Urban Meyer Reveals He Had 'No Plan Of Hiring' Kyle Whittingham

The former Utah head coach revealed things could have been differently in Salt Lake City

In the midst of discussing why he thinks that current Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham is the best coach in college football, Urban Meyer revealed a fascinating anecdote from the time he was filling out his staff at Utah.

As many of you may know, Meyer retained Whittingham to be a part of his staff in 2003, but he did so against the advice of some and had thoughts against it himself. Something he revealed recently on Urban’s Take with Tim May.

I got hired there and Kyle interviewed for the job when I did,” Meyer said. “Everybody told me, ‘don’t hire him.’ He’s kind of a unique personality and I had no plan of hiring him. Then once I got hired and I settled down, I realized how good they were on defense. I went to dinner with him and his wife and I’m sitting there looking like, ‘what am I stupid?’

He then explained why he and Whittingham were the perfect fit for one another.

Utah's head coach shaking USC's Lincoln Riley hand  / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

“This guy knows the conference. He knows the personnel on our team," said Meyer. "He’s a good person. Yeah, he’s a little different personality, but so am I. The two of us, I can’t imagine a better working relationship even to this day. That’s how close I am with him. That’s the respect the respect I have for him.”

After Meyer led Utah to great success he ended up moving on to Florida, paving the way for Whittingham to take over as head coach. A move that helped Utah become a Pac-12 program, and one that has seen the Utes become one of the most consistently good programs in the country. Meyer's protégé and his squad have a huge matchup on Saturday as the Utes are set to take on No. 8 Oregon in what will not only end one of their Pac-12 title hopes, but also their College Football Playoff aspirations.