SALT LAKE CITY — Utah co-offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, who has been on Kyle Whittingham’s staff since the coach took over in 2005, “will not be retained.”
Whittingham made the announcement in a press release Tuesday, along with news that assistant head coach Dennis Erickson is retiring after four seasons with the Utes.
"Both Dennis and Aaron have been instrumental to the success of our program and we appreciate their contributions," Whittingham said. "Dennis is one of the most respected coaches in the history of college football, and the opportunity to work side by side with him and learn from him has been an invaluable experience. Aaron has been an incredibly loyal member of our staff for many years and has been an integral part of this program's growth."
Erickson, who turns 70 in March, is credited with establishing a Florida recruiting pipeline at Utah. He led Miami (Florida) to national championships in 1989 and 1991. Other head coaching stints at the collegiate level came at Idaho, Wyoming, Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona State. Erickson also coached the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
After a brief retirement, Erickson joined Whittingham’s staff in 2013. In addition to coaching the running backs, Erickson has also served as co-offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
Roderick has also worked in several capacities. He coached the receivers from 2005-13 and the quarterbacks from 2014-16. Additional duties included stints as passing game coordinator (2012-13) and co-offensive coordinator (2010 and 2015-16).
Whittingham’s decision not to retain Roderick comes after Utah finished its 13-game season ranked 10th in the Pac-12 pass efficiency (120.8 rating) and 11th in red zone offense (77.8 percent).
The latter proved especially troublesome in a 9-4 season with close losses to California (28-23), Washington (31-24), Oregon (30-28) and Colorado (27-22).
“We’ve struggled in the red zone all season long,” Whittingham said prior to Utah’s 26-24 win over Indiana in the Foster Farms Bowl. “We left too many points on the field and didn’t take advantage of scoring opportunities and consequently, in my estimation, that’s what cost us a chance to win a championship.”
Utah’s offensive coaching staff has undergone an extensive overhaul over the past two seasons. Co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Jim Harding is the lone holdover. After the 2015 season, wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield was replaced by Guy Holliday, and Fred Whittingham Jr. took over as tight ends coach when Lewis Powell was moved over to the defensive line.
Whittingham declined to give a timetable regarding the most recent vacancies.