Editor’s note: Fifteenth in a series previewing each team in the Big 12 in 2026.
It’s a new era in Salt Lake City.
After 21 seasons of Kyle Whittingham at the helm, there will be a new man leading the Utes out of the tunnel when Utah opens the season against Idaho on Sept. 3 — Morgan Scalley, who became the 24th head coach in program history this December.
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Scalley has been on staff at Utah since 2006, when he was hired by Whittingham shortly after graduating, and has spent two decades learning from his former coach.
Since starting his coaching journey, it’s always been Scalley’s goal to be a head coach. He walked into Whittingham’s office shortly after he was hired and told him that he wanted to be a head coach within five years and a head coach within 10.
“Little did I know how big of an aspiration that was,” Scalley told the Deseret News earlier this summer.
It took a little bit longer, but the moment is finally here for Scalley — and he’s prepared for it.
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He kept a notebook full of names for a potential staff throughout his time as an assistant coach, and after Whittingham “stepped down,” he started calling names from that list, assembling a staff quickly after Whittingham took many longtime assistant coaches with him to Michigan.
Scalley has been preparing to become a head coach for years and took on additional duties in recent years to become more involved in the executive side of coaching.
Utah’s hope — and Scalley’s hope — is that the coach-in-waiting plan pays off and Scalley can hit the ground running, providing the program a seamless transition.
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Scalley has been saying and doing the right things since taking over, and he’s injected a new energy into the program. His players have bought into his “RSNB” culture and while the culture is much of the same as it was under Whittingham, Scalley has put his own stamp on everything from the strength and conditioning program to practice to high school recruiting and the transfer portal.
After a whirlwind offseason, it’s finally time to actually play the games.
“I think this season, it does mean a lot. I think this is the first year of the new era of Utah is what we’re calling it, and the first time Scalley gets to be a head coach,” quarterback Devon Dampier said. “I think there’s a lot of pressure for us coming into this year, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“I think the way Scalley’s come in, the way our team’s buying in, just the way this summer’s been, a lot of player-led things, just feels like we’re coming together as a team. So I’m pretty excited just to kick off the new era of Utah football.”
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Scalley’s first season as head coach is buoyed by the return of starting quarterback Devon Dampier, who is back after throwing for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushing for 835 yards and 10 scores while leading the Utes to an 11-2 record.
He did all that while playing through a sports hernia and an ankle injury for much of the season.
Scalley is excited for Ute fans to see a healthy Dampier this season.
“Devon played a lot of last year, not 100% — sports hernia — but that just goes to show how competitive he is and how tough he is,” Scalley said. “I’m excited to see him play at full strength again.”
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The dual-threat quarterback will have a new offensive coordinator for the first time in his collegiate career — Kevin McGiven, who coached Utah State’s offense last year. The Bryson Barnes-led attack averaged 409.5 yards per game and 30.9 points per game, and that’s with an offensive line that wasn’t up to par.
“He let me know from the beginning that he loved my skillset and he has a way of allowing me to show that and do it at my best ability,” Dampier said of McGiven.
“And I think just starting from then on, I felt myself getting progressively better physically and mentally is definitely where he’s taken me to a whole ‘nother level. But the offense is going to be whatever we do best, we’re going to showcase it. No doubt.”
New Utah offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven is eager to begin his tenure at Utah and looks to build on the momentum that was gained from the 2025 season. | Utah Athletics
Dampier has what Scalley calls “one of the best, if not the best” receiver rooms that he’s seen in his 20 seasons at Utah. Each year, Utah’s wide receiver room seems to fall short of expectations, but this could be the season that they rise to the occasion.
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The Utes’ receiving options are led by Utah State transfer Braden Pegan (926 yards, five TDs) and San Jose State transfer Kyri Shoels (768 yards, two TDs). Larry Simmons, Creed Whittemore and Mississippi State transfer Ricky Johnson are in the mix for starting spots, and Utah has depth behind them in Tobias Merriweather, Daidren Zipperer and Nate Johnson.
In the backfield, star Wayshawn Parker returns after putting up 981 yards and six scores on just 149 carries (6.58 yards per carry).
Byrd Ficklin coming back is huge for the offense — the backup quarterback played an integral role last year, rushing for 513 yards and 10 scores and playing an important part in multiple Utah wins.
After years of middling backup quarterback play, the Utes have their best quarterback room in a while, and could be among the best in the nation.
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The tight end position isn’t a sure thing — a departure from previous seasons. Weber State transfer Noah Bennee (23 catches for 264) returns to Utah to lead the tight ends, and Hunter Andrews is back from a season-ending injury, but the group will have to prove themselves.
