Utah Utes 2026 Season Preview

Devon Dampier returns for his second season directing an attack that averaged 41.2 points per game. The New Mexico transfer passed for 2,490 yards with 24 touchdowns against just five interceptions and added 835 rushing yards at 5.7 per carry, accounting for 34 total scores despite playing through a sports hernia that eventually required offseason surgery. He closed with multiple passing touchdowns in each of the final six games and a five-touchdown showing in the bowl. Byrd Ficklin gives Utah a genuine tag-team option; the young quarterback completed 60 percent for 301 yards with three scores and ran for 513 yards at 8.4 per attempt, starting against Colorado. McGiven brings a similar run-first scheme and can put both dynamic passers on the field at once.

The Utes lose their top three pass catchers but reload aggressively from the portal. Braden Pegan arrives from Utah State, where he earned first-team all-conference honors with 926 yards on 60 catches (15.4 average) and five touchdowns in McGiven's offense. Kyri Shoels adds 768 yards of production from San Jose State. Larry Simmons offers big-play punch: he caught only 15 balls in his first year after transferring from Southern Miss but averaged 18.7 yards and turned six of them into touchdowns, several in the clutch. Cal transfer Tobias Merriweather, Creed Whittemore and Nate Johnson deepen a rotation the staff regards as the most dangerous receiving corps of the last two decades. At tight end, Hunter Andrews and Weber State transfer Noah Bennee provide reliable targets.

Wayshawn Parker is the bellcow after a 981-yard season at a robust 6.6 per carry with six scores that earned third-team all-conference notice. Daniel Bray flashed rare speed as a true freshman, averaging 6.8 per carry, and San Jose State transfer Steve Chavez-Soto adds a change of pace. With Dampier and Ficklin also chewing up yardage, Utah set a school record for rushing yards in a season.

This is the team's biggest question. Utah must replace all five starters, including two linemen chosen in the first round of the April draft, ninth and 28th overall. The rebuild leans on returners Solatoa Moea'i, Alex Harrison and Keith Olson, who started just eight games between them, and on Montana State transfer Cedric Jefferson. The centerpiece is Kelvin Obot, a five-star freshman and Idaho Player of the Year already pushing for a starting job as the next in a long line of elite Ute blockers. How quickly this group jells will decide the ceiling of the offense.

Utah surrendered 181 rushing yards per game, its worst mark in nearly three decades, and now must rebuild up front after losing both starting ends and its top three tackles. The biggest hole comes from the departure of a disruptive end who posted 17.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks before following the previous staff to Michigan. North Texas transfer Ethan Day is counted on to help fill it after a 48-tackle, 4.5-sack season and profiles as a natural fit for Utah's physical front. Lance Holtzclaw should see a bigger role after contributing in the rotation, and Kash Dillon returns with 35 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Karson Kaufusi anchors the interior, with San Jose State transfer Jireh Moe and Wyoming transfer Lucas Samsula added for depth and experience. As the line goes, so goes this defense.

The unit gains versatility around Johnathan Hall, who led the team with 67 tackles and added six tackles for loss and five pass breakups from Utah's 4-2-5 base. Trey Reynolds steps into a full-time job next to him after 28 tackles and six stops behind the line, with Elijah Elliss and Cyrus Polu in the mix. Swan inherits a group with more flexibility than in recent seasons.

Secondary play has long been a hallmark here, and it is again the strength of the defense. Rangy safety Jackson Bennee is the headliner, a playmaker who started 11 games and posted 64 tackles, four tackles for loss, nine pass breakups and a team-high four interceptions while even chipping in on offense. He anchors a veteran group that helped Utah rank among the nation's best against the pass, allowing 177.8 yards per game to place 17th nationally. Elijah Davis brings 63 tackles and four picks over two seasons at corner, while Akron transfer Elijah Reed adds 79 tackles and 11 breakups. The return of Rabbit Evans from injury, along with Nate Ritchie and nickel Rock Caldwell, gives the room added size and depth. If Utah can generate more pass rush, this could be an even stingier unit.

Continuity reigns. Kicker Dillon Curtis is back after making 11 of 15 field goals with a long of 54, and punter Orion Phillips returns following a season that ranked among the league's best. Mana Carvalho is a game-changer on returns, having already taken one punt 75 yards to the house, and the group graded out as a top-30 unit nationally with room to climb.