This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

First, Utah athletic director Chris Hill acknowledged in November that he and Kyle Whittingham had "communicated."

Last week, Whittingham told The Tribune that talks with Hill were "ongoing, and heading in a positive direction."

Monday, Hill advanced our understanding a tiny bit. Asked if any other schools have inquired about Whittingham, Hill said: "What I can tell you is that Kyle and I had a really good conversation a week ago, and I think we're in good shape."

"I think we're both on the same page," he continued. "The Monday right after the season, we met and talked about compensation and extended years, and he said it was a good conversation, and I thought it was positive, too."

In January, Hill and Whittingham agreed on a raise and a one-year extension that takes him through December 2018.

Utah went 3-3 down the stretch but was ranked as high as No. 3 by the AP during the regular season and finished with a school-record six Pac-12 victories in its fifth year as a member of the conference.

Notably, USC filled its vacancy with interim coach Clay Helton, but with Bronco Mendenhall's move to Virginia, it's only natural to wonder if BYU might court the man it first offered Mendenhall's job, back in 2005.

All while Mendenhall aspires to his 100th win and Whittingham tries to beat his alma mater for the fifth straight time, no less, in the Dec. 19 Las Vegas Bowl.

Whittingham's 2015 salary ranks him seventh among the 11 known salaries of Pac-12 coaches in USA Today's database. Helton's salary has yet to be revealed.

Unrelated, perhaps: Here's Whittingham undaunted by a fire alarm, video courtesy of junior left guard Isaac Asiata.

— Matthew Piper

mpiper@sltrib.com

Twitter: @matthew_piper