The first scrimmage of Utah’s fall camp gave the Utes a chance to see where things really stand, and head coach Morgan Scalley came away with a few clear takeaways after Saturday’s closed workout.
The biggest buzz from the day centered on sophomore running back Mateaki Helu, who Scalley said “showed up in a big way.” Helu, the Stansbury High product, played all 13 games on special teams as a freshman and finished with four tackles. Now he’s trying to carve out a role in a crowded backfield that already includes RB1 Wayshawn Parker, San Jose State transfer Steve Chavez-Soto and freshman LaMarcus Bell.
Scalley also singled out defensive end Lance Holtzclaw, who put together 26 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three pass breakups last season and looks positioned for a larger role with John Henry Daley and Logan Fano gone.
“Lance Holtzclaw off the edge, making a bunch of plays,” Scalley said.
The coach didn’t get into specifics on the wide receiver or cornerback depth chart, but he made it clear he likes what he has there.
“Just lovely. Yeah, we got good ones,” Scalley said when asked about the pecking order at wide receiver and cornerback.
“I’m not going to tell you what that depth is, but we got good depth. Do your fantasy draft or whatever.
We got really good ones. I’m excited for that group.”
He also said the receiver room as a whole had a strong day, while noting that the team’s situational work has come a long way since camp opened.
“There’s a lot of good stuff. I thought the situational mechanics, like I said, that’s one thing that (at the) beginning of camp, not clean enough, not fast enough, but much better,” Scalley said.
Even with the positives, Utah still has work to do in the red zone.
“I’d say red-zone work, kind of a mixed bag. We need to be more efficient, not enough touchdowns in the red zone, too many field goals,” Scalley said.
That said, the kicking operation has been a strength. Scalley praised Dillon Curtis and UTEP transfer Tanner Cragun after Curtis was perfect on field goals during the 20-minute media viewing period before the scrimmage, including from 50 yards and beyond, and then carried that into the scrimmage itself. Orion Phillips remains the established punter.
“The kicking game’s really good. Kicking game’s really good.
Love our two kickers. Obviously Orion (Phillips) has been established as a punter, but both Dillon and Tanner are doing a nice job,” Scalley said.
The most eye-catching play of the scrimmage came when receiver Braden Pegan hurdled cornerback Elijah Davis.
Saturday also offered another look at the lines, which remain a major focus heading toward the 2026 team. On offense, Keith Olson, Kelvin Obot, Solatoa Moea’i, Isaiah Garcia, Cedric Jefferson, Zereoue Williams and Alex Harrison are among the players battling for starting spots on a reshuffled front.
Scalley said that group is trending in the right direction, though there’s still room to clean things up.
“I would say I think we’ve gotten to the point where we’re physical enough. The pre-snap penalties are being cut down.
Just continued progress. There’s not one glaring thing where I’m sitting there saying, ‘We’re deficient here.’
It’s just maybe a little bit cleaner in the things that we’re doing from protection to taking on slanters,” Scalley said.
“They’ve got one of the best teachers I know in Jordan Gross. So I’m excited for that group and what they’re going to show.”
When asked about five-star freshman Obot, Scalley added, “He’s looking really good, but he understands the stuff he needs to work on and no spots are solidified right now.”
The defensive line is still being sorted out too, especially at tackle, where injuries and rotations are keeping things fluid. Scalley said Karson Kaufusi’s return should help, but the position remains unsettled.
“Defense looks good. We’re solidifying that D-tackle spot.
Same thing on offense, you get these bumps and bruises, guys having to be out of practice or two,” Scalley said. “So still, that’s up for grabs as well.
Getting Karson Kaufusi back and mixing in some guys. So that’s unsettled right now.”
There may be less uncertainty elsewhere on the roster. NaQuari Rogers, who rushed for 387 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, was out of eligibility, but a preliminary injunction by Colorado judge Charlotte Sweeney required the NCAA to grant one more year to players like him who graduated in the high school class of 2022 and had exhausted their eligibility. The NCAA’s new five-years-to-play-five-seasons rule is set to begin in fall 2027, but Sweeney ruled that players who “began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022-2023 season, competed in NCAA Division I sports, and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAA’s prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season” are eligible for one more season in 2026-27.
Rogers had shown interest in returning to Utah, but with the running back room already deep after spring ball, summer conditioning and part of fall camp, Scalley suggested the Utes may already be set before the Sept. 3 opener against Idaho.
“We feel pretty good right now,” Scalley said when asked if Utah was exploring bringing back Rogers or if the roster is set.
In Other News...
Former Utah DB Opens Up On Leaving For A Big 12 Rival
Jason Stokes Jr.s move from Utah to Colorado was one of those transfer decisions that speaks as much to fit as opportunity. The former Utes defensive back arrived in Boulder with plenty of runway left in his college career, and he quickly found a staff willing to make him feel like more than just another addition to the portal. Cornerbacks coach Aaron Fletcher, safety Naeten Mitchell and defensive coordinator Chris Marve were central to that early comfort, giving him the kind of support that can make a new situation feel a lot less like a leap.
For Utah fans, the departure stings a little more because Stokes did not leave quietly or reluctantly, at least from the way he has described the process. The appeal of Colorado came through in the belief the staff showed in him and the sense that he could keep growing there every day, with Marve especially making clear how high they viewed his ceiling. It is the sort of recruiting pitch that can reshape a players path quickly, and in Stokes case it appears to have done exactly that. [Read more 🡒]