Utah is proving you don’t need one of the biggest NIL budgets in college football to stay in the hunt.
While plenty of contenders are operating at the $40 million baseline that’s become the new standard in the NIL era, the Utes are reportedly working with far less. On3’s Pete Nakos projects Utah’s payroll at $18 million to $20 million, a figure that still has the program unbeaten at 5-0 and sitting at No. 11 in the latest AP poll.
That gap didn’t stop Morgan Scalley from keeping the roster together after a major coaching shift. Nakos reported on Oct. 13 that Scalley held the core of the team intact despite Kyle Whittingham retiring and then leaving for Michigan. The money Utah spent, Nakos wrote, has gone a long way.
"Utah has a clear shot at the Big 12 title with a potential top-10 matchup looming in early November against rival BYU," Nakos added.
"However, Scalley’s roster has one of the conference’s lowest payrolls, and it was enough to keep star quarterback Devon Dampier, among others, at Utah instead of following Whittingham to Michigan."
Dampier has been a big reason the Utes have stayed on track through five games. The veteran quarterback has thrown for 1,134 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 71.8% of his passes.
The schedule is about to get tougher. Utah faces No.
20 Houston on Oct. 24, and a rivalry meeting with No. 8 BYU is just weeks away.
Utah isn’t the only program on On3’s list of teams winning with smaller payrolls. Kentucky is projected at $22 million to $25 million, Iowa at $20 million, Houston at $15 million and Wake Forest at $13 million.
The other side of the NIL divide is still showing its own problems. Texas A&M is 3-3 this season despite a projected payroll of more than $40 million, according to Nakos. He also pointed out that rosters above that level are generally expected to be built for the College Football Playoff and a national championship push.
"Rosters exceeding $40 million are expected to make the College Football Playoff and contend for a national championship," Nakos noted.
"Ohio State, Miami and Notre Dame all have payrolls north of $40 million and currently rank in the top five in the latest AP poll. Yet a handful of programs that are spending at the top of the college football food chain are underdelivering," Nakos continued.
"LSU is 4-2 with a roster cost of at least $45 million, while Texas A&M just dropped to 1-3 in the SEC and spent over $40 million on this year’s roster."
Scalley’s commitment has gone beyond talk, too. Before his first full season as Utah’s head coach, he pledged $2 million of his salary to the Utes’ NIL fund.
"My love for this place includes a vision of where we can go and what we can achieve, and it will require an increased effort from everyone who shares in that vision," Scalley noted in a March statement announcing the news.
"(Wife) Liz and I simply wanted to do something for this amazing place that shows our faith in and commitment to the future of this incredible University, and how excited we are for what's to come."
In Other News...
Utahs Playoff Path May Be About To Get A Lot Easier
The College Football Playoff appears headed for another major shake-up, and for programs like Utah, the timing could matter a lot. The latest proposal would push the field from 12 teams to 24, giving more room for high-level teams from leagues such as the Big 12 and, in a broader sense, the kind of West Coast programs that have long had to navigate a narrower path to the postseason.
The format under discussion would lock in spots for the four Power Four champions, the top Group of Six team and a deep pool of at-large bids, while shifting the first two rounds to campus sites before the later rounds move to New Years Six bowls. It is still moving through the approval process, but the direction of travel is clear, and it could change not just Utahs margin for error, but the way the Utes are judged in any given season. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs Volatile Punt Return Spot Just Took Another Turn
Utahs punt return job has been one of the quieter moving parts on the roster, but it shifted again in the win over Kansas when receiver Creed Whittemore handled two punts. The change came after Mana Carvalho briefly stepped out of the role, giving the Utes another look at a spot that has already seen some turnover this season.
Morgan Scalley later clarified that Carvalho has passed concussion protocol and is still Utahs primary punt returner, which settles at least the immediate question at the position. The timing matters for a team trying to keep its special teams steady, and it came during a week when the program also had bigger-picture news off the field, with the Board of Trustees approving plans for stadium improvements. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Gets A Huge Chance To Change Everything Against Utah
Colorado is looking at Saturdays matchup with Utah as a chance to stop the slide and reset a season that has gone sideways over a three-game losing streak. Hosting the No. 11 Utes is not exactly the easiest way to do it, but the Buffs do have some familiar faces to lean on, with quarterback Isaac Wilson and wide receiver Joseph Williams among the names carrying the load on offense.
Utah, meanwhile, arrives unbeaten in conference play and with the kind of balance that has made it one of the tougher teams to slow down. Devon Dampier is steering the offense, and the Utes have also leaned on the ground game to keep defenses honest, which leaves Colorado needing a clean performance at home if it wants to turn the week into something more than just another difficult outing. [Read more 🡒]