Utah isn’t making a switch at punt returner.
After Creed Whittemore handled two punts for 10 yards in the second half of the Utes’ 41-24 win over Kansas last Saturday, it was fair to wonder whether the job might be trending toward a split. But Utah coach Morgan Scalley shut that idea down and said Mana Carvalho remains the guy.
“No, really it’s been Mana staying healthy,” Scalley said of Whittemore fielding punts against Kansas. “He went out last game with what they thought was potentially a concussion. They’re always going to err on the side of being safe.
“He has since passed concussion protocol, so we’re good. It really wasn’t anything other than that.”
That’s the explanation behind Whittemore’s appearance, and it keeps Carvalho in the same role he’s held since late September 2025. It has not been a simple run.
Carvalho’s first season handling punts for Utah came with both the low point and the high point. Against BYU last year as a freshman, he went after a punt he probably should have left alone and muffed it, setting up a Cougar field goal before halftime.
A few weeks later, he delivered the kind of play that makes coaches live with the volatility: a 75-yard punt return touchdown against Cincinnati. Carvalho slipped a Bearcat defender at the Utah 40-yard line and raced to the end zone for the Utes’ first punt return touchdown since 2021.
By the end of that freshman year, Carvalho had piled up 212 punt return yards and a touchdown, enough to earn Big 12 honorable mention recognition.
This season has brought more mixed results, but also more evidence of what he can do when one lane opens up. Carvalho has returned eight punts for 55 yards, including a 25-yard runback in the opener against Idaho. There have also been nervous moments, including a play against Idaho in which he appeared to muff a punt that was recovered by the Vandals, though the officials did not rule it a fumble.
Even with the shaky spots, Utah continues to trust the upside. Carvalho has the kind of field-flipping ability that can change a game in one touch, and for now, the Utes are keeping him in that spot.
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 🡒]
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 🡒]
Utah Is Winning Big 12 Respect Without Spending Like A Contender
Utahs rise in the Big 12 has been built on more than just results on the field. Even as the sports spending arms race keeps reshaping expectations, the Utes have stayed unbeaten and climbed to No. 11 while reportedly working with an NIL payroll in the $18 million to $20 million range, well below the kind of money many people associate with a true contender. Morgan Scalley has helped steady the program through a coaching transition, and Devon Dampier has given Utah the kind of quarterback play that can keep a team in every conversation that matters.
What makes the Utes start so notable is the broader picture around them. Other programs operating with smaller NIL budgets have found ways to stay competitive, while some of the biggest spenders have not matched the hype attached to their payrolls. Utah has still found a way to look like a team built for the top of the league, and the next question is whether this version of the Utes can keep turning restraint into staying power as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]