That said, Utah on the road is a completely different team. Tonight they take on Spurs team that looked dominant against the reigning champion, Oklahoma City Thunder. Utah comes into this resting …
The Utah Jazz are entering San Antonio to take on the San Antonio Spurs, who are looking like the premiere team in the league. How nice it is to have lottery luck, right?
Utah has some swagger of their own coming off a game-winning shot from Keyonte George that knocked off the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.
Utah absolutely has an on-ball star on their hands that can help lead them to wins at the end of games. The question is, can they get a star to pair with him in the upcoming draft? Utah has to get some lottery luck to make sure, but they’ll need to figure out how to lose more of these games if they’re going to do it. But with someone as good as Keyonte George, that’s going to be very difficult.
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One thing that will help is not having players like Kevin Love and Svi Mykhailiuk adding points night after night. It would be a smart thing for the Jazz front office to make a move here soon…
That said, Utah on the road is a completely different team. Tonight they take on Spurs team that looked dominant against the reigning champion, Oklahoma City Thunder. Utah comes into this resting Kevin Love, something they might have wanted to do last game….
Jazz Injury Report:
OUT – Ace Bailey (left hip flexor; strain)
OUT – Elijah Harkless (G League – Two-Way)
OUT – Walker Kessler (left shoulder; injury recovery)
OUT – Kevin Love (rest)
OUT – Georges Niang (left foot, fourth metatarsal stress reaction)
The other scratch is Ace Bailey who has a hip flexor injury. We’ll see how long they rest him but they shouldn’t rush him back with no reason to risk injuries.
He’ll take the place of Sherrone Moore, who was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a university employee and was fired from his role.
The program announced the hiring decision Friday night and said Whittingham’s five-year contract will run through the 2030 season.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said that throughout the search for a new coach, Whittingham “consistently demonstrated the qualities we value at Michigan: vision, resilience, and the ability to build and sustain championship-caliber teams.”
“Kyle brings not only a proven track record of success, but also a commitment to creating a program rooted in toughness, physicality, discipline and respect — where student-athletes and coaches represent the university with distinction both on and off the field,” he said in a written statement announcing the deal.
Whittingham announced two weeks ago that he was stepping down as Utah’s winningest coach — though the 66-year-old didn’t rule out coaching again.
“My family and I are thrilled to join the University of Michigan community, and we look forward to helping our players grow, develop, and reach their highest potential — on the gridiron, in the classroom, and as leaders,” Whittingham said in the statement Friday. “It’s a privilege to be part of something that inspires pride in every Wolverine fan.”
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore during a game on Nov. 22.MediaPunch via Reuters file
It’s been widely reported that Whittingham was leaving his post at Utah after more than two decades to make way for defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley, who had been hired in July 2024 as the “head coach in waiting.”
Had Whittingham returned for the 2026 season, it would have marked a third year of Scalley as a named successor. Scalley will now take over the program, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement.
Harlan thanked Whittingham for his contributions and wished him the best in his new role.
“After discussions with Coach Whittingham, his representatives and the University of Michigan, we have granted their request to allow him to join the Michigan program immediately,” he said.
Michigan President Domenico Grasso described Whittingham as “exactly the right fit for the University of Michigan at this time.”
After two seasons as head coach, Moore was “terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” the school announced on Dec. 10.
“Following a university investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” the school said. “This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and UM maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”
After he was fired, Moore allegedly confronted the female staffer and threatened to harm himself, telling her “my blood is on your hands” and that she had “ruined my life,” prosecutors said.
Moore, 39,was charged with home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering.
On Nov. 20, 2023, Michigan suspended football analytics assistant Connor Stalions after the school found that he allegedly had opponents’ sidelines videotaped so that the Wolverines could decode signals.
Michigan dominated the Washington Huskies, 34-13, on Jan. 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium in Houston to win the national title — though the sign-stealing scandal has taken some luster off that championship ring.
