Utah didn’t have to wait long to find its answer at running back in 2025. Once the season settled in, Wayshawn Parker made the job his and never looked back.
The Utes entered the year searching for a replacement after graduating their 2024 star, and the backfield was crowded with transfers and freshmen all trying to seize the role. By season’s end, though, the picture was clear: Parker was the best runner on the roster, and he looked every bit like a breakout player.
He finished just shy of 1,000 rushing yards and added more than 180 receiving yards, producing the kind of all-around season that changes how a defense has to line up. The numbers got even louder when stacked against the rest of the country.
Among Power Four backs last season, only two players averaged at least 6.6 yards per carry on 140 or more attempts. One was Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, who went third overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The other was Parker.
A big part of that surge came in Jason Beck’s offense, with Utah’s offensive line clearing the way for Parker to take off in his sophomore season. Now he’s back for his junior year, and the bar he’s setting for himself is even higher.
"Last year I wanted to hit 1,000 rushing yards, but I've raised that to 1,200 this year," said Parker. "I have high standards for myself and want to put that weight on me so I can accomplish what I've got to do."
In Other News...
Utahs Holy War Has One TV Question Utes Fans Will Hate
The buildup to Utahs annual Holy War is already starting to look like one of the biggest TV puzzles of the fall. The Oct. 7 meeting with BYU carries the kind of regional heat and conference weight that usually gets attention from the networks, and the weekend around it is crowded with other major college football matchups, which makes the scheduling piece just as interesting as the rivalry itself.
For Utah fans, the frustrating part is that the game appears headed for a late-afternoon window, the sort of slot that can turn a key Big 12 showdown into a national broadcast showcase. With both programs drawing interest and the league still sorting out its biggest TV inventory, the only real question now is how the networks choose to package one of the seasons most watchable games. [Read more 🡒]