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The University of Utah Athletics
Coaches Corner With Freddie Whittingham
4/3/2020 3:29 PM | Football
Throughout the spring, UtahUtes.com will showcase the Coaches Corner series which will feature current Utah football coaching staff members and what they are up to right now. First up, tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Freddie Whittingham talks about why he got into coaching, what it is like coaching with his brother, and what makes the tight end position unique.
Whittingham has been with the program since 2012 when he joined the staff as the director of player personnel before taking over as tight ends coach in 2016. Before his time with the Utes, Whittingham spent nearly 20 years with the McGraw-Hill companies and Simon & Schuster as a sales and marketing executive in the higher education publishing industry.
He was a three-year starting running back at BYU from 1987-89, serving as BYU's team captin in 1989. He was BYU's leading rusher for three consecutive seasons.
Q: With college football coaching in your blood, what were some of the things that attracted you to the profession?Â
A: "With the upbringing in my family, football has consistently been at the forefront of life as I know it. I have always loved the game—as a player, as a family member of coaches, as a fan, and now as a coach myself. I enjoy teaching, which I believe is the essence of coaching. I enjoy working with the players, and assisting in their overall growth and development, helping them achieve their goals and dreams."
Q: Starting as Utah's director of player personnel, what were some of your favorite parts about that position?Â
A: "The lifeblood of a college football program is recruiting. As a coach you will be as good as the talent level, the buy-in and the work ethic of your players. So that position put me right smack in the middle of the program's recruiting strategy and process. Coming to that position from a sales and marketing background, I enjoyed the blend of talent evaluation, brand development and the collaboration that was imperative internally with our staff and players, and externally with the recruits."
Q: What was it about Utah that made you to want to coach here?
A: "My father had two coaching stints here at Utah and my brother Kyle has been here since 1994. It was supporting them as my family that fostered the connection and love for the University of Utah. I love Salt Lake City and the state of Utah, and the University has such a positive impact on both in so many meaningful ways. I feel gratitude every day that Kyle had the faith to bring me onboard and contribute to what we are doing."
Q: How would you describe your coaching style?
A: "I believe effective teaching is the essence of coaching. There are times when raising your voice is appropriate to get the message across, but I figure if I'm a coach that's constantly yelling at my players, I'm probably not teaching them effectively. I believe your players have to trust that as their coach you have a sincere desire to help bring out the best in them, and help them achieve what they want, which is success and a great experience here at Utah. It's important to bring positive energy to the process, within the context of your authentic personality and disposition."
Q: What is your favorite part about coaching the tight ends?
A: "The tight end position requires a lot of football IQ. They have to understand all aspects of the running game and blocking schemes, pass protection, and understanding of the routes and passing concepts. They are heavily involved in the use of shifts and motions to keep opposing defenses off balance. Other than the QB, tight ends arguably have to know the complete offense more in depth than any position. I enjoy working with great athletes that embrace the mental challenges of the position, and being involved in every aspect of the offense."
Q: What attributes do you think would make a perfect tight end?
A: "Maybe the best answer is what I look for in recruiting a tight end. All of them have to have sharp football minds, and demonstrate that they love football and all the work that comes with it. For our Y position, we're looking for a player in the range of 6'4"-6'7", with the frame to be 245-260 lbs. Someone who can run well, change direction, and has excellent ball skills. They have to be a willing blocker and show physicality. At the U position they don't need to be quite as tall or heavy, but running well and receiving skills are a must. Again they have to be a willing blocker, but typically they are not as involved as the Y at the point of attack. The ability to run after the catch is important for both positions, maybe even more so for the U. It's always a plus if they were a good basketball player in high school, that seems to transfer over well for the position."
Q: What has it been like getting to watch Cole Fotheringham and Brant Kuithe develop into top tight ends?
A: "I love those guys and they are on their way to becoming great players and leaders for the Utes. They love the game, they have great practice habits and they are willing to do whatever is asked of them to help our offense score points and win. They are good students and representatives of the University of Utah and what we stand for."
Q: What is it like getting to coach alongside your brother every day?
A: "Honestly, in our football related activities, I don't usually think about him being my brother. He's the head coach. It's not all that unique, you can find brothers or fathers and sons working on the same coaching staff across all levels of football. At the end of the day though, he is my older brother so I admire him, trust him and support him. And I still want to beat him when we can squeeze in a tennis match on the courts next door to the football facility."
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Q: Serving as recruiting coordinator, what are three keys to being successful in recruiting?
A: "As the support staff positions have grown in major college football, much of what was traditionally the role of the position coach designated as the recruiting coordinator is now performed by the director of player personnel, the creative director, and the recruiting operations staff they manage. So the three keys would be consistent across the organization: 1) Talent identification and evaluation; 2) Building and promoting the program brand; 3) Individual dynamics between staff members and recruits that facilitate them coming to the conclusion that the University of Utah is where they want to be."
Q: What is your favorite part about being a college football coach?
