Utah football's coaching transition from Kyle Whittingham to now-head coach Morgan Scalley has been seamless so far in 2026. The Utes promoted Scalley from defensive coordinator to head coach over the offseason and are off to a 6-0 start and a top-10 ranking with ESPN's "College GameDay" in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Scalley, a former Utah defensive back and assistant from 2007-25, doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon, either. The Salt Lake City native donated $2 million of his own salary to the Utes' name, image and likeness efforts in March.
"I grew up (in) Sugar House, Utah," Scalley said on "GameDay." "My father was a halfback here, played back in the late 50s, early 60s. My family is born and bred Utes, all went here. The University
of Utah has meant so much to our family, done so much to us. This is us giving back.
"Having the opportunity to give back. I met my wife on campus at the University of Utah. It was a family decision. Basically, our flag is planted and we're not going anywhere."
$2 million is a substantial part of Scalley's salary this season, also. The first-year head coach is making $5.1 million in 2026, which is set to increase by $150,000 each year through 2030.
Scalley was named Utah's head-coach-in-waiting on July 1, 2024, for when Whittingham eventually left the program. Whittingham previously announced his retirement after the 2025 season before taking the job at Michigan.
Scalley had previously been named Utah's head-coach-in-waiting earlier in his career, but that offer was rescinded in 2020 after he was suspended for texting a racial slur to a recruit in 2013. Scalley was reinstated by the university after the investigation.
"It was a familly decision. Basically, our flag is planted and we're not going anywhere."
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 24, 2026
Utah coach Morgan Scalley on giving $2 million of his own money to the Utes ❤️ pic.twitter.com/frHNqduJws
"This is not a Morgan Scalley thing," Scalley said on the "Pat McAfee Show"on Friday. "This is about Utah football. It's about the University of Utah. When I'm gone, it'll still be Utah. We wanted to give back and help this community understand that we're in this together. I'm not going anywhere."
Scalley is 7-0 as a head coach, including a 44-22 win over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl last season. None of those games will be as big as No. 9 Utah's matchup with No. 16 Houston on Saturday night in primetime.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Utah coach Morgan Scalley gave $2 million of his salary back to Utes football
