When Kyle Whittingham first spoke at Big Ten Media Days, one of his biggest points of emphasis was getting back to football and leaving drama behind. The drama seems to have followed Whittingham from Utah, with some accusations being leveled at the Utes' former head coach.
In a story in The Salt Lake Tribune, six former Utah football players who played under Whittingham from 2020 to 2024 allege that the program mishandled their injuries. These players have gone as far as to name Whittingham and the staff as part of these allegations, saying they were pressured to return to play before they were ready.
The six players to bring these allegations forward are edge rusher Van Follinger, wide receiver Mycah Pittman, running back Jaylon Glover, tight end Miki Suguturaga, defensive lineman Tevita Fitu, and one player who chose to remain anonymous.
Multiple ex-Utah players have gone on record to accuse the coaching staff, including former head coach Kyle Whittingham, of pressuring them to return from injuries before they were ready.https://t.co/UX7VrSoFWE
— Zach Barnett (@zach_barnett) August 28, 2026
Kyle Whittingham denies accusations of pressuring players to return sooner than medically advisable at Utah
Current head coach Morgan Scalley and Whittingham have denied the allegations. Some players stated that the pressure to return was there; some were even threatened with dismissal from the team if they did not play when asked to.
Fillinger stated that when he fractured his tibia in 2022 and came back in 2023, his ankle still wasn't fully healed, and doctors recommended he sit out six weeks. When Fillinger shared that with his position coach Lewis Powell, the two agreed on a medical redshirt. However, three weeks later, when fellow edge rusher Logan Fano went down with an ACL tear, Fillinger said Powell asked him to return to play instead of redshirting, and when Fillinger asked what would happen if he didn't, he was told he would be kicked off the team.
All six players had similar stories to Fillinger, with Pittman saying that the pressure to return was because coaches wanted to win football games, and if they weren't able to go, it was ''frowned upon." Fotu said his pressure came in the form of his scholarship being taken away if he didn't push through his MCL tear during his redshirt freshman season.
It should be noted that these are allegations. Responding to the newspaper, a Michigan spokeman said, "Coach Whittingham or his coaching staff did not make medical decisions [at Utah]. He followed the lead of the medical team."
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