Utah football's Morgan Scalley reveals position group that's surprised him the most in spring practice

There's a good chance Morgan Scalley and his coaching staff didn't learn everything they needed to know about the Utah football team during the first week of spring practice.

Jumping to concrete conclusions about any one player based on a few days of workouts and drills without pads would be irrational, given all the newness in the program — from the coaching staff to the roster itself — and the fact that there's still five months to go until the regular season kicks off.

However, Scalley and company still have expectations for their Utes to meet at certain checkpoints of spring and fall camp. Through one week of practice, it appears the offensive line unit is the group that's cleared the most benchmarks in Scalley's eyes.

"I would say offensive line," Scalley said after practice Tuesday when asked which position group has surprised him the most. "[Offensive line coach] Jordan [Gross] has done a heck of a job — him and [offensive line assistant] Alex Gerke — with that crew."

Interestingly enough, the position group that's caught Scalley and company's attention the most is the one fans and analysts are most curious about when discussing Utah's outlook for the 2026 campaign. The amount of turnover at all five spots, from both tackles to guards, the Utes experienced following the conclusion of the 2025 season meant an entirely new starting unit would be stepping in to protect Devon Dampier and pave the way for a run game that finished near the top of the sport last season, largely because of the dominance of Utah's front line.

How Utah plans on plugging the holes created by the departures of Spencer Fano, Caleb Lomu and the rest of last season's starting offensive line is an intriguing storyline for any Utes fan to follow heading into Week 1, especially since the team's highest-rated recruit in its 2026 freshman class — blue-chip prospect Kelvin Obot — could very well step in as the next great offensive lineman to come through the program's doors.

"Obviously you're replacing some dudes, and so when you put on the film, particularly when pads come on and you see some of the things that we saw yesterday — that was very pleasing," Scalley said. "We're excited for that group."

In addition to Obot, Gross is working with newcomers Cedric Jefferson (Montana State), Isaiah Kema (Ohio State), Mataalii Benjamin (four-star recruit), Moses Sparks (three-star) and Rowdy Pearce (three-star) as he reshapes Utah's starting offensive line. Additionally, a handful of returners in Reece Parmenter, Keith Olson, Roger Alderman, Zereoue Williams and Alex Harrison are expected to compete for significant playing time.

That group has undoubtedly some big shoes to fill. Last year's offensive line paved the way for an offense that ranked No. 2 in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rush yards per game (266.3) and broke the school record for the most rushing yards in a single season (3,462). Utah's quarterbacks were sacked just 14 times as well (No. 3 in the Big 12), lending to one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country.

To expect the 2026 group to perform at the same level would be placing an unnecessary burden on Gross and company; however, Utah is expected to keep its identity as one of the most physical and tough teams in the trenches with Scalley at the helm. How the offensive line comes together over the coming months will dictate whether the Utes maintain that standard for 2026.