3 things we've learned about Utah football this spring

To be honest, at this point in spring ball, no one really knows anything.

There's just no way to be certain about any aspect of a team in this era of college football, where the transfer portal and confusion surrounding eligibility rules make it extremely difficult to gauge what a program will look like once the ball is kicked off in the fall.

That said, we think we've learned a few things about the Utah football team through a couple weeks of its spring practice session.

Here are three observations about the 2026 Utes.

New-look O-line is exceeding expectations

Some of the biggest storylines for Utah going into spring practices revolved around its offensive line — from the person hired to prepare the unit to the players on the field themselves.

Through the first few weeks of camp, it would appear first-year offensive line coach Jordan Gross has been up to the task of getting his group ready for the regular season.

"Jordan is such a good teacher with those guys, and they're having a lot of fun," Scalley said of the O-line room. "You're seeing progress at every single position."

As a reminder: Utah lost all five starters from last season's dominant O-line to either graduation or the NFL draft, leaving behind a contingent of returners with plenty of snaps under their belts, but no starts together. Alex Harrison, Zereoue Williams, Roger Alderman and Keith Olson were among the experienced lineman the Utes retained, while Cedric Jefferson (Montana State transfer) Isaiah Kema (Ohio State transfer) and Kelvin Obot (No. 7-ranked offensive tackle recruit in 2026 class) highlighted the unit's batch of newcomers.

Outside of some uncertainty over the center position, Utah's coaches and players have had nothing but positive things to say about the new-look O-line.

"People are looking down on them a little bit, but I don't think they should," said defensive tackle Karson Kaufusi on the perception of Utah's O-line group. "Everybody's buying into the culture, and that's all we can ask for."

Admittedly, Utah's own offensive coordinator, Kevin McGiven, was among the skeptics who needed to see the O-line in action before changing his mind.

"I've been very pleasantly surprised with the group," McGiven said during a press conference. "I was probably just as skeptical as you guys were coming in."

Daniel Bray is due for big sophomore year

The freshman season Daniel Bray put together in 2025 indicated the former three-star recruit had a bright future ahead of him.

The way his head coach and offensive coordinator talked about his skillset and development going into his sophomore year only solidified that notion will come to fruition in due time.

"The biggest positive so far is him," Scalley said of Bray. "He's built his body up, buying into the culture. He had a play in the scrimmage on Saturday where he got out in front and blocked; that's what you want to see. I love his progress."

Between being lined up out wide and in the backfield, Bray totaled 339 yards from scrimmage on 48 total touches (40 rushes, eight receptions) and had five kickoff returns for 95 yards in nine games as a freshman. Utah utilized his speed and elusiveness on jet sweeps mostly, in addition to a few touches coming out of the backfield.

How Bray's role as a quasi-gadget receiver/traditional running back evolves this upcoming season remains to be seen, though it seems like his responsibilities are set to increase regardless.

"He's one I would love to be able to expand his role so you see what he can do," McGiven said of Bray. "He's a really dynamic player."

Braeden Pegan has made his presence known

On and off the field, it appears Utah State transfer Braden Pegan is making himself at home with the Utes.

In addition to what he can do as a wide receiver, the junior from San Juan Capistrano, California, is doing his part in helping his new teammates pick up the new offensive scheme McGiven brings with him from Utah State, where Pegan spent last season dominating the Mountain West with 926 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 60 catches.

"If anybody has questions, I'm always there to help," Pegan said after a spring practice. "I just want everybody to raise the bar in the room and help everyone get better."

As a member of the team's 15-player leadership council, Pegan has clearly earned the respect of his teammates in just the short amount of time they've been together. And according to cornerback James Chenault, Pegan is one of the wideouts giving Utah's defensive backs group the most problems on the field.

"That’s one of those dudes that you wish you had 20 of them," Scalley said of Pegan. "He's such a good kid, smart football player, athletic, can jump out of the gym, so we’re excited to have him."