Former assistant football coach Matthew Weiss was indicted and accused of breaking into the digital accounts of 3,300 students to download their intimate photos and videos, federal prosecutors said March 30.
The Wolverines, in hiring Whittingham, get a coach who has led a generally scandal-free program that’s been winning two-thirds of its games without the glamour or resources of West Coast peers like USC and Oregon.
His long run as head coach of the Utes began when Urban Meyer left Utah to take the top job at Florida at the end of 2004.
Whittingham was 177-88 (.668) at the helm in Utah with three 10-win seasons in the past five campaigns.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Whittingham would bring any of his Utah assistants with him to Ann Arbor, a common practice when head coaches switch jobs in college football.
No. 15 Utah will play Nebraska on Wednesday in the Las Vegas Bowl. Michigan, led by interim coach Biff Poggi, will face No. 13 Texas that day in the Citrus Bowl.
The head coach of Nebraska’s postseason opponent will have a new home in 2026. Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham has been named the next head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines.
Whittingham was already scheduled to step down as Utah head coach following the Las Vegas Bowl. He will no longer coach in the bowl game and will head to Michigan immediately. He has been the Utes‘ head coach since December 2004 and a member of the Utes’ coaching staff since 1994.
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He departs Utah with a head coaching record of 177-88. Whittingham earned three national Coach of the Year awards and finished with a winning record in 18 of his 21 years as head coach. He also had tremendous postseason success, with an 11-6 record in bowl games.
Nebraska will face Utah in the SRS Distribution Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 31, from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN.
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Utah football’s Kyle Whittingham bows out of Las Vegas Bowl after Michigan hiring appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The news was reported by ESPN insider Pete Thamel, who explained the urgency behind Whittingham’s decision.
“Kyle Whittingham is informing the Utah team that he will not be coaching in the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska, per me and Dan Wetzel. It is paramount for Michigan that he get to Orlando to meet with his new team and the players’ family members to get going on his new job,” Thamel posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Michigan has also made it official on hiring Whittingham, in a post on X, formerly Twitter. ” Official: Welcome to Michigan, Coach Whittingham!”
Whittingham brings a 177-88 career record to Ann Arbor and becomes just the second Michigan head coach since Bo Schembechler without prior ties to the program.
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His task will be significant, as Michigan works to rebuild trust and stability following multiple offseason controversies. Michigan’s AD Warde Manuel reinforced the program’s confidence in its new leader.
“Kyle Whittingham is a well-respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” said Manuel in an official statement.
Utah, meanwhile, is positioned for continuity. Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley was named the Utes’ next head coach, creating a smoother transition. Scalley is expected to lead Utah against Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31, giving players a glimpse of the program’s future leadership.
While Whittingham’s absence will be felt on the sideline, both programs appear aligned in prioritizing long-term stability. For Utah, the bowl game becomes a bridge to the next chapter. For Michigan, Whittingham’s early arrival signals an aggressive reset — one that could shape the Wolverines well beyond the postseason.
With Kyle Whittingham taking over at Michigan immediately, Utah defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley will coach the No. 15 Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl on Wednesday against …
With Kyle Whittingham taking over at Michigan immediately, Utah defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Morgan Scalley will coach the No. 15 Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl on Wednesday against …
Michigan appears to be close to hiring its next head football coach. The Wolverines are targeting former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham to take over for the fired Sherrone Moore, according to a report …
Michigan appears to be close to hiring its next head football coach.
Whittingham announced earlier this month that he was stepping down as the head coach at Utah. The Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska on New Year’s Eve is set to be his final game leading the Utes program.
“The time is right to step down from my position as the head football coach at the University of Utah,” Kyle Whittingham said as part of a statement at the time.
Notably, Whittingham did not say that he was retiring from coaching, only that he was moving on from Utah.
The Utes are 10-2 this season, and Whittingham is 177-88 overall in 21 seasons leading the Utah program.
