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John Baxter could well have been coaching from the home sideline Thursday night.
The son-in-law of Ron McBride and a longtime friend of Kyle Whittingham, Baxter said by phone Monday that throughout his career, "there was always one other program I would have gone to, and that was Utah. Let the record show: I love Utah."
Instead, Michigan's new special teams coordinator will visit Salt Lake looking to spoil the opener for a team that showed a keen interest in his services this offseason, for a head coach who attended his wedding.
The alternative certainly would have been a whole lot simpler.
Whereas Utah boasts the reigning Ray Guy Award winner in Tom Hackett and Lou Groza semifinalist Andy Phillips, Baxter is charged with leading a group whose only known starter, two days from kickoff, is long-snapper Scott Sypniewski.
At Monday's coaches meeting, Baxter said, Jim Harbaugh told them "I want to see a lot of kids play. Let's see what we've got." Harbaugh later told kickers Kenny Allen and Kyle Seychel: "Neither of you deserve to be known as a starter because none of you have played a snap."
Opportunities, and uncertainties, abound.
"There's never a dull moment," said Baxter, who said he ultimately couldn't pass up an offer "to be with this guy, at this place, at this time."
Baxter was a longtime special teams coach at Fresno State before four seasons at USC, the last of which he counts as "probably the most satisfying of my career," when the Trojans went 10-4 under three different head coaches, still hamstrung by probation.
When Steve Sarkisian was hired and the old staff was let go, Baxter decided to stay put while one of his two daughters finished high school and the other went to college.
"I really did not want to wreck their lives," he said. "I was able to raise my kids from birth to college with one move."
His nest empty, Baxter became an attractive candidate to Utah after the departure of offensive coordinator Dave Christensen. He could relieve Whittingham of his management of special teams, coach tight ends (Christensen's old group) and help the team in the classroom, where he is a noted innovator.
"He's a guy that would be desirable on just about anybody's staff," said Whittingham, adding that much of what Utah does on special teams is inspired by Baxter. "He's got a lot of expertise and a lot of experience. ... I think he'd be wanted by just about every staff in the country."
Alas.
Instead, he signed with Michigan for about $1.2 million over three years, according to the Detroit Free Press.
His Utah ties remain strong, though, as familial ties are wont to be. McBride — whom Baxter has known three years longer than he's known his wife and McBride's daughter, Jill — spent the spring with the Baxters in Ann Arbor.
And Whittingham and Baxter both profess a strong admiration for the other, with Baxter feeling that Whittingham doesn't get the respect he deserves from Utah's media.
Reports of a rift between Whittingham and Chris Hill and subsequent reactions in print and on the airwaves were "horrific," said Baxter, who was in for the holidays.
Other times, on the radio, "they just crush the guy," he said.
"'He won't do this,' and 'He won't do that.' For gosh sakes, last year he swept California."
But as aware as he is of Utah's program and the scrutiny Whittingham is under, he's not any kind of secret weapon this week for Michigan, he said.
He didn't coach against Utah last season, and hadn't watched any Utah film. At this time, "we don't even know our team," Baxter said.
On that note, the battle between Allen and Seychel will continue through pregame warmups, Baxter said, when Harbaugh will make the final call.
At punter, Michigan is likely to use an approach similar to Utah's in 2012, Baxter said, with Weber State transfer Blake O'Neill playing the Tom Hackett pin-'em-deep role and Allen playing the Sean Sellwood kick-it-high role.
O'Neill and Hackett — who knows Baxter as "kind of a big deal in special teams" — formed a friendship learning the trade together as Aussie rules football converts as ProKick Australia in Melbourne, and they sometimes grabbed lunch during their shared time together in Utah.
As many as four players could return punts and kicks for Michigan, Baxter said, reiterating, "We've never seen one of these kids."
Senior wideout Jehu Chesson, sophomore cornerback Jabrill Peppers, junior safety Dymonte Thomas and junior cornerback Jourdan Lewis are all in the mix for those duties, and freshman Grant Perry is also listed on the depth chart sent to Utah on Monday.
Twitter: @matthew_piper