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Kyle Whittingham has been the Utah Utes’ head football coach since 2004, compiling an overall record of 120-61 during his time at the school. While winning two-thirds of your games as head coach is impressive, it’s not like the guy’s leading the Utes to the College Football Playoff year after year. Still, Whittingham has put the Utes in a bowl game in 13 of 16 years, winning 11 of those contests, so the dude can obviously coach.
Sure, that’s great and all, but can we talk about a performance incentive that Kyle Whittingham just got before the upcoming college football season even starts — a $15,000 bonus thanks to a clause in his contract. That’s according to Steve Berkowitz of USA Today Sports, who tweeted out that the Utes head coach received the cold hard cash because his team is ranked in the top-15 of the Amway Coaches preseason poll; and it can increase to $100,000 if the team finishes in the top-25 of a major poll by season’s end.
First college football coach to hit incentive bonus this season is Utah's Kyle Whittingham. He gets $15,000 because Utes are No. 15 in Amway Coaches preseason poll. He gets that amt if team is ranked anytime during season; it goes to $100K if team ends season in a major top 25
— Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) August 1, 2019
I have no idea who Kyle Whittingham’s agent is, but, damn, the person deserves a high five for scoring some serious dough for his or her client. For something as arbitrary as a preseason coaches poll, getting $15,000 has to be like winning the lottery. Wonder if the head coach did a little campaigning to his fellow coaches to help get the big payday or not? Don’t act like you wouldn’t for that kind of money.
The Utes are one of three Pac-12 teams in the top-15 of the Amway preseason poll, joining Washington and Oregon, so they’ll have their work cut out for themselves to win the conference this upcoming season and reach that next incentive for Whittingham. But with the potential to earn even more cash should his team reach (or exceed) expectations, Kyle Whittingham will, no doubt, push his team to try and achieve a lot on the field this season — while he earns a lot at the bank.
With this type of shit going on for coaches before games even kick-off, can someone remind me why college athletes keep getting screwed out of earning any sort of payment at all?