It seems like it's only a matter of time before KW is gone as coach on the hill. Might be this year, might be next, but it's going to happen. So what happens next...

My guess is that they bring in a non-lds coach and I think regardless of who, it's going to have a real impact on their program, especially recruiting. Their identity forever has been linked to BYU and competing with BYU. A new coach who is not LDS is not going to get the rivalry or understand all the dynamics of recruiting LDS athletes. That's where the impact is going to be felt. The farther the program drifts away as the best alternative to the BYU experience for an LDS athelete, the fewer top LDS players they will get.

Many of the top Utah players are still LDS or Utah natives and if you take them away, the Utes get worse. I could see a real drop-off in the appeal of Utah if there was no longer an LDS coach on staff. Their best replacement to avoid this would be Sitake and I'm guessing he would be high on the list of possible successors. The more the Utes move away from the rivalry and towards trying to be like the other PAC 12 programs, the more the difference will be magnified.

I also think the primary beneficiary of this change would be BYU. More LDS athletes would think twice before spurning BYU to accept a Utah offer.