3 areas Utah Football can improve in 2026

Looking at where the Utes can grow next season

Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

It's hard to find many holes in an 11-2 football team. Yet, like everyone else, Utah wasn't perfect during the 2025 season.

All things considered, the Utes don't have many areas to improve upon going into the 2026 campaign. The change to Morgan Scalley as head coach shouldn't be that big of an adjustment, considering he's been part of the program for two decades now. As such, the expectations for Utah remain the same: be in a position to win the Big 12 title and compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

However, there are a few areas the Utes will need to improve upon if they're to take the next step following last season's finish in the Las Vegas Bowl. Let's take a look at where Utah can grow in 2026.

Passing Game Explosivity

Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4). | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

By most accounts, Utah's offenses was one of the top units in the country in 2025. The Utes were among the five teams to average more than 40 points per contest (41.3, No. 4 nationally) and led all Power 5 squads with 3,462 total rushing yards (266.3 on average). Their proficiency on third down maintained lengthy scoring drives as well (Utah was No. 3 in the country with a 52.9% conversion rate).

If there was one area to nitpick, it would be the lack of explosiveness in the passing game. Averaging 7.4 yards per completion, the Utes tallied 202.8 passing yards per game between Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin during conference play. For context, the four Big 12 teams that averaged fewer yards through the air combined to go 13-24 overall.

Perhaps the dominance of Utah's rushing attack took away some opportunities for Dampier to show off his arm. Either way, the renovations to the offensive line, additions to the wide receiver room and infusion of Kevin McGiven's offensive schemes point toward there being more shots down the field in 2026.

Wide Receiver Involvement

Utah Utes wide receiver Tobias Merriweather (18). | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

When Utah utilizied three defensive players (Smith Snowden, Jackson Bennee and Lander Barton) in the passing game during the first weeks of the 2025 campaign, it signaled that the wide receiver room just wasn't ready to go for the start of the regular season. Sure, it could've been an attempt to find a hidden two-way player on the roster, but upon reflection, it probably had just as much to do with the fact a hierarchy hadn't been established among the team's pass-catchers in spring and fall camp (losing projected starter Zacharyus Williams to USC in the spring portal probably didn't help, either).

As such, it wasn't until the back-half of the regular season that some of the portal additions Utah made in the offseason began showing up on the field. Ryan Davis was effective in the slot throughout, though Larry Simmons and Creed Whittemore took a while to find their footing. Coveted Cal transfer and 6-foot-5 target Tobias Merriweather struggled to create separation all season long, creating a perplexing wide receiver depth chart.

Simmons, Whittemore and Merriweather will have opportunities to hit the ground going into 2026 after getting a year under their respective belts. That group meshes with a talented portal class that includes 6-foot-3 junior Braden Pegan (926 yards at Utah State in 2025) and 6-foot-tall senior Kyri Shoels (768 yards at San José State in 2025). Pegan is expected to be the go-to guy as a four-star transfer with experience playing in McGiven's offense from their shared time at Utah State.

Time will tell if Utah's revamped passing game is deserving of the hype its received this offseason.

Rushing Defense

Kansas State Wildcats running back Joe Jackson (4) runs against Utah Utes defensive end Kash Dillon (93) and linebacker Levani Damuni (3). | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The most perplexing thing about the Utes defense in 2025 was the unit's struggles against the run. Utah hardly looked like the physically-imposing team of years past, especially down the stretch of the regular season. The Utes allowed its final five opponents to rush for 206, 133, 472, 290 and 161 yards, inflating their season average to 181.2 rush yards allowed per contest (third-worst in the Big 12).

If the Utes are going to be more stout in the trenches in 2026, it'll likely be because new faces along the defensive line stepped up in big ways. After losing three rotational players on the interior in Aliki Vimahi (graduation), Jonah Lea'ea (transfer) and Dallas Vakalahi (transfer), plus pass rushers John Henry Daley (transfer) and Logan Fano (NFL), Utah is set to usher in an entirely new starting D-line that's likely going to feature multiple underclassmen.

The Utes need sophomores Pupu Sepulona, Karson Kafusi, Jireh Moe, Lucas Samsula and Dilan Battle to collectively make a big impact in the run game for the defense to be better in 2026.