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As sons of three former BYU football players, they represent the first generation of Whittinghams who grew up cheering strictly for Utah.

Jason, Alex and Sam Whittingham stage a reunion every day on the Utes' practice field, as cousins playing the traditional family position of linebacker. "We've all watched this program for so many years, it's cool that we're all here," Alex said.

And their grandmother, Nancy Whittingham, loves having them together. "My mom is more happy than anyone," said Ute coach Kyle Whittingham, Alex's father.

The late Fred Whittingham Sr. played eight seasons in the NFL and then became a BYU assistant coach, working with sons Kyle and Cary as linebackers. Fred Jr. later played running back for the Cougars. The current Utah players were born about the time Fred Sr. (and then Kyle) began working for the Utes in the 1990s, and their loyalty increased in December 2004 when Kyle became the Utes' head coach.

The long-ago switch from BYU loyalty to Utah was a major departure from the family's days in Provo. As Fred Whittingham Jr. once said, "I was like everybody else, brainwashed about everything Utah stood for: It was the dirty, hippie school."

This story would read differently if Kyle Whittingham had chosen BYU over Utah when he was offered both jobs, in an unlikely convergence of opportunities. His three brothers all suggested that he return to BYU after 11 years as a Ute assistant — mostly because it would have been easier to follow Gary Crowton in Provo than Urban Meyer in Salt Lake City.

He picked Utah, partly due to his children's devotion to the school. Tyler Whittingham then played for the Utes in 2010-11, excelling in kickoff coverage, and now his brother and two cousins are in the program. Each has been coached by his own father at various levels and resembles his father in looks, personality and mannerisms — to an almost frightening degree. They're clever guys who like to joke around with one another, to a certain point.

"We drop the funny act when we're out on the practice field and it's time to get serious," Jason Whittingham said.

Would you expect anything else from a Whittingham? "We're like our grandfather in the sense that he took great pride in our family name," Jason said.

Jason is a three-year starting linebacker as a senior, Alex plays on the kickoff return team as a redshirt sophomore and Sam has just arrived at Utah from northern California.

Jason, a scholarship player, is "just an athletic freak," Alex said. "He got the good genes, the athletic genes in the family."

That athletic ability surfaced early, but Jason was slow to mature physically. In eighth grade, he asked his father, Cary, "Am I just not very good at football?"

His father promised he would catch up eventually, and that's what happened. By his sophomore season of 2013, Jason ranked second on Utah's team in tackles behind Trevor Reilly, even while playing only 10 games. Knee, shoulder and hand injuries have kept him out of 12 games in his career. Cary Whittingham, who coached him as a Timpview High School assistant (he's now the Thunderbirds' head coach), believes Jason's testing performances will impress NFL scouts, but his medical history may hold him back.

Overcoming injuries is a common theme for the cousins. Alex Whittingham hurt his knee in Brighton High's opening game as a senior in 2009. Last season, having appeared in six games on special teams, he sustained another knee injury in practice in early November. His decision to return "just came down to how much I really enjoyed playing," he said. "Just being able to get out on the field for the first game again, that's when it hit me — like, I finally made it back."

As for what he labels the "coach/dad" dynamic, Alex said, "I would say it's more normal than you think. I don't look at him as a coach [at home] and I don't look at him as a dad here. I think it's fun. It is good to have the head guy to talk to about how things are going."

Sam Whittingham played for his father, Fred Jr., in eighth grade, as part of a budding dynasty in the Sacramento area. That team became the core of the 2014 Folsom Bulldogs, who averaged 57.1 points during a 16-0 season that ended with a 68-7 rout of Oceanside in the CIF Division I state championship game.

Folsom featured Jake Browning, now Washington's starting quarterback, and several other stars now playing for Arizona and Cincinnati, among other schools. Sam, who injured his knee in the middle of his junior season, returned last year and made the Sacramento Bee's All-Metro first team as a linebacker. He considered offers from Division III programs but stuck with his plan to walk on at Utah.

He's reunited with his father, who chose to pursue coaching after a successful career in the publishing industry and became Utah's director of player personnel in 2012, as Sam was going into his sophomore year at Folsom. "It was tough, being the man of the home, but at the same time, I respected his decision because this was his dream his whole life," Sam said. "For him to make the move and come up here and live his dream out, I was proud of him, excited for him."

Amid his support-staff duties with the Utes, Fred Whittingham watched his son play twice last season. To witness the state title game, he made a nine-hour round trip to the Los Angeles area the night before the Las Vegas Bowl.

And now he's around Sam every day. "I don't interact with him a lot on the practice field," Fred Whittingham said, "but just knowing he's here and being able to give him a little push and shove every now and then is really fun."

His youngest child, Rachel, extends the Whittingham legacy in her own way as a junior at Capital Christian in Sacramento. She's the first family member since Fred Sr. to play high school basketball.

Another grandchild is in the football pipeline. Jackson Cravens, a son of the former Julie Whittingham, is a starting defensive tackle for Timpview as a sophomore. Assuming he keeps developing, Cary Whittingham said, "He'll be a Ute." —

About the Whittinghams

Jason

Father • Cary, Timpview High School coach

Class • Senior Age • 24

Height/weight • 6-2, 245

Birthplace • Provo

High school • Timpview; member of three state championship teams

Notable • Twin brother, Trevor, Jason's Timpview teammate, didn't pursue college football

Alex

Father • Kyle, Utah head coach

Class • Sophomore Age • 23

Height/weight • 5-10, 216

Birthplace • Pocatello, Idaho

High school • Brighton; co-captain in 2009, injured in season-opening game

Notable • Given name is Kyle Alexander Whittingham

SAM

Father • Fred Jr., Utah director of player personnel

Class • Freshman Age • 18

Height/weight • 5-10, 202

Birthplace • Mesa, Ariz.

High school • Folsom (Calif.) HS; Named to Sacramento Bee All-Metro Team as linebacker for 16-0 team

Notable • Teammate of Jake Browning, now Washington's starting quarterback