Utah's Morgan Scalley reveals what 'the biggest positive' of spring practice has been thus far

With a majority of spring practice in the books, Utah head coach Morgan Scalley has likely formed some idea about the caliber of roster he and his staff spent the past couple months assembling.

At the very least, there are a handful of players who have made their presence known to Scalley over the past couple of weeks, as well as a few position groups that have performed ahead of schedule to this point in the preparation process for the 2026 season.

No one, though, has stood out more than rising sophomore Daniel Bray.

"The biggest positive so far is him," Scalley said of Bray with an assertive tone following Tuesday's practice. "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."

Now, during spring media availability sessions — especially after a good day of practice — there's a lot of what those in the media and fandom refer to as "coach speak." It's a term used to describe the repetitiveness and vagueness coaches use when delivering an answer that's filled with team-first language.

Without much context, Scalley's praise of Bray might come across as one of those examples of the confident-but-vague talk coaches go-to when it's late in March and there's no games on the docket for another five months. However, there's reason to believe Scalley isn't yanking anyone's chain with his hype-up of Utah's versatile offensive weapon.

The way first-year offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven has talked about growing Bray's responsibilities this upcoming season would be the first such indication that the 5-foot-10 speedster has taken positive steps in his development.

"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."

What McGiven saw in Bray's 2025 tape is also the second clue that the Fort Worth, Texas, native is due for a big 2026. On 48 touches (40 rushes, eight receptions), he averaged 6.8 yards per carry and 8.4 yards per reception, totaling 339 yards from scrimmage across nine games played. Bray also had five kickoff returns for 95 yards.

The manner in which Bray compiled those yards makes his potential role for this upcoming season all the more intriguing, because a majority of his touches were off jet sweeps and not handoffs from the backfield. Whether he spends more time in a traditional tailback spot remains to be seen. Lining him up out wide allows for Wayshawn Parker or Steve Chavez-Soto to be on the field as well, keeping defenses honest without tipping off any tendencies.

Either way, expect a lot of Bray when Utah is on offense in 2026.