Utah Utes

Kyle Whittingham ranked the 5th-best Pac-12 coach

Published May. 8, 2015 1:08 p.m. ET

foxsports

Utah faced an uphill battle when it joined the Pac-12 Conference in 2011. The Utes went from being the big fish in a small pond (Mountain West Conference) to the small fish in the big pond.

But in just four short seasons, Kyle Whittingham has elevated expectations in Salt Lake City. Utah's breakout season in the Pac-12 happened just last year.

In addition, Whittingham navigated through a tumultuous offseason after a rocky relationship with athletic director Chris Hill, which has since been repaired. This is what makes Whittingham one of the top coaches in the Pac-12, according to Athlon Sports. Our thanks to Block U for bringing this to our attention.

Here's what Athlon had to say about Whittingham:

"Whittingham has successfully transitioned Utah from a Mountain West team to a solid Pac-12 program in just four years. The Utes don't have the resources or recruiting base of a UCLA or USC, but Whittingham's team knocked off both programs last year as well as Stanford and Michigan en route to a 9-4 record."

So, what say you?

(h/t Block U)

Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale, USA TODAY Sports