It’s been a whirlwind two weeks for the University of Utah after Kyle Whittingham stepped down as head coach.

After stepping down at Utah, the 66-year-old Whittingham continued to keep his options open, and on Friday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Whittingham and Michigan are progressing toward a deal to make the longtime Ute Michigan’s new head coach.

Whittingham’s deal with Michigan is expected to be finalized today, Thamel reported.

If Whittingham does take the Michigan job, it could have a ripple effect throughout college football in the state of Utah.

With the transfer portal opening on Jan. 2, Whittingham will quickly have to assemble his staff at Michigan.

While Whittingham’s search for assistants will no doubt have a national reach, the former Utah coach has a notable coaching tree, and he could lean on his former assistant coaches while building a staff in Ann Arbor.

Here are three notable names from Utah schools that Whittingham could potentially target while assembling a coaching staff.

Jason Beck, Utah offensive coordinator

Whittingham is expected to target offensive coordinator Jason Beck for the same job at Michigan, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Beck turned around Utah’s offense in just one season, engineering the best year-to-year offensive improvement at Utah since at least 1996, according to the school.

Led by mostly backup quarterbacks in 2024, Utah’s offense struggled, scoring 23.6 points per game (No. 102 in the nation) and totaling just 329.8 yards per game on offense (No. 115 in the nation).

Beck, who was New Mexico’s offensive coordinator in 2024, brought quarterback Devon Dampier and receiver Ryan Davis from Albuquerque, and added running back Wayshawn Parker. Those new players, led by a veteran offensive line, injected much-needed life into Utah’s offense.

Beck’s RPO-heavy scheme was run well by Dampier, and Utah’s offense scored 40.9 points per game (No. 5 in the nation) and rushed for 269.8 yards per game (No. 2 in the nation).

Beck engineered one of the most successful offenses in the Whittingham era, so it would make sense that Whittingham would want continuity in Michigan, instead of starting fresh with a new offensive coordinator.

Jim Harding, Utah offensive line

One of Whittingham’s first calls to his old staff at Utah would have to be to offensive line coach Jim Harding.

Harding has been one of the top offensive line coaches in the nation during his time at Utah and did his best coaching job this season.

With a veteran group of returning starters, including tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, Utah had one of the best offensive lines in the nation.

The Utes’ front five powered Utah to 3,237 rushing yards, just 27 yards off of breaking the school rushing record of 3,263, set in 1984.

Fano and Lomu are both potential first-round picks in this year’s NFL draft, with Fano considered the best offensive tackle available.

This summer, Harding landed a commitment from offensive tackle Kelvin Obot, who is Utah’s first-ever 247Sports composite five-star.

Harding’s ability to recruit and develop talent on the offensive line has made him one of the country’s best position coaches and an attractive target for Whittingham’s staff at Michigan.

Jay Hill, BYU defensive coordinator

Jay Hill coached under Whittingham from 2005-2013 in various positions, including as Utah’s cornerbacks coach.

Hill left Utah in 2014 to become Weber State’s head coach, and in nine season in Ogden, Hill led the Wildcats to six playoff appearances.

Following the 2022 season, Hill became Kalani Sitake’s defensive coordinator at BYU and turned around the Cougars’ defense.

Under Hill’s watch, BYU went from No. 96 in points allowed in 2022 (29.5 points per game) to No. 18 in 2024 (19.6 points per game) and No. 21 in 2025 (19 points per game).

With Whittingham’s connection to Hill, the current BYU defensive coordinator could be one of the top targets to call the Wolverines’ defense.

WASHINGTON — A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House has been charged in a complaint with federal firearms charges in connection with the ambush on November 26 that fatally wounded one of the West Virginia National Guard members and seriously injured the second.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with the intent to commit an offense punishable for more than one year. He has also been charged federally with transporting a stolen firearm in interstate commerce.

“The transfer of this case from Superior Court to District Court ensures that we can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “Sarah Beckstrom was just 20 years old when she was killed and her parents are now forced to endure the holiday season without their daughter. Andrew Wolfe, by the grace of God, survived but has a long road ahead in his recovery.”

Lakanwal remains charged with first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill and illegal possession of a firearm in the shooting that killed Beckstrom, 20, and wounded Wolfe, 24, in violation of D.C. code. Lakanwal, who was shot during the encounter, has pleaded not guilty to the D.C. charges.

There is no death penalty in D.C. Superior Court.

Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard for President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital, which has flooded the city with federal agents and troops since August. Lakanwal is accused of driving from Bellingham, Washington to Washington, D.C. while in possession of a stolen firearm and ambushing the two Guard members outside a subway station three blocks from the White House.

An Afghan national, Laknawal worked with the American government, including the CIA, “as a member of a partner force” in Kandahar, Afghanistan, CIA Director John Ratcliffe said.

Lakanwal, 29, entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, officials said. That Biden administration program evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country.

Lakanwal’s lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

The video in the player above is from an earlier report.

Wyoming and Idaho families with kids may not have access to additional federal food assistance again next summer.

The states are among 13 yet to opt into the program known as Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer. The program provides $120 during the summer months for each school-age child who qualifies for free or reduced-price meals during the school year.

Kelsey Boone, senior child nutrition policy analyst at the Food Research and Action Center, said about 107,000 Idaho children would be eligible if the state participates in the program, although it does not look likely for 2026.

“Every time a state opts out of Summer EBT, they leave federal dollars on the table and leave children without critical nutrition support,” Boone contended. “We strongly urge states to support families and opt in, in 2027 and beyond, and we urge lawmakers to protect Summer EBT funding.”

Boone noted states attempting to replace Summer EBT with their own programs have largely failed to reach as many kids as the federal program. The deadline for states to sign up for Summer EBT is Jan. 1. Boone said a regulatory deadline passed in August without Idaho submitting a plan but it is unclear if it would keep the state from participating. Idaho, and Wyoming, did not participate in the program in 2025.

The state of Wyoming and some school districts offer other local summer school lunch programs.

Summer EBT began as a program during the pandemic to provide assistance to children. Boone pointed out households, especially those with children and families of color, are still struggling to recover from the pandemic. She added families are also facing an anticipated loss because of cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“SNAP cuts will ripple through every child nutrition program, including Summer EBT,” Boone projected. “As households with children lose access to SNAP, summer childhood hunger will rise, making Summer EBT even more essential.”

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cuts SNAP funding by $186 billion through 2034, the largest cut in the program’s history.

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