Utah Utes
Big 12
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #8
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 22.2 (#8)
- SP+ Offense
- 39.7
- SP+ Defense
- 17.5
- SRS
- 21.3
- FPI
- 20.1
- Elo
- 1976
- Talent
- 708
- Recruiting
- —
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
10.0p10 8.0 — p90 11.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 28.4% | |
| Make CFP | 73.9% | |
| Quarterfinal | 55.4% | |
| Semifinal | 24.4% | |
| Natl. final | 10.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 3.4% |
Schedule
proj record 10.0–2.0
Schedule
50th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
30th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
64th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsIdaho | FCS | 50-3* | +47.1 | 100% | — |
| 2 | vsArkansas | +5.1 | 37-22 | +14.6 | 84% | — |
| 3 | vsUtah State | -3.1 | 40-18 | +22.3 | 94% | — |
| 4 | @Iowa State | +9.9 | 35-22 | +13.1 | 82% | — |
| 6 | vsKansas | +4.1 | 35-23 | +12.0 | 80% | — |
| 7 | @Colorado | -8.3 | 40-17 | +22.4 | 94% | — |
| 8 | vsHouston | +7.4 | 32-21 | +10.2 | 76% | — |
| 9 | @Cincinnati | +4.5 | 35-21 | +14.4 | 84% | — |
| 10 | vsBYU | +15.9 | 32-23 | +9.2 | 74% | — |
| 11 | @Arizona | +12 | 30-25 | +5.0 | 64% | — |
| 12 | @TCU | +8.3 | 31-21 | +10.1 | 75% | — |
| 13 | vsWest Virginia | -6.8 | 39-14 | +25.1 | 96% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 3
2026 · 62
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Devon Dampier | JR | 5'11" | 204 | ★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Byrd Ