Cash chase: BYU, U. compete to lure Whittingham

Utah defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham accepts a lucrative offer to be the next Ute head coach or takes an offer at BYU, he will likely tell his players of his decision first, according to observers of an intense tug-of-war for the 45-year-old coach.

Sources told the Deseret Morning News Tuesday that Whittingham will be headed for Brigham Young University. No official representative of BYU or Whittingham confirmed that late Tuesday night. In fact, as of deadline, Utah's offer to Whittingham was $1.5 million more, over the term of the contract, than the amount pitched by BYU, and BYU negotiators, according to sources, saw that as an insurmountable hurdle in hiring him.

In a crazy day that saw money thrown around and intense negotiations between Whittingham and officials at Utah and BYU, Whittingham spent the day at his Salt Lake home and missed football practice.

Whittingham did not attend Ute practice Tuesday, a session supervised by quarterback coach Dan Mullen and defensive line coach Gary Andersen. Only five of the 10 coaches were at practice.

"I won't lie," defensive back Morgan Scalley said, "I will be heartbroken if he goes somewhere else, but at the same time, I will cheer him on. We congratulate him, he's earned it. People are coming after him, and this is what he's worked for his entire life."

Several deadlines for a decision by Whittingham imposed by Utah came and went Tuesday. First it was morning, then noon, then 8 p.m., and the latest was at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

By phone, Whittingham conducted conversations with BYU representatives in New York City for LaVell Edwards' induction into the Hall of Fame. The talks included Edwards and former BYU and NFL quarterbacks Steve Young and Gifford Nielsen.

Tuesday night in New York City, BYU associate athletic director Brian Santiago said it was premature to announce any decision on a new head coach. Utah athletic director Chris Hill declined comment on his coaching search.

Whittingham said Tuesday night he had not made a decision.

Monday and Tuesday, Utah turned its job search into a miniature Florida-style hiring effort, throwing money in hopes the lure of gold would land its man.

In a paper chase that began Friday, sources say Utah's first offer to Whittingham Sunday started at $500,000, a figure that clearly outdistanced a BYU offer first put on the table Friday. Utah then pushed that to $750,000 a year for five years by Tuesday afternoon, a figure unheard of in the Rockies for a first-year unproven head coach.