Morgan Scalley is Utah’s coach-in-waiting.
But he’s not waiting to put his fingerprints on the Utes' next big hire.
Scalley, Utah’s defensive coordinator, will play a big part in hiring Utah’s next offensive coordinator, head coach Kyle Whittingham says.
“He’s very involved, yep, very involved,” Whittingham said. “And it would be an injustice if he wasn’t. And so, given our situation, he’s, he’s working side by side with me.”
According to Utah’s head coach, those conversations are already happening behind the scenes. With the transfer portal window set to open up on Dec. 9 and close on Dec. 28, Whittingham, Scalley and the Utes will have to make a decision on the matter sooner rather than later.
“That’s going on right now,” Whittingham said of the offensive coordinator search. “We’re evaluating what we’re doing and what the attractive candidates are outside the program. I’m evaluating everything right now and getting the shortlist ready, but, yeah, that’ll be job one. As soon as the timing is right to get that filled, recruits want to know who the coordinator is going to be, and that’s something that we will need to have solved sooner rather than later.”
As Whittingham mulls his future as Utah’s head coach, Scalley will be a major part of the search for the next candidate to lead Utah’s offense. This offseason, it was announced that the “head coach in waiting” clause had returned to the defensive coordinator’s contract after it was previously revoked once it was revealed that he used a racial slur in a 2013 text message.
This season, Utah’s offensive issues and miscues have been a major factor in its six-game losing streak. The Utes offense currently ranks second to last in the Big 12, just ahead of Houston. Through 10 games, they have only averaged 22.7 points per game, which is the third-worst mark in the Big 12.
True freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson has struggled to find his footing after both seventh-year quarterback Cam Rising and sophomore quarterback Brandon Rose went down with season-ending injuries. Wilson has thrown more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (10) in his six starts this season.
Former Utah OC Andy Ludwig resigned from the program on Oct. 21, and Mike Bajakian has replaced him in the interim. The results, so far, have not paid dividends as the Utes have failed to eclipse 30 points since their win against Utah State on Sept. 14.
“Our main issue this season has been on the offensive side of the ball,” Whittingham said Saturday, following Utah’s 49-24 loss to Colorado. “There’s no secret about that. We’ve just got to keep recruiting players — that’s No. 1 — and try to get things solved.
“We’re just not potent enough on offense. If you look just statistically, as good as we are on defense, we’re that far down the ladder on offense in those statistical categories.”
