Devon Dampier Took Care Of Business In Utah’s 22 Forever Spring Game
Apr 19, 2025, 4:51 PM | Updated: Apr 22, 2025, 2:01 pm
SALT LAKE CITY—Utah football held its annual 22 Forever Spring game, which provided fans the first opportunity to watch the 2025 team.
In a unique format, Utah pitted the offense vs the defense, which generated points by generating stops and other means.
In the end, the Utah offense defeated the Utah defense, 42-38.
That’s a wrap on Spring Ball‼️ see y’all in RES this fall 🙌#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/eFnn3pLxD5
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) April 19, 2025
Here are the takeaways from the spring game.
Devon Dampier took care of business in Utah’s spring game
Today started slow, but by the end of the day, Devon Dampier showcased a lot of ability that should have fans optimistic about the future.
Utah did not keep official stats, but by the end of the day, Dampier had tallied about 250 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with 50 yards or so on the ground. That’s the sort of production Dampier is capable of consistently producing.
🎯@Devonddampier 🙌@zacharyus3#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/Kv5lzLQeqO
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) April 19, 2025
There was a bit of everything from Dampier today. He had a couple of misses and a couple of risks taken with some throws. He had a couple of keepers in the read-option and scrambles when pressured. There were a few really impressive throws and good decisions, too.
He made a great back-shoulder type of throw to Luca Caldarella for a touchdown score. He also dropped one in the bucket for Zacharyus Williams streaking down the sideline with coverage all over him. He made good, accurate throws short and behind the line of scrimmage. That was a big issue for Dampier last year and he’s shown progress with more consistent throws.
All in all, there is plenty of room for improvement, but Dampier looked every bit the starter Utah needs at the helm.
Zacharyus Williams, the receivers were productive but…
Overall, the receivers did have a productive day, but it was not all positive. Utah struggled with drops throughout the first half. That was an issue that caused a few drives to stall out and ultimately end in a stop and points for the defense.
That’s been an up-and-down issue throughout spring, and it reared its ugly head today. However, after the first quarter, Utah’s passing game seemed to find a rhythm, and receivers started to produce more consistently.
Zacharyus Williams was the best of the bunch. He had the catch of the day, hauling in a well-placed ball on a fade route. He caught a handful of other passes and likely finished somewhere around 80-90 yards on the day. He caught a couple of passes for chunk yardage and a few short timing routes.
Mana Carvalho had the first big play of the day, taking a screen pass 55 yards down to the 3-yard line. He had another reception that highlighted his YAC ability, too. Carvalho is a cat-quick, elusive playmaker with the ball in his hands.
.@Mana_Carvalho22 showing off the wheels‼️#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/2clrKGTUqk
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) April 19, 2025
Rayshawn Glover has quietly had a very productive spring ball. If it weren’t for Williams, Glover may be the guy who has made the biggest move in the room. He’s caught multiple passes in the short and intermediate areas of the field.
Creed Whittemore also had a pretty productive day, catching multiple screen passes and other short routes for positive yardage. He likely finished the day with the most receptions.
Luca Caldarella hauled in a touchdown pass from Dampier and caught a number of others from other quarterbacks. He looked solid and reliable on the outside.
Utah clearly has options to utilize at receiver. However, it’s also clear they need another outside receiving threat. Otto Tia and Justin Stevenson had been trending positively towards the end of camp, but did not produce much on the day. It’s that sort of inconsistency that is worrisome on the outside, and why Utah is pushing for help in the transfer portal.
Utah’s run game looks promising
It took time to get going but as the game wore on, Utah’s ground game became more and more effective.
NaQari Rogers had a fantastic day, scoring twice and ripping off a couple of chunk plays. He’s not the most dynamic or powerful, but he runs tougher than anyone else, and still had the biggest gain of the day with a run of 29 yards. He looks like a super solid option behind Wayshawn Parker, who did not play today.
2️⃣ TDs for @NaquariR 🙌#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/9XnKXUpc68
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) April 19, 2025
Devin Green had a big workload, likely leading the team in carries today. It was mostly three or four yard gains, but he had a couple of big runs, including a big one in which he ran for about 25 yards.
Daniel Bray is a dynamic athlete, and that was evident as he often bounced outside. He’s also a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield. He caught a touchdown pass from Dampier today.
Overall, Utah’s in good shape at running back. The offensive line will power the run game, while the creativity of play calls and the threat of Dampier will keep defenses off balance.
Utah’s QB2 Battle
The quarterbacks rotated throughout the day, which was a great way to get everyone reps. Wilson was the second quarterback to take the field and Ficklin third.
After a slow start, Wilson was able to settle in and looked solid. He used his legs and made good throws throughout the day. More importantly, Wilson did a better job of getting the ball out of his hands in a timely manner. There were inaccurate throws and missed opportunities but he ended the day with a solid volume of completions and positive plays.
White team upping the tempo‼️ @Isaac_kawika ➡️ @hunterandrews27 for six‼️#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/D8SASNx3jv
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) April 19, 2025
Ficklin showed off a great ball, which comes off his hands with a lot of zip. He threw with great zip on the ball and impressive accuracy in the pocket and on the move. There was a lot of excitement around Ficklin, and he provided the flashes to validate the feelings.
This battle will likely continue into the fall, but Utah appears to be in solid shape at quarterback. Progress will need to continue for both Wilson and Ficklin, but they showed enough to feel optimistic about the depth here.
Defensive thoughts
With so many defensive starters held out of the game, this was an opportunity for some to get reps and work on their game.
Jackson Bennee has enjoyed a really productive spring and that continued on Saturday. He had a couple of tackles for loss and looked good in coverage. He was all over the field making tackles and looks like a solid option in the slot.
Today was an opportunity for the depth at linebacker to shine. Christian Thatcher and Trey Reynolds were active around the line of scrimmage. It seemed like Thatcher was closing in on double-digit tackles, while Reynolds made a couple of tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Give credit to Utah’s outside cornerbacks, who made it difficult for the receivers all day long. Scooby Davis, Donovan Saunders, Jeremiah Caldwell, even LaTristan Thompson all did a solid job. They were physical and disrupted things on the outside.
Karson Kaufusi had a couple of promising moments playing defensive tackle. His development is key to the outlook of this group. Others, such as Aliki Vimahi and Sione Motuapuaka, were stout and disruptive at times, but this group needs to level up this summer.
The development of the youth will be key, but Utah would benefit from targeting a defensive tackle in the transfer portal. Another cornerback or two, particularly one capable of playing nickel, would help address depth concerns there too.
