The Position Battles Utah Football Must Answer During Fall Camp
Jul 20, 2026, 3:25 PM | Updated: 3:38 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah football enters fall camp with open position battles and just a handful of its foundational pieces already established.
Devon Dampier returns at quarterback. Wayshawn Parker leads the backfield. Braden Pegan gives the passing game a proven target, while Johnathan Hall and Lance Holtzclaw anchor the defense.
The largest questions exist around them. Utah must replace its entire starting offensive line, establish a receiving hierarchy and rebuild several important areas of the defense. Some competitions will produce clear starters. Others will determine rotations, personnel packages and how aggressive Morgan Scalley and his staff can afford to be.
Utah does not need every battle to produce a star. It needs enough dependable answers to build a complete team.
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Can Utah identify its best five offensive linemen?
Utah appears to have a fairly good idea of four members of its starting offensive line entering fall camp with Zereoue Williams, Keith Olson, Solatoa Moeai, and Alex Harrison. Those aren’t fully locked in though, while the remaining work is determining how the final position fits together and which combination gives the Utes their best overall five.
Right tackle appears to be Utah’s most open and genuine competition, with Montana State transfer Cedric Jefferson battling former four-star Corner Canyon product, Ike Garcia.
Jefferson brings nearly 1,300 career snaps, including 945 during Montana State’s championship season. Garcia brings more developmental upside after injuries interrupted his first two seasons before a strong finish to spring practice.
Utah needs a right tackle who can withstand speed rushers, communicate through stunts and pressures and maintain the offense’s physical identity without requiring constant protection help.
The competition could also affect the interior line because Jefferson has experience at guard. If Garcia wins the tackle job, Jefferson could still remain in the starting-five discussion.
Whatever configuration emerges, Utah must settle on it early enough to develop chemistry before the season.
Who steps up as Utah establishes a receiving hierarchy?
Utah has more options at receiver than its been accustomed to having, but the group still needs defined roles.
Braden Pegan and Kyri Shoels arrived via the portal as the most established pass catchers. Meanwhile, Larry Simmons, Ricky Johnson, Daidren Zipperer, Tobias Merriweather, Creed Whittemore, and Nate Johnson compete for prominent spots around him.
There is a significant pool of options, but Utah needs a hierarchy to form over the next couple of weeks.
Who becomes Dampier’s trusted third-down target? Who consistently separates against man coverage? Who stretches the field? Who blocks well enough to remain involved when Utah leans into its running game?
Utah does not necessarily need one receiver to dominate. It needs a complementary group with clearly defined responsibilities.
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Who earns the carries behind Wayshawn Parker?
Parker will lead the backfield, while Daniel Bray’s dynamic athleticism gives Utah another option. However, Mark Atuaia needs to find backs who can remain effective when those two aren’t on the field.
Steve Chavez-Soto enters the competition after rushing for 448 yards and seven touchdowns at San Jose State. Former Tooele running back Mateaki Helu has shown some promise, while freshman LaMarcus Bell had really exciting moments in spring ball,
The job will not be decided by rushing production alone.
Chavez-Soto, Helu and Bell must prove they can protect Dampier, catch the ball, handle short-yardage situations and contribute on special teams.
A dependable backup would allow Utah to manage Parker’s workload while providing Kevin McGiven options out of the backfield.
How will Utah define its tight-end position?
Utah’s tight-end competition may not produce one conventional starter because Noah Bennee, Hunter Andrews and Semi Taulanga offer different skill sets.
Bennee provides a more traditional tight-end profile. Andrews has played linebacker and running back and produced 113 rushing yards and 65 receiving yards before an injury ended his 2025 season. Taulanga supplies the size and power associated with Utah’s hybrid “Rhino” role.
The challenge is making that versatility functional rather than predictable.
Can Andrews block well enough that his presence does not announce a designed touch? Can Taulanga become more than an extra blocker? Can Bennee emerge as the most balanced option?
The best result would be all three earning clearly defined roles and giving Kevin McGiven flexibility without requiring constant substitutions.
Who replaces the production at defensive end?
Utah lost substantial edge production with the departures of Logan Fano and John Henry Daley.
