Norm Chow, Kalani Sitake eyeing head coach job at Hawaii

The Utah Utes are like many teams at this time of year with their assistants being considered for head coaching openings.

What makes the Utes a little unusual is that both coordinators are going for the same job.

Both offensive coordinator Norm Chow and defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake are under consideration for the head coaching position at Hawaii.

The 65-year-old Chow refused to discuss the matter at Utah's practice Thursday, other than to note he has a son who is an agent (Carter Chow) and that he is "getting ready for Georgia Tech, period."

"They have a heck of a football team, a real challenge," he added when pressed about the opening at Hawaii.

Sitake, Utah's defensive coordinator since 2009, was a little more open, noting Hawaii contacted him about the opening and as a result he has applied for the job.

"There are a lot of factors that go into it," he said. "Timing is everything. I'm happy where I'm at and it would take a lot for me to feel like, 'OK, this is a good move.' We're doing some good things defensively, and I feel good about the talent on the team we have now and the talent we're recruiting."

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said it wasn't a distraction having both coordinators up for the same job.

"We've been through it before so it's nothing new," he said. "As long as you deal with it and communicate, it's not a distraction as long as everyone is on the same page."

Whittingham said he felt both should be finalists for the job.

"You just roll with it," he said of the situation. "There is a lot of this this time of year, so you just go with it and wait until the dust settles. If you have to go out and get someone, it's the least favorite part of my job, replacing staff. Luckily we haven't had a whole lot."

QB Shreve gone

Tyler Shreve, a freshman quarterback who was redshirting this year, has left the school on "good terms," and has transferred to Riverside Community College to play baseball and football.

Shreve never could make a real threat at the backup job despite his early arrival at Utah. The chances of him playing in the future were even slimmer with the Utes actively recruiting other quarterbacks, including highly regarded Travis Wilson out of San Clemente High School in California, who committed to the Utes.

"We have got a couple lined up that we feel good about, and he needs to go play baseball," Chow said of Shreve. "He battled some injuries and he is a talented guy, but he needs to go play baseball."

Back on the field

Utah running back John White, who left the loss against Colorado early with an ankle sprain, was back on the practice field Thursday.

"It felt great to be out there running," he said. "I'm easing back into practices. I just wanted it to get better and be 100 percent so I don't even worry about it when I run. It felt great today. I'm getting there. I will be there by game day."

White, who has 1,404 yards this year, needs 104 yards to set a school record for the most rushing yards in a season.

lwodraska@sltrib.comTwitter: @lyawodraska —

Sun Bowl

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