Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham appears to be like on the scoreboard close to the top of the sport in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Utah gained 35-21. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
Standard knowledge would possibly say it’s too early to speak in regards to the teaching adjustments that might happen quickly in school soccer for the reason that 2022 season hasn’t even began but, but when we realized something from 2021, it’s that the carousel will get spinning earlier and earlier yearly.
With that in thoughts, ESPN revealed a chunk by Pete Thamel on Wednesday by which he examined what teaching adjustments may happen inside the subsequent few months.
Coming off a 2021 season by which they gained a mixed 31 video games, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, BYU’s Kalani Sitake and Utah State’s Blake Anderson are about on as chilly of seats as a coach may probably be for the time being, though Thamel, as many have in recent times, raised the query of how lengthy Whittingham will wish to maintain going earlier than retiring.
“Kyle Whittingham turns 63 this 12 months and is 144-70 heading into his 18th 12 months. It has been a Corridor of Fame profession, one which he’ll determine when to retire from. Whittingham tasks to have certainly one of his finest groups, because the Utes are the favorites within the Pac-12 and are a sensible decide to crash the School Soccer Playoff. Does he wish to stroll out on high?” Thamel wrote.
For what it’s value, Whittingham himself addressed the query final November amid hypothesis that he would dangle up his whistle, saying, “Uh, no. I’ve heard just a few issues from folks and I’m having nearly as good a time proper now as I ever had. So I’m not even considering that proper now.”
The closest Utah tie Thamel talked about as probably being on the new seat is Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, who's a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Thamel cited the success Niumatalolo has had over 14 years at Navy however how three of the previous 4 have been shedding seasons and there was “the awkward firing and un-firing of offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper final 12 months.”
Thamel concluded that, “A successful season would probably maintain him on the helm. The buyout to half methods with him can be minimal, and retirement may be an possibility if Navy has a poor season.”
Thamel did determine “the obvious Energy 5 jobs set to open, that are Nebraska, Arizona State, Georgia Tech and Auburn,” after which he took a conference-by-conference take a look at jobs that might probably open.
- Within the Pac-12 part alongside together with his ideas about Whittingham, Thamel wrote that Colorado and UCLA are “value monitoring.”
- Within the Mountain West, he put New Mexico and UNLV within the “value monitoring” class.
- Within the Large 12, the place BYU shall be subsequent 12 months, Thamel wrote that “Half the coaches have been round for 3 years or much less, which ends up in normal stability on the teaching entrance,” and he included solely West Virginia within the “value monitoring” class.