Utah coordinators Norm Chow and Kalani Sitake tried their best to take the focus off themselves and keep it on their players Thursday as the Utes resumed their bowl preparations.
Both coordinators are up for the head coaching position at Hawaii.
The 65-year-old Chow refused to discuss the matter at Utah's practice Thursday, other than to note he has a son who is an agent (Carter Chow) and that he is "getting ready for Georgia Tech, period."
Sitake, Utah's defensive coordinator since 2009, was a little more open, noting Hawaii contacted him about the job.
"There are a lot of factors that go into it," he said. "Timing is everything. I'm happy where I'm at and it would take a lot for me to feel like, 'Ok, this is a good move.' We're doing some good things defensively and I feel good about the talent on the team we have now and the talent we're recruiting."
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said it wasn't a distraction having both coordinators up for the same job.
"We've been through it before so it's nothing new," he said. "As long as you deal with it and communicate, it's not a distraction as long as everyone is on the same page."
While some might see Chow's age as a negative, Whittingham didn't.
"He has a lot to offer, no doubt about that," he said.
As for Sitake, Whittingham called him a 'bright football coach.'
"He doesn't have a great deal of experience, but sometimes experience is overrated," he said. "He is intelligent and you have to look at the body of work and he has done a great job."
Whittingham wasn't concerned the situation could be a distraction for the team and said he has come to expect similar situations this time of year.
"We're all professions and you have to separate the two," he said of job interviews and bowl preparations. "You can't compromise your preparation or your recruiting but when you have opportunities you have to take a look at those as well."
As for Thursday's practice, Whittingham said it was a good one and was happy to see defensive lineman Joe Kruger, running back John White and offensive lineman Sam Brenner all on the field after sitting out the first several practices with injuries sustained against Colorado.
"It was all positive," he said.
