What the official Utah football roster indicates about the Utes' depth

Almost 60 days removed from the end of the 2025 season, the Utah football program officially moved on to the 2026 campaign on Tuesday by revealing an updated roster feautring all the returners, freshman recruits and transfers the team acquired in the portal.

Fans got an early glimpse at the roster through the official Utah football X account, where all 10 position groups on offense and defense, plus the special teams unit, were shared via a thread on Tuesday. The Utes' roster page on its website was also updated to reflect the personnel changes that were made over the past month.

With spring practices just on the horizon, here's a couple of observations about Utah's updated roster.

Extra Eligibility Boosts Offensive Line Depth

Going into the spring, one of the major question marks on the offensive side of the ball for Utah was how the offensive line would look with all five starters from last season's group graduated or preparing for the NFL draft.

It still remains to be seen how spring and fall practices shape the Utes' front line for the 2026 season, though the announcement of the team's official roster has revealed Utah will have more continuity at the position than some fans probably thought it would.

That's because Zereoue Williams and Alex Harrison — two linemen who were labeled as redshirt seniors in 2025 — have received an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA, and will return for the 2026 campaign as graduate students.

Williams has been with the program since 2021 but didn't play in 2023. He appeared in all 13 games and started the Las Vegas Bowl last season, logging 156 total snaps. A majority of those opportunities were in run-blocking scenarios.

Harrison is technically heading into his seventh season with the Utes, though he's getting another year after not playing in 2020, 2022 and 2024. The 6-foot-5 Utah native allowed just two pressures and two hurries in 47 pass blocking opportunities last season, according to Pro Football Focus, while lining up at center for a majority of the nine games he played in.

With Jaren Kump graduated, Harrison appears to be his clear replacement as Utah's starting center. And if the Utes are going to try highly-touted freshman Kelvin Obot at right tackle, Williams would be a viable option on other side of the line at left tackle. Those two possibilities will be ones to monitor throughout spring and fall practices.

Wide Receiver Room Appears Deep

Anyone who's followed the Utes for the past several years understands that the wide receiver position isn't usually one of the team's strongest position groups.

That's not the case going into 2026, though.

After bringing in a few talented transfers, including a couple of proven commodities in Braden Pegan (60 receptions, 926 yards and five touchdowns at Utah State in 2025) and Kyri Shoels (59 receptions, 768 yards and two touchdowns at San José State last season); and retaining some continuity with Larry Simmons, Creed Whittemore, Tobias Merriweather and Daidren Zipperer back in the fold, Utah appears as deep as it's been at the receiver spot in some time.

There's also potential for Mana Carvalho to serve in a more traditional wide receiver role. The 5-foot-9 rising sophomore showed what he can do with the ball in his hands as the team's primary punt returner in 2025, though he didn't log many snaps on offense. It'll be tough to beat out some of his new teammates for playing time, but a strong showing in spring practices could help him earn time at the slot receiver spot.

Don't forget about Nate Johnson, either. He's officially listed as an "athlete" on the Utes' 2026 roster, and that's probably the best way to categorize how the 6-foot-1 Californian's versatility fits into a role with Utah. Johnson was mostly used in the run game last season, but he could get more involved in the passing attack if the Utes need him to.