Whitehead said he was contacted a month ago about the position, had a meeting with Mendenhall on Friday and accepted the job offer Saturday - leaving the Leopards just four weeks before the opening of the high school football season. Whitehead said he made the decision because he couldn't pass up such an opportunity and earning a master's degree would help him give his wife and three kids more financial support in the future.

"In the long term, it was the best decision for me," he said.

Whitehead graduated from Skyline High before earning a degree at the University of Utah. Before becoming the head coach for the Leopards, he was an assistant for Skyline and East.

Whitehead's resignation takes effect immediately, and he said he expects East administrators to hire an interim coach from within the Leopards' program.