NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Utah head football Coach Kyle Whittingham has agreed to a new five-year, $6 million contract, the school announced Monday.
The announcement comes the week Whittingham and the Utes (12-0) are preparing to face Alabama (12-1) in Friday's Sugar Bowl. Whittingham and Utah Athletic Director Chris Hill signed the agreement Monday in New Orleans.
"When I hired Kyle four years ago, I felt he was the best person for the job, and the fact that we are here at a BCS bowl, with a 12-0 record and a No. 7 national ranking bears that out," Hill said.
The contract pays $1.2 million annually, including a base salary of $200,000, with the remainder coming from a variety of sources.
Whittingham, in his 15th year on the Utes' staff, is 36-14 in four years as head coach and was named 2008 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year. He is 3-0 in bowl games as head coach and led the Utes this season to a No. 6 BCS ranking -- which tied a school record.
