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For the first time since the immediate aftermath of Utah's 45-10 Las Vegas Bowl victory, after his fan base waited with bated breath, Kyle Whittingham has spoken.

And he said, if not resoundingly, that he'll be back.

Whittingham appeared on CBS Sports Radio's "The DA Show" with Damon Amendolara on Wednesday night, and after some buttering up, Amendolara asked Utah's head coach what many have wondered since the departure of both coordinators and news of a rift between Whittingham and Utah athletic director Chris Hill:

Will Whittingham coach this team in 2015?

"2015? I would think so," he said. "I'm here. We're, like I said, doing everything we normally do this time of year as far as getting ready — recruiting's been shut down for a while — but getting ready for the visit weekends to kick back in, and all the things we always do."

Whittingham chalked up the losses of defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake and defensive line coach Ilaisa Tuiaki to Oregon State and offensive coordinator Dave Christensen to Texas A&M to his team's success, not any reluctance on Hill's part to better compensate them.

As for the speculation that has run amok during his silence, Whittingham said, "There's been a little too much drama, and it's unfortunate. But I'm excited to be here. Right now, I'm completely immersed in staff hires."

Still, he didn't shoot down Tribune and other outlets' reports that there is tension in his relationship with his longtime boss.

"I'm just trying to do the best job I can do at Utah," he said. "Everybody's jobs are challenging. [Hill's] job's challenging, my job's challenging and we're all just trying to stay on track after this season and continue to move forward."

Whittingham and Hill have thus far declined requests to speak with The Tribune, with senior associate athletic director Liz Abel saying earlier this week that Whittingham will be unavailable until next week, due to his busy schedule.

Hill characteristically does not discuss contract negotiations, although he did release a statement last week that specified that Sitake was offered a three-year deal at $750,000 per year, to combat concerns that he'd been unwilling to aggressively compete for one of Utah's most highly regarded coaches.

Hill was booed presenting an award to a longtime Utah fan at halftime of last Friday's Runnin' Utes game against USC.

Whittingham said he's been at the U. since 1994, and that he's excited about next year's team.

"This is a place that I love," he said.

Listen to the full interview below, or at da.radio.cbssports.com/.

Kyle Whittingham on "The DA Show" with Damon Amendolara

mpiper@sltrib.com

Twitter: @matthew_piper