Utah Offense Centered Around Dominant Offensive Line
Jul 30, 2025, 11:42 PM
Utah Utes assistant head coach and offensive line coach Jim Harding talks with white team players during the Utah Utes’ 22 Forever spring game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
(Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – With Preseason All-Big 12 tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu manning the edges, and redshirt seniors Jaren Kump, Michael Mokofisi, and Tonoa Togiai in the middle, the Utah offense has one of the best five-man units in the country.
Fano and Lomu get most of the headlines, but the entire unit is an embarrassment of riches. First-year Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck recognizes what he has in front of the skill position players.
“The O-line is obviously a strength,” Beck said when asked about featuring the group’s strengths. “Specifically with the tackles, where they’re athletic. So you can do things with your tackles where you utilize that athleticism that you may not do with other guys.”
RELATED: Two Utah Utes O-Linemen Make Outland Trophy Watchlist
Utah is set to have a DOMINANT Offensive Line this upcoming season💪 pic.twitter.com/9fZTFGvtmt
— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 30, 2025
Beck continued, “Getting them out on the edges and screens to block in space, having them pull in the run game. You add to your run scheme using their athleticism to block the second level. To block on the perimeter is something you want to take advantage of.”
Utah offense aims to put playmakers in the right positions
Behind their massive line, Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Devon Dampier takes over an offense with some new names from seasons past.
“We really just want to put the guys in the right places to make plays,” Beck said. “We want to adapt to what our strengths are and play to those strengths. We’re gonna go at, not a fast tempo, but we’re going no-huddle. We’re moving guys around, kind of spread.”
An offense built around Dampier is easy to envision after Beck and the fleet-footed dual-threat QB teamed up to build a dynamic offense last season at New Mexico.
Some short clips from earlier today…
– Whitt on how Devon Dampier compares to former Utah QB’s
– Dampier on his leadership approach in fall camp.
– Micah Simon on what Merriweather and Simmons bring to the room.
– Freddie on how tight ends will be utilized in the new offense. pic.twitter.com/u8znKdqzNb— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) July 31, 2025
Dampier was a nightmare for opposing defenses in 2024. He rolled up 3,934 yards of offense and 31 touchdowns. Dampier threw for 2,768 yards and 12 scores against 12 interceptions, completing 57.9 percent of his passes.
He added 1,166 rushing yards and 19 TDs, averaging 97.2 yards per game on the ground.
Beck is more than familiar with how to weaponize Dampier.
“Devon and the O-line are the most predictable right now,” Beck finished.
While the rest of the offense figures it out, the guys in the trenches and the man under center know exactly what to do.
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The Utes open the 2025 season on the road against the Big 10’s UCLA Bruins on Saturday, August 30. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. MT.
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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.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
