‘Solid, Solid Camp’ For Morgan Scalley’s Utah Defense
Aug 20, 2025, 11:18 AM | Updated: 11:20 am
Morgan Scalley coaching safeties at fall camp. Photo courtesy by Utah Athletics.
SALT LAKE CITY— Most of the attention has been directed towards Utah’s offense this camp. However, Morgan Scalley’s Utah defense had some important questions to address over the last couple of weeks as well.
The Utes finished among the top defenses in the country last season, and yet still had areas for improvement. At the same time, departures opened up holes in the unit that needed resolutions.
Scalley and his assistants spent camp focused on tightening the fundamentals of their players, while also identifying who would step up in those vacant spots. According to Scalley: mission accomplished.
Morgan Scalley feels comfortable with the progress of the Utah defense
“Good, physical camp, still working out some kinks with depth positions, but very happy with the leadership,” Scalley explained. “Very happy with the progress that our guys have made. We pretty much knew who we are right now.”
After evaluating his defense’s performance last season, Scalley identified three core areas where Utah had to be better.
“Run defense, tackling, and taking the football away,” he stated. “Those are all three that I feel we’ve done a good job of focusing on and having as a priority, what we’re practicing every day. We always said we’ll just keep tackling until we feel comfortable with it, and we’re at a point now where we feel comfortable.”
Those were three issues that hurt Utah fairly frequently last season. Making strides in those areas would do a lot to maintain, if not elevate its level of performance this season.
Utah freshmen stepping up at defensive tackle?
The program has long prided itself on the ‘next man up’ mantra under Kyle Whittingham. That puts a premium on depth and having players capable of performing at a certain standard.
Coming into camp, Utah needed to find players to help shore up the depth at defensive tackle and cornerback.
“Man, we’ve made a ton of progress,” Scalley said of the defensive tackle room. “The freshmen came in and have proven that they can play year one, but my guess is all of them see time at some point this season.”
Scalley added that Karson Kaufusi and Pupu Sepulona were the two freshmen who had separated themselves. Add those two to the group that includes Dallas Vakalahi, Aliki Vimahi, and Jonah Leaea, and Scalley seemed optimistic.
“That’s a solid group right now; very happy,” Scalley shared. “Luther Ellis has done a heck of a job with that crew; we should be solid.”
The other freshmen who round out the room and very likely will be called up are Sione Motuapuka, Semi Taulanga, and Dilan Battle. Those three likely just need a little more time acclimating to this level.
Scalley’s excited about the defensive secondary
“Cornerback’s another position group that you’re going to probably see quite a bit of rotation there because we feel comfortable with the progress that’s been made there,” Scalley explained.
Utah entered camp with the need for a cornerback to emerge as a starter opposite of Scooby Davis. That competition centered around Blake Cotton and Donovan Saunders, but Jeremiah Caldwell and JC Hart both provided encouraging signs over the last couple of weeks.
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“Sharrieff Shah is a heck of a coach and has gotten those guys to progress quite a bit,” Scalley declared before highlighting the versatility of some in his group. “Add to that the progress of Jackson Bennee, and the ability that Rabbit Evans has to play the nickel. We have some versatility in the safety room, so we’re very excited about the secondary.”
That last line of thought could prove to be a defining characteristic of this defense. The versatility that Scalley and Shah have in the secondary could become quite a strength as they navigate the different matchups throughout their schedule.
All in all, the defense appears ready to go, and Scalley summed it up best. “Solid, solid camp. Excited to be hitting some other jerseys.”
Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.