The 66-year-old was an assistant at Utah before taking over as the head coach ahead of the 2005 season. He has led the program ever since.
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According to ESPN, top Michigan officials are set to discuss Whittingham’s candidacy on Friday and a deal could come together in the near future.
Former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was fired and later arrested following a stunning series of events earlier this month.
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” Michigan said in a statement Dec. 10. “Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
He was also charged with home invasion in the third degree, stalking, and breaking and entering or entering without breaking after police say that he broke into the staff member’s house after being fired.
Whittingham, the legendary former Utah coach, has “emerged as the focus of the University of Michigan’s coaching search,” according to a new ESPN report.
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Three people close to the situation who were not at liberty to speak publicly confirmed with the Free Press that there is heavy interest in Whittingham from Michigan’s side. There is expected to be a briefing for the University’s higher ups later Friday morning.
He stepped down as the Utes‘ coach after this past year when he led Utah to a 10-2 record in his 21st full season.
Whittingham still has one game left to coach. Utah faces Nebraska in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. against Nebraska, about 30 minutes after U-M’s Citrus Bowl begins in Orlando, Florida.
He went 177-88 overall in his time at Utah, his only head coaching gig at the college level. He coached the Utes in the Fiesta Bowl after the 2004 season when Urban Meyer left Utah for Florida.
It was an incredible two-decade plus run for Whittingham in Salt Lake City. He helped the Utes transition first from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 and then from the Pac-12 to the Big 12. His best teams were known for their physical style and controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides on the ball.
After a disappointing 5-7 season in 2024, Utah rebounded this year with an 10-2 impressive campaign, but Whittingham’s tenure came to an unceremonious ending.
Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham keeps an eye on the field in the final minutes of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah on Sept. 3, 2015.
Did Kyle Whittingham retire? Why he left Utah
It’s complicated.
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On the surface, Utah’s season was not nearly bad enough to move on from Whittingham. And he didn’t retire – at least not from coaching.
Whittingham led the Utes for more than two decades in three different conferences (Mountain West, Pac-12 and Big 12) and proved to be a consistent winner. He won the Mountain West once (2008) and the Pac-12 twice (2021-22)
He won seven or more games 17 times, eight games or more 15 times, nine games or more 12 times and had eight seasons of 10 wins or more and has an 11-6 record in bowl games.
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Whittingham has been on staff in Utah for nearly half his life, beginning in 1994 as defensive line coach before he became defensive coordinator in 1995 while coaching safeties or linebackers for the next decade.
Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley will take over for Whittingham after the bowl game in a similar succession plan to what happened after Meyer left Utah.
Kyle Whittingham age
He is 66.
Despite rumors that Whittingham was going to retire after the 2025 season, he made it clear that was not the case and he was still interested in coaching when asked about if this was a retirement.
“Who knows?” he said to media in Salt Lake City. “I’m stepping down, step away and reevaluate things. … I’m a free agent, I’m in the transfer portal. It’s a different feel, but I’m at peace. And I did not want to be that guy who overstayed his welcome with people saying, ‘Hey, when’s this guy gonna leave?’ That was not my intention – ever. I hope I didn’t do that. I’m sure with some people I did do that. To me, the timing was right.”
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Why Michigan is looking for new coach
The reason Michigan is looking for a new coach in the first place, is another story entirely.Wh
Former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore is awaiting a probable cause hearing in January and wearing a GPS tether after his firing by athletic director Warde Manuel on Dec. 10 after the surfacing of “credible evidence” of an illicit relationship with a staffer and a subsequent arrest for allegedly breaking into her apartment and threatening to kill himself. That resulting in charges for third-degree felony home invasion, misdemeanor stalking and misdemeanor breaking and entering.
(The Free Press generally does not identify people described as domestic crime victims without their consent.)
