyle Whittingham. I do want to you know, we cover this,
we we observe it, We tried to, you know, give

(02:22:35):
you objective feelings on what's happening. But at the same time,
that's a guy who has been really good to me.
He's a guy who has taught me more football probably
than than anyone and you know, my entire coverage of
Utah football, of course, has existed around one Kyle Whittingham.

(02:22:56):
It's funny he took that job either two weeks before
or two weeks after I was born, Spence, it was
right around in nineteen ninety four. I was born in October.
I think he took the job a few weeks or
months before I was born. So it's pretty crazy. Come
full circle. And you know, I'm now thirty plus years

(02:23:16):
old and the guy is just today calling it quits
on the hill and a big shout out to him.

Speaker 2 (02:23:22):
That is wild perspective.

Speaker 1 (02:23:23):
No, you're right, this is not just I think what
will go unknown for most because they they're not as
lucky as we are to have this peak Bond the Curtains.

Speaker 2 (02:23:31):
This is not just a great football coach. This is
a great man.

Speaker 1 (02:23:33):
This is a good, good man who deserves you know,
whatever else comes his way, whether it's retirement or if
he takes another opportunities, he will certainly have support on
this station.

Speaker 2 (02:23:42):
There's no doubt. All Right, Monday Show, what's that gonna
sound like?

Speaker 4 (02:23:45):
Scott Mitchell, Stevenson, Sylvester. We'll have Bill Riley on the
program and we'll go from there a bunch of youth stuff.
We'll probably load it up most of the week and
definitely majority of Monday with former players and folks who
have played with or for one Kyle Whittingham.

Speaker 3 (02:24:02):
There you go.

Speaker 1 (02:24:03):
So that'll be a great Monday show and I would
imagine that will be the bulk of our coverage next week.
We'll say good night and a very special thank you
to Eric Weddle, Howard Beck. Yes, thank you, Howard Beck,
as well as Sean O'Connell, Dave bar two and the
great Garrett Bowles. If you miss any of the sound
from the show today, the website is there for your disposal.
It's ESPN seven hundred sports dot com. Make sure to

(02:24:24):
download our mobile app and take us on the go.
That ESPN seven hundred app is available in the App
Store in the Google Play Store. Then, finally, for what
we do in our space every afternoon. If you missed
any of it, including Howard Beck, go to our podcast page.
It's called The Drive with Spence. Check its that's available
wherever you get your shows. Subscribe, rate, review, say nice
things and comments, give us all the stars.

Speaker 2 (02:24:44):
It helps. He's porter.

Speaker 1 (02:24:45):
I'm spent saying good night. Have a great weekend, guys,
begive yourself to give to each other. We'll talk to
you on a Monday edition of The Driving as all
as you can catch that right here on your home
with the youts. Shout out to coach Wit ESPN seven
hundred