SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — With Morgan Scalley as the coach-in-waiting the past two seasons, Utah had a plan in place for a smooth transition when its all-time winningest coach, Kyle Whittingham, decided to retire.
That plan went askew when Michigan hired Whittingham on Dec. 26 — and he brought several assistants with him — leaving Scalley with unexpected holes to fill.
Scalley has since hired coordinators and multiple assistants while working to retain players and keep new recruits on the board.
“I feel like it’s my first birth and I (had) twins,” Scalley joked at his introductory press conference on Tuesday about all of the new faces.
Scalley, who led Utah to a 44-22 win over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31, compiled a list of assistants at other schools who fit well with the philosophy and schemes he wants Utah to run.
When it came time to rebuild his staff on offense, he focused on maintaining continuity with the potent, high-flying attack former offensive coordinator Jason Beck ran with great success during the 2025 season. That meant bringing aboard OC Kevin McGiven, who used similar concepts, plays, and terminology in the offense he ran at Utah State.
“There has to be a system where you can teach these young men quickly and get an offensive identity established early that allows for that,” Scalley said. “It didn’t hurt that we already had the skill players for that system that had been in that system.”
During a 10-season stint as defensive coordinator under Whittingham, Scalley helped Utah build a reputation for fielding a rugged and stingy defense.
The Utes finished in the top half of their conference in total defense nine times in the past 10 seasons. In 2019, Scalley coached a Utah defense that ranked second nationally and first in the Pac-12 in total defense. The Utes also finished with the top rushing defense in the Pac-12 five times over Utah’s final eight seasons in the league.
In 2025, Scalley guided a Utes defense that ranked top 20 nationally in passing efficiency defense, total interceptions (14) and scoring defense (18.7 points per game).
“He has proven over and over again that he is not only prepared and ready to lead but will excel in taking over our storied football program,” athletic director Mark Harlan said.
Scalley played safety for the Utes from 2001-04 before joining the coaching staff. As a senior, he was the 2004 Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a second-team AP All-American.
He had opportunities to coach at other schools over the years, but never felt a strong desire to move on from the school where both he and his father had played.
“I never wanted to leave here. My family is here and I never wanted to uproot that,” Scalley said. “Have there been opportunities? Yeah. Do you listen to those opportunities? Yeah. But then you tell those opportunities, ‘Thank you, but no thank you.’ I’m grateful to be here my entire career.”
Harlan successfully fended off efforts from other schools to entice Scalley away from Salt Lake City. His loyalty created a perception outside the program that Whittingham was pushed to step down after 21 seasons to prevent Scalley from departing elsewhere.
Harlan insisted that he and Whittingham had many long conversations about his future at Utah and that the longtime coach felt at peace over leaving the program in Scalley’s hands going into 2026 and beyond.
“He did not want to use the word retirement and I understood what that meant. He might go coach again,” Harlan said. “It was a healthy process. The legacy of Kyle doesn’t change by any of this. He was extraordinary for this university and he trained Morgan to be the very best he could be.”