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In football-related issues, Moore was the second of U-M’s past two coaches to find himself in hot water. First, Jim Harbaugh was suspended twice during a pair of NCAA investigations, the latter of which – involving Connor Stalions’ sign-stealing scheme – resulted in more than $30 million in fines for the program and numerous show-cause edicts for U-M coaches (including Moore).
In addition to the two-game suspension levied by the program for his role in the sign-stealing scandal, Moore was set to be suspended for the first game of the 2026 season. He was also suspended for the first game of the 2023 season as part of a program-issued punishment for recruiting violations during the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s unknown when the Whittingham news could take the next step, but according to ESPN, “Whittingham’s candidacy is expected to be shared with top Michigan officials on Friday,” and a deal could become official shortly after if it gets approved.
He is not expected to coach the team against Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31. The team will be led by interim coach Biff Poggi.
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Once the hire is announced, Michigan’s players will have five days to enter the transfer portal, and 15 days after entering to select a new team, or return to the Wolverines. Also, the NCAA’s standard transfer-portal window runs from Jan. 2-16.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
Utah basketball is getting some immediate help, thanks to its coaching ties. Lucas Langarita, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Spain, is joining the Runnin’ Utes for the spring semester, the school …
Utah basketball is getting some immediate help, thanks to its coaching ties.
Lucas Langarita, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Spain, is joining the Runnin’ Utes for the spring semester, the school announced, and will be immediately eligible to play.
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“We’re excited to welcome Lucas to our program,” Utah coach Alex Jensen said in a statement. “He is a gifted young player who will be a positive addition to our team.”
The news was first reported by Eurohopes.
Utah lands one of Spain’s better prospects in 6’5 20-year old Lucas Langarita per @Eurohopes
Langarita chose Utah and will reunite with former HC Martin Schiller, will be eligible immediately for the second semester.
Langarita previously played for Utah assistant coach Martin Schiller for Casademont Zaragoza in the top Spanish professional league, Liga ACB, during the 2022-23 season.
That included shooting 41.5% from the floor and 32.7% from 3-point range.
Langarita’s addition will add some much-needed depth on Alex Jensen’s first roster at Utah, as well as provide another wing player who could factor into future plans beyond the 2025-26 season.
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While the Utes are led on the offense end by starting guards Terrence Brown and Don McHenry this season, there is a need for additional help beyond that.
Jacob Patrick, who hails from Germany, has been a solid addition for Utah, though he’s missed the past two games due to injury. Obomate Abbey, a Finland native, is a freshman and is another depth piece for the Utes who averages 17.4 minutes per game.
Utah recently had guard Elijah “Choppa” Moore, a Syracuse transfer, exit the program, and Langarita’s addition should help as the team enters Big 12 play following the New Year, if he can up to speed.
The Utes also lost forward Babacar Faye to injury prior to the season starting.
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“After losing a key contributor to injury before the start of the season, our staff worked diligently across the globe to secure a significant mid-year addition,” Utah general manager Wes Wilcox said in a statement.
“While the timing and his transition from Europe to the NCAA are unique, we’re excited to welcome Lucas to our program as we head into Big 12 play.”
Utah Olympic Park offers tours of the ski-jumping, bobsledding and other competition and training facilities built for the 2002 Winter Olympics and still in use today. It is one of a handful of places …
9 a.m.Hit the (many) slopes
Ikon Pass holders will want to schuss ski-only Deer Valley, which has added 10 lifts and more than 100 trails in the past year (single-day ticket from $219 in advance online). The resort’s impeccably groomed cruisers are tempered by legit expert terrain like the Daly Chutes and Centennial’s steep glades. Epic Pass holders and snowboarders should head to Park City Mountain, which at 7,300 acres offers the most lift-served terrain in the United States (single-day ticket from $259 in advance online). The free, two-hour Silver to Slopes guided ski tour (10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.) visits on-mountain mining relics like closed-up shaft entrances (more than 1,000 miles of decommissioned mining tunnels lie under the ski area). Or book the Ski Utah Interconnect Tour, an all-day adventure for advanced skiers ($575 per person) that starts at Deer Valley and visits five other resorts via chairlifts and backcountry terrain.
