Which Utah football players are standing out to Morgan Scalley in spring practices?

With two weeks of spring practices in the books, the identity of the 2026 Utah football team is starting to take real shape.

The culture and system Morgan Scalley and his first-year staff have sought to implement over the past month still have time to settle, though by most accounts, it sounds like the Utes are progressing as scheduled heading into the back-half of their spring practice.

"I'm excited with the progress," Scalley said after Tuesday's practice. "You're seeing the offensive line continue to make strides. I think the offense maybe got a little bit better of the defense in some of the scrimmage work we did on Saturday. It was good to see the defense bounce back."

Here's a look at some of the players Scalley has highlighted for their leadership and effort in spring practices.

Daniel Bray (RB)

We recently discussed why Daniel Bray is due for a big sophomore season in a different post, so it wasn't necessarily a surprise to hear that the versatile running back/wide receiver has been one of the Utes' top standouts in spring practices.

"The biggest positive so far is him," Scalley said. "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."

Every Utah fan and staffer came into the spring understanding just how explosive and impactful Bray was in the run game as a freshman, setting up a bright future ahead if he took the right steps in his development. Putting the team first and understanding his role are two key building blocks on the mental side of his game, and should further his progression as a dynamic offensive player.

Wayshawn Parker (RB)

It appears Wayshawn Parker is taking his role as part of the team's leadership council seriously. In addition to his hard running, the Utes' starting tailback's leadership skills have stood through two full weeks of spring practice.

"Loved what I saw out of [Wayshawn Parker] today; physicality, leadership," Scalley said. "When things aren't going right, he's the guy that you can hand the ball to, and he's gonna give you everything he's got."

Parker, who led Utah with 981 rushing yards last season, has the skillset to be a 1,000-yard rusher with the right opportunities. But how he manages to rally the troops and keep his teammates in line during the season will probably speak more volumes about who he is as a player than his stat line will.

Jireh Moe (DT)

If the defensive line group is going dictate much of Utah's success in 2026 like Scalley believes, then Jireh Moe is on track to play a big role for the Utes in his first season with the team.

"Jireh Moe is exactly what we wanted," Scalley said. "He provides a little bit of athleticism and twitch and the ability to slant and do some things with him."

Moe, a rising sophomore who transferred from San José State in the offseason, joins a deep defensive line room that's full of young talent, including a handful of second-year players in Pupu Sepulona, Karson Kafusi, Dilan Battle and Lucas Samsula. How that unit meshes and formulates a pecking order between starters and reserves will be interesting to monitor in the months leading up to Week 1.

Karson Kafusi (DT)

Kafusi, a former four-star recruit out of Skyline High School (Utah), has 12 college games under his belt, though he's apparently asserted his leadership skills during spring practices.

"I'm looking at Karson Kafusi as a guy [who] needs to make that jump from freshman to sophomore," Scalley said. "The good thing is that leadership wise, he's a pleasant surprise. He's a guy we didn't necessarily expect to become that guy."

At 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds, Kafusi has the physical toolkit to be a real difference maker in the trenches this fall.

Kelvin Obot (OT)

The highly-touted high school recruit from Idaho seems to be adjusting to the college life just fine, with the exception of a slight ankle tweak that kept him out of one practice. It's still unknown whether Kelvin Obot starts right away, as it sounds like a majority of the Utes' new-look O-line is coming along as expected.

"He's every bit of what we saw in his recruiting film," Scalley said of Obot.

Scalley also highlighted the job first-year offensive line coach Jordan Gross has done in preparing his unit throughout spring practices.

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