A: "Winning games, any game, because it is tough to win a football game. We are all competing for the same thing, those wins. So I cherish every win. In the course of pursuing that, the relationships you build with your players and seeing them move on to successful lives is very rewarding."
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Whittingham has been with the program since 2012 when he joined the staff as the director of player personnel before taking over as tight ends coach in 2016. Before his time with the Utes, Whittingham spent nearly 20 years with the McGraw-Hill companies and Simon & Schuster as a sales and marketing executive in the higher education publishing industry.
He was a three-year starting running back at BYU from 1987-89, serving as BYU's team captin in 1989. He was BYU's leading rusher for three consecutive seasons.
Q: With college football coaching in your blood, what were some of the things that attracted you to the profession?Â
A: "With the upbringing in my family, football has consistently been at the forefront of life as I know it. I have always loved the game—as a player, as a family member of coaches, as a fan, and now as a coach myself. I enjoy teaching, which I believe is the essence of coaching. I enjoy working with the players, and assisting in their overall growth and development, helping them achieve their goals and dreams."
Q: Starting as Utah's director of player personnel, what were some of your favorite parts about that position?Â
A: "The lifeblood of a college football program is recruiting. As a coach you will be as good as the talent level, the buy-in and the work ethic of your players. So that position put me right smack in the middle of the program's recruiting strategy and process. Coming to that position from a sales and marketing background, I enjoyed the blend of talent evaluation, brand development and the collaboration that was imperative internally with our staff and players, and externally with the recruits."
Q: What was it about Utah that made you to want to coach here?
A: "My father had two coaching stints here at Utah and my brother Kyle has been here since 1994. It was supporting them as my family that fostered the connection and love for the University of Utah. I love Salt Lake City and the state of Utah, and the University has such a positive impact on both in so many meaningful ways. I feel gratitude every day that Kyle had the faith to bring me onboard and contribute to what we are doing."
Q: How would you describe your coaching style?
A: "I believe effective teaching is the essence of coaching. There are times when raising your voice is appropriate to get the message across, but I figure if I'm a coach that's constantly yelling at my players, I'm probably not teaching them effectively. I believe your players have to trust that as their coach you have a sincere desire to help bring out the best in them, and help them achieve what they want, which is success and a great experience here at Utah. It's important to bring positive energy to the process, within the context of your authentic personality and disposition."
Q: What is your favorite part about coaching the tight ends?
A: "The tight end position requires a lot of football IQ. They have to understand all aspects of the running game and blocking schemes, pass protection, and understanding of the routes and passing concepts. They are heavily involved in the use of shifts and motions to keep opposing defenses off balance. Other than the QB, tight ends arguably have to know the complete offense more in depth than any position. I enjoy working with great athletes that embrace the mental challenges of the position, and being involved in every aspect of the offense."
Q: What attributes do you think would make a perfect tight end?
A: "Maybe the best answer is what I look for in recruiting a tight end. All of them have to have sharp football minds, and demonstrate that they love football and all the work that comes with it. For our Y position, we're looking for a player in the range of 6'4"-6'7", with the frame to be 245-260 lbs. Someone who can run well, change direction, and has excellent ball skills. They have to be a willing blocker and show physicality. At the U position they don't need to be quite as tall or heavy, but running well and receiving skills are a must. Again they have to be a willing blocker, but typically they are not as involved as the Y at the point of attack. The ability to run after the catch is important for both positions, maybe even more so for the U. It's always a plus if they were a good basketball player in high school, that seems to transfer over well for the position."
Q: What has it been like getting to watch Cole Fotheringham and Brant Kuithe develop into top tight ends?
A: "I love those guys and they are on their way to becoming great players and leaders for the Utes. They love the game, they have great practice habits and they are willing to do whatever is asked of them to help our offense score points and win. They are good students and representatives of the University of Utah and what we stand for."
Q: What is it like getting to coach alongside your brother every day?
A: "Honestly, in our football related activities, I don't usually think about him being my brother. He's the head coach. It's not all that unique, you can find brothers or fathers and sons working on the same coaching staff across all levels of football. At the end of the day though, he is my older brother so I admire him, trust him and support him. And I still want to beat him when we can squeeze in a tennis match on the courts next door to the football facility."
 Â
Q: Serving as recruiting coordinator, what are three keys to being successful in recruiting?
A: "As the support staff positions have grown in major college football, much of what was traditionally the role of the position coach designated as the recruiting coordinator is now performed by the director of player personnel, the creative director, and the recruiting operations staff they manage. So the three keys would be consistent across the organization: 1) Talent identification and evaluation; 2) Building and promoting the program brand; 3) Individual dynamics between staff members and recruits that facilitate them coming to the conclusion that the University of Utah is where they want to be."
Q: What is your favorite part about being a college football coach?
A: "Winning games, any game, because it is tough to win a football game. We are all competing for the same thing, those wins. So I cherish every win. In the course of pursuing that, the relationships you build with your players and seeing them move on to successful lives is very rewarding."
Â
Players Mentioned
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