Two For Two: Utah Football’s Otto Tia, Jamari Ficklin
Mar 25, 2025, 8:04 PM
Utah football's Otto Tia and Jamari Ficklin talk about decisions to come to the program. Photos by Steve Bartle, KSL Sports
SALT LAKE CITY—On Tuesday, Kyle Whittingham and Utah football welcomed the media back to spring ball practice. This was the first media observation practice and the first chance to speak with players on the offensive side.
These next five weeks of spring camp will allow Kyle Whittingham’s staff to integrate all the newcomers into Utah football’s culture.
The roster includes many new players, so there is much to learn about this year’s squad. This provided the opportunity to speak with two new faces, Otto Tia and Jamari Ficklin.
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What led to Jamari Ficklin’s decision to commit to Utah?
The Utes added Jamari Ficklin late in the cycle after the signal caller blossomed his senior year. The talented lefty ultimately landed on Utah as his choice, but it was pretty heated recruitment for a stretch.
“Utah came through late, they brought me up on a visit, and as I soon as stepped off the plane it just felt like home,” Ficklin shared.
Ficklin had been committed to Texas State but after flourishing as a senior, Utah made a big push to land him. Then, as Utah went through a coordinator search, Ficklin put his trust in the staff.
“I committed and signed, there was no OC at the time, but the staff and Coach Whittingham told me, ‘Just trust us, I’m going to pull a guy in here for you'” Ficklin said. “He brought in coach Beck, and when he first got here, he called me and we talked a little bit and told me he wanted me to be a ball player for him”
Otto Tia’s decision to transfer to Utah landed him at his No. 1 choice coming out of high school
At the time, Tia was a promising athlete but a really raw football player at Northridge. Utah was interested and Tia nearly joined the program, instead Tia committed to Utah State.
“Out of high school, Utah was actually my No. 1, I wanted to come here super bad,” Tia shared.
Now, after a few seasons with the Utah State Aggies, Tia hit the portal and landed at the school he wanted to commit to as a high schooler.
“It was a big decision to hit the portal, just that next year (his final year) was a big question for me whether to stay or leave” Tia shared.
After hitting the portal, Utah jumped at the opportunity to bring in Tia this time around.
“Utah called me probably within two hours of me being in the portal,” he said. “I just thought it was a great opportunity presented to me, and I took it and ran with it.”
Ficklin likes his fit in the offense, especially the guys he’s learning from
“It’s been really nice working with coach Beck, coach Detmer, especially shadowing Dev,” Ficklin shared. “They’re a really big help to me, and really big on helping me reach my full potential.”
With Devon Dampier’s success under Beck—2,700+ passing yards, 1,100+ rushing yards, and 31 total touchdowns, Ficklin is really excited about his fit in the offense.
“I feel amazing with it; it’s kind of like my high school offense,” Ficklin said. “Coach has been great with it, giving me plays to run, seeing how I master it, and whether it fits my skill set or not.”
What’s the biggest priority for Tia this offseason?
As spring ball begins, Tia is entirely focused on his acclimation into the program and offense.
“The biggest thing is just being consistent, always be consistent coming into practice, on and off the field,” Tia shared.
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