Utah signs Whittingham to five-year extension

Dec 29, 2008 - 11:22 PM NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- On the verge of playing in its second BCS bowl in four years, Utah has locked up the man who guided the Utes back into the national spotlight.

Utah signed head coach Kyle Whittingham to a five-year contract extension worth $6 million on Monday, four days before the undefeated Utes face Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Utah, currently ranked seventh nationally, became the first school from a non-BCS conference to qualify for a BCS bowl game in 2004, when the Urban Meyer-led Utes went undefeated and defeated Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

Meyer - who already had agreed to take over at Florida by the time of the bowl game - was succeeded by Whittingham, who has compiled a 36-14 record in four seasons at the helm. This season, the Utes cruised to a 12-0 mark - including big wins over TCU, Brigham Young and Oregon State - to earn a date with the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide.

"When I hired Kyle four years ago, I felt he was the best person for the job, and the fact that we are here at a BCS bowl, with a 12-0 record and a No. 7 national ranking bears that out," Utah athletics director Chris Hill said. "We are elated that Kyle feels the same commitment to the University of Utah that we have to him and our football program."

Whittingham will make a base salary of $200,000, with another $1 million coming from "radio and television rights, appearance fees, public speaking, fundraising and official outfitter compensation from Under Armour," according to the school.

Now in his 15th season at Utah, Whittingham has been party to more victories than any other coach or player in school history. He spent 10 seasons as the team's defensive coordinator before being promoted to the top job following the 2004 campaign. He has presided over bowl-game victories in each of his first three seasons as head coach, as Utah won the Emerald Bowl in 2005, Armed Forces Bowl in 2006 and Poinsettia Bowl in 2007.

Whittingham is the first coach in the history of the program to lead his team to a bowl game in each of his first four seasons.

Given the Utes' success on a national stage this season, Whittingham's notoriety has grown this year and he was considered an attractive candidate for schools looking to fill coaching vacancies. However, Monday's announcement likely will keep him in Salt Lake City for the foreseeable future.

Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig has already announced his departure for the same position at Kansas State under head coach Bill Snyder.

"I am very happy here at the University of Utah and feel fortunate to coach in a place where we can attract quality student-athletes who can compete at the highest level," Whittingham said. "I appreciate the support that Dr. Hill and President (Michael) Young have given me and also the incredible support the community has shown for our football team."