12 p.m.Ski to town for lunch
Downtown’s High West Saloon (21 and up), owned by a local distillery, is immensely popular for après-ski — and nabbing a seat in this Western-themed restored livery stable can be a double-black-diamond challenge. Instead, ski there for lunch via Park City Mountain’s Quittin’ Time run (post-meal, ride the Town Lift, a block away, back up). Your consumption of High West’s bourbon may be more limited midday, but whiskey caramelized onion soup ($13) or a pretzel-crusted schnitzel ($35) will still warm your innards. At Deer Valley, click out of your skis at the mid-mountain, full-service Royal Street Cafe and refuel with the popular turkey chili, served in multiple restaurants across the resort ($18), or a buttermilk-battered fried chicken sandwich ($28).
3 p.m.Go high end or low end for après-ski
Deer Valley is known for catering to champagne and caviar tastes, and you can certainly find those slopeside at the hotel Montage Deer Valley’s Veuve Clicquot–focused Après Lounge in a luxe-level yurt. But then there’s the retro-vibed Sticky Wicket at the Silver Lake Lodge, where the knotty-pine walls are bedecked with ’80s-era ski memorabilia and revelers order a 64-ounce tabletop keg of one of eight Utah beers on draft ($48). When not advocating for better wages and benefits, Park City Mountain ski patrollers frequent the Corner Store Pub and Grill, which has been pouring pitchers (from $30) of beer for thirsty skiers since 1974. At the Canyon Villages base, head to the chic fireside lounge Après Pendry for cocktails.
4 p.m.Discover skiing’s most unusual lift
The Park City Museum in the heart of town (open until 5 p.m.) has both permanent and changing exhibitions ($15 admission). Learn about the Great Fire of 1898, which destroyed the town’s commercial district, and the intricacies of mining, among other historical exhibits. Be sure to sit in the “skier subway” car; this unusual conveyance opened in December 1964 at Park City Mountain (then called Treasure Mountain) and shuttled skiers for three miles through a dank mining tunnel to an elevator, which guests then rode 1,800 vertical feet to a chairlift above ground. The novelty quickly wore off, and the subway lasted only four years.
6:30 p.m.Dine on French fare in a historic train station
The menu at Le Depot Brasserie, opened last March by the James Beard-award-winning chef Galen Zamarra, offers well-crafted classic French dishes (including steak frites, $40) and a three-course cheese fondue dinner ($55 per person, reserve ahead). But the setting is uniquely Park City, in a former wood-shingled Union Pacific train depot from 1886 that has been beautifully restored, melding vintage stained-glass windows and artwork with traditional bistro elements like brass light fixtures and marble-topped tables. (Longtime Park City visitors will remember the building as the site of the late Robert Redford’s beloved Zoom restaurant for more than 20 years.) Le Depot also shares a pastry chef with the adjacent Union Patisserie, so leave space for decadent desserts like profiteroles with bourbon-caramel chocolate sauce ($18).
8 p.m.Bar-hop downtown
Within a few blocks along Main Street, a nationally registered historic district, you’ll find live music, boisterous bars and quieter spots for sipping cocktails. Check the schedule at the nearly 100-year-old Egyptian Theater, a beloved community landmark that hosts concerts, theater and comedy. A visit to the long-running No Name Saloon can be entertainment in itself: The first floor is adorned with a scrappy collection of vintage objects, like a snowmobile, a motorcycle and a chairlift; locals come for the burgers and Utah beers, heated rooftop patio and unpretentious character. A block north, Palomino, run by the acclaimed Riverhorse on Main restaurant next door, serves trendy cocktails as beautiful to look at as the bar’s chic interior; the tequila-based F.I.U, for example, comes topped with a large snowball-like bubble ($24).
