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Hollywood, Calif.
Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham can justify acquiring former Oregon receiver Darren Carrington with various explanations, including the reality that if the Utes had turned him down, another school would have taken him.
What he shouldn't do is describe the transaction as a humanitarian act.
"You just have to weigh the situation and make a determination whether or not it's worth trying to save somebody — I guess you could use that term," Whittingham said Wednesday, prior to his formal interviews during the Pac-12 Football Media Days.
I can endorse the Utes' adding Carrington, with this qualifier: Nobody should view the arrangement as anything other than a business deal between a coach and a player who need each other. Carrington is coming to Utah's campus as a pair of hired hands.
The Utes are adding a receiver who personally delivered the worst loss of Whittingham's Pac-12 tenure, catching the winning touchdown pass in Oregon's 30-28 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium last November. That's a good story.
What's less savory is how Carrington is facing DUI charges, following other off-field episodes, and recently was dismissed from Oregon's program by new coach Willie Taggart. The core values of Utah's program include the seemingly unnecessary listing of "No DUIs."
The loophole? Carrington was not a member of the Utes, until now.
That's how Utah can justify bringing in Carrington. And that's fair, as long as Whittingham and athletic director Chris Hill are willing to live with some criticism. They can't be defensive about a move that's clearly designed to enhance the Utes' offensive game. In that sense, Whittingham's demeanor Wednesday was refreshing. He didn't come across as defiant at all.
Whittingham cannot comment directly about Carrington until the player's enrollment becomes official. But he fielded questions about his approach to accepting athletes with issues in their backgrounds, while using "remorseful" as a guideline.
"Everything comes down to the individual and their attitude," Whittingham said. "Is he a good person that's made a couple mistakes? Or is he not a good person that doesn't care that he's done some dumb things? It's a gut feel, a lot of times. You're not always right, but you use your best judgment."
This marriage of convenience comes with a remarkable twist. Carrington caught the last pass thrown at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2016, and he might make the first reception of 2017 — for the home team. That feat would rival how former Ute star Eric Weddle once scored touchdowns on consecutive plays from scrimmage, via a run and an interception return.
In November, Carrington made one of the most memorable plays of Utah's Pac-12 era. He caught a 17-yard pass from Justin Herbert in the back-left corner of the end zone, with two seconds remaining and Oregon trailing the No. 12 Utes by four points. After a lengthy review, as Whittingham watched the scoreboard video screen and shaded his eyes with a play-call sheet, the call was reversed and Carrington was ruled to have landed in bounds. Oregon 30, Utah 28.
And now he's a Ute.
Oregon State coach Gary Andersen labeled Carrington "a game-changer," with three-year totals of 112 catches for 1,119 yards and 15 touchdowns. Carrington understood Utah lacked the proven receivers they need to properly execute new offensive coordinator Troy Taylor's scheme; Whittingham knew the player needed a landing spot.
I don't want to hear how Carrington deserved another chance. Playing college football is a privilege. Yet it also is unreasonable to say that Utah or any other school shouldn't have taken him. That simply was going to happen somewhere.
Carrington is a symbol of college football in this era, eligible to play immediately as a graduate student. More accurately, he'll become a five-month rental as an athlete who's highly motivated to behave well and re-establish his NFL credentials. And then, in January, he'll likely move somewhere and begin training for the draft.
Whittingham is about as secure as any Power 5 coach could be, having gone 28-11 the past three seasons. He wants to keep winning, though. Carrington will help him do so in 2017, and that's really the only way Whittingham can frame this move.
Twitter: @tribkurt