Holtzclaw provides one established presence, while Kash Dillon and North Texas transfer Ethan Day should play major roles opposite him.
Dillon recorded 35 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last season. Day arrives after producing 53 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Both have shown they can contribute. Now Utah needs to learn whether either can become a consistent every-down threat.
Dillon must prove he can handle a larger workload without becoming a passing-down specialist. Day must show that his production translates against Big 12 offensive tackles.
Returning from injury is Paul Fitzgerald, who could be an interesting figure in this conversation as well. He has produced in his career and was viewed as the top rotation player last season prior to his injury.
This is unlikely to be a winner-take-all battle. Utah needs both players to become dependable parts of the rotation.
Who becomes the dependable linebacker next to Johnathan Hall?
Hall gives Utah an established centerpiece, but the Utes must replace considerable experience after losing Lander Barton, Levani Damuni and Moroni Anae.
The primary competition appears to be between Trey Reynolds and Cyrus Polu, while Elijah Elliss will factor into that mix as well.
Reynolds brings more experience and recorded 28 tackles, six tackles for loss and two interceptions last season. Polu offers athleticism, range and the potential to become a more dynamic option. Elliss has flashed promising potential at times.
Utah needs more than a productive tackler. The second linebacker must handle run fits, underneath coverage, mobile quarterbacks and pre-snap communication without becoming the player opposing offenses repeatedly isolate.
The best outcome may be both earning meaningful roles, but one must prove reliable enough to handle the majority of the important snaps.
Can Utah reload at cornerback?
Cornerback is one of Utah’s most important competitions. James Chenault, Elijah Reed and JC Hart are among the primary candidates.
Chenault arrives from South Florida after recording 32 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups. Hart brings previous game experience, while Reed offers an intriguing combination of size and athleticism. Reed enjoyed a strong year at Akron last season, playing the disruptive brand of ball Utah loves. While Hart has the year of experience in the Utah system.
Scalley’s pressure packages often leave the corners responsible for isolated coverage. The eventual starters must tackle, communicate and limit explosive mistakes when opponents test them repeatedly.
Utah’s veteran safeties can help with communication and coverage adjustments, but they cannot completely protect inconsistent corner play.
The real question is how quickly Sharrieff Shah finds the corners he trusts enough to remain aggressive. If the staff must reduce pressure or simplify the defense to protect the perimeter, the uncertainty at cornerback could affect the entire unit.
How will Utah use its safety depth?
Safety could become one of the deepest areas on the roster. Rabbit Evans, Nate Ritchie, Jackson Bennee and Nathan Tilmon also enters the discussion after recording 17 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack last season. Scalley and Derrick Odum added Oklahoma transfer Marcus Wimberly, while also welcoming home Davis Andrews and Luke Bryant from church missions.
The Utes must determine who can handle the box, who is most dependable deep and who communicates best with the rest of the defense.
Health will also matter. Both Evans and Ritchie are returning from injuries that ended their 2025 seasons, which gave way to Bennee and Tilmon seeing more time on the field.
If several safeties emerge as trustworthy options, Utah could become even more aggressive with its pressures and coverage rotations.
Can Utah build enough defensive-tackle depth?
Utah’s top interior defenders—Karson Kaufusi, Pupu Sepulona, and Jireh Moe appear capable, but the rotation behind them remains unsettled.
Lucas Samsula, Jamal Wallace, and Dilan Battle give Utah three 315-pound-plus options, while Mike Tauteoli is another athletic tackle competing for backup snaps behind the top three.
The Utes need multiple backups who can hold the point of attack, maintain gap integrity and provide meaningful snaps without creating a significant drop-off.
This competition may not produce one obvious winner. Utah simply needs two or three players to become trustworthy enough to keep the starters fresh through a physical Big 12 schedule.
The Bottom Line
Utah already has the key pieces to contend near the top of the Big 12. Whether the Utes reach their ceiling will depend on what emerges around those stars: a stable offensive line, defined receiving roles, trustworthy cornerbacks, productive edge defenders and enough depth to withstand an entire season.
Fall camp has to provide the answers.
The more important question is whether players such as Garcia, Polu, Simmons, and Chenault can turn opportunity into dependable production—and help Utah become a complete championship contender.