Of course, the entire offense hinges on the performance of a completely rebuilt offensive line.
Utah’s front five was stellar last season, led by first-round NFL tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, and powered the Utes to school records in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
“I think this season, it does mean a lot. I think this is the first year of the new era of Utah is what we’re calling it, and the first time Scalley gets to be a head coach. I think there’s a lot of pressure for us coming into this year, but nothing we can’t handle.”
If the best five can gel and play above average, this offense could be good for the second year in a row, but if they underperform, it could derail a promising season for the Utes.
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New offensive line coach Jordan Gross will work to assemble the best starting lineup for the Utes this season.
Keith Olson, Alex Harrison, Zereoue Williams, Solatoa Moea’i and Roger Alderman all played at least 130 snaps last season thanks to Utah’s large margin of victory, and Harrison, Olson, Williams, Moea’i and Montana State transfer Cedric Jefferson are all veterans.
Five-star true freshman Kelvin Obot and sophomore Isaiah Garcia, whose season ended before it started last year, are the only players battling for starting spots that don’t have much experience.
Scalley told the Deseret News earlier this summer that one of the biggest spring camp surprises was the play of both of the lines.
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“Because a lot of question marks losing five guys, two first-round draft picks, I’m really excited about our offensive line, really excited about our defensive line,” Scalley said.
“And if you’re going to win championships, you have to have great offensive, defensive lines. Higher levels of competition expose soft play, expose poor line play, and so that’s what I’m excited about and probably the two biggest pleasant surprises is the development already of the offense and defensive line.”
On defense, Scalley relinquishes the reins for the first time in a decade, but make no mistake, it will still be a classic Scalley/Whittingham defense, even with linebackers coach Colton Swan calling it.
The strength of the defense should be the safety position, which returns Jackson Bennee (64 tackles, four interceptions, five pass breakups) and gets Rabbit Evans back after a season-ending injury. It’s by far the most experienced position on the defense.
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At linebacker, established starter Johnathan Hall (67 tackles, 2.5 sacks, four pass breakups, one interception) was a big re-signing, but the Utes need to replace longtime players Lander Barton and Levani Damuni. Trey Reynolds has played in every game the last two seasons and is ready to step up, and Cyrus Polu also made an impression in spring camp.
Utah Utes linebacker Johnathan Hall (7) reacts after the play during game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Utah also has to replace nickelback Smith Snowden and cornerback Blake Cotton. Starter Elijah Davis returns to lead the unit, and Rock Caldwell, who helped at safety last year, slides back into the nickel position. From there, it will be a battle between a bevy of transfers to earn the other starting outside cornerback position. Akron cornerback Elijah Reed and USF transfer James Chenault are ones to keep an eye on during fall camp.
Just like the offense, the biggest question mark on the defense is the defensive line, a position that is usually a strength for the Utes.
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All of Utah’s starters are gone on the defensive line. The defensive tackles room, which underperformed last year, will be led by three underclassmen — Karson Kaufusi, Pupu Sepulona and Jireh Moe.
Kaufusi and Sepulona both played last season, with Kaufusi totaling 13 tackles in 177 snaps and Sepulona tallying 13 in 137 snaps. San Jose State transfer Jireh Moe (28 tackles last season) stood out in spring practices.
The Utes will need all three to make big leaps this season.
At defensive end, the Utes are more established, though they’ll miss sack leader John Henry Daley and Logan Fano. Lance Holtzclaw (26 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and Kash Dillon (35 tackles, 3.5 sacks) are ready for starting roles, and the Utes added North Texas’s Ethan Day (48 tackles, 4.5 sacks) as well.
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The defensive line has a lot to prove this year.
In Scalley’s first year, there’s a wide range of outcomes depending on health and line play, but the Utes could be Big 12 contenders if everything goes right.
The Utes avoid playing conference favorite Texas Tech and get contenders BYU and Houston at home. The key stretch will be in November, when Utah plays BYU at Rice-Eccles Stadium, then hits the road to play Arizona and TCU.
Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, left, talks with quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson during spring camp April 14, 2026, in Salt Lake City. | Utah Athletics
2026 Utah Utes at a glance
2025 record: 11-2 (7-2 Big 12)
2026 schedule
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Sept. 12 — vs. Arkansas
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Sept. 19 — vs. Utah State
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Sept. 26 — at Iowa State
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Oct. 31 — at Cincinnati
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Nov. 27 — vs. West Virginia
