Utah football: 2 Ute coaches are candidates for Hawaii job

SALT LAKE CITY — Will the Utah Utes say "Aloha," as in goodbye not hello, to one of its coordinators? It may up to a University of Hawaii search committee.

Offensive coordinator Norm Chow and defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake are both candidates to fill the head coaching vacancy at Hawaii.

"That is unique. Unique, not unheard of, you come across that from time to time," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said of the situation. "I think they're both very good. Both should be viable candidates for that job."

The Hawaii job opened up when former Utah defensive coordinator Greg McMackin retired after four seasons at the helm. More than 30 coaches have reportedly applied for the position.

Sitake considers it "a good compliment" to the Utah program that both coordinators are in the mix.

Neither, however, really wanted to talk about it in great depth.

Chow, in fact, dodged the topic well after the Utes' practice Thursday afternoon.

"Geez. Hey, listen, I've got a son who is an agent," he said before switching gears. "We're getting ready for Georgia Tech. OK? Period. Period. Period."

When asked about it again, Chow didn't budge while continuing to smile.

"We're getting ready for Georgia Tech. They've got a heckuva football team," he laughed. "It's going to be a real challenge. All right?"

Sitake was more straightforward about the situation.

"All I know is that they reached out and wanted me to apply and I applied. That's basically all I know right now. There's really nothing else to report on it," he said while explaining his focus was on getting Utah's defense ready for Georgia Tech's triple-option attack.

"Right now I'm happy doing what I'm doing. There's really nothing to report other than that's just what it is," he continued. "Everything else is just kind of speculation. It's like a snowball effect. It just takes off."

Whittingham is confident both coaches won't be distracted by the opportunity in Hawaii.

"I think these guys are professionals and they understand you've got to separate the two," he said. "You can't compromise your preparation in any way, shape or form. You can't compromise your recruiting."