Kyle Whittingham FINALLY Beats BYU; And He Hurts Utah Even Worse

Kyle Whittingham finally won a battle against BYU in the transfer portal, landing standout Utah corner Smith Snowden at Michigan instead of seeing him flip to the Cougars. In this video, John breaks down why this is really more of a loss for Utah than BYU, how the last few years of the Holy War rivalry have tilted toward BYU, and why Snowden would’ve been more of a luxury for the Cougars but a major hit for the Utes.

John also dives into the full scope of Whittingham’s damage to Utah’s roster: multiple key defensive pieces heading to Michigan, a rising offensive weapon gone, and now the likely flip of Utah’s top 2026 recruit and in-state blue-chip prospect. What does all of this say about Utah’s future in the Big 12, BYU’s culture and retention wins, and how Ute fans are processing Whittingham gutting the program he helped build?

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Timestamps
0:00 Kyle Whittingham finally beats BYU on something (sort of)
0:45 BYU’s recent dominance over Whittingham on the field and in the Big 12
1:26 The Smith Snowden sweepstakes: BYU visit, Oregon, Notre Dame, Michigan
2:24 Why Snowden to BYU would’ve been a luxury compared to what Utah loses
3:26 Utah’s portal hits: John Henry Daly, JJ Buchanan, Jonah Lea’ha and more
4:16 Utah fan reaction and whether Snowden’s price tag was “worth it”
5:08 How Whittingham has stripped Utah’s staff and roster on his way to Michigan
6:12 The gut punch: Utah’s top 2026 in-state recruit likely flipping to Michigan
7:01 Why this one stings most for Utah’s long-term roster building
7:58 Context for Utah: portal class rankings and why it’s not full panic… yet
8:40 BYU’s position after all this: culture, retention and chasing Texas Tech
9:30 What all of this means for the Utah–BYU rivalry in the Big 12 era

About This Video
In this video, John Kurtz explains how Kyle Whittingham finally scored a win over BYU by helping land Smith Snowden at Michigan, but why Utah is still the biggest loser in the equation. He walks through the full list of staffers and players Whittingham has taken from Utah, the impact of losing a multi-year starter and All-Big 12 corner, and the looming flip of Utah’s top 2026 recruit. John also looks at BYU’s roster stability, why Snowden would’ve been more of a luxury piece in Provo, and what this all signals about where BYU and Utah are headed in the new Big 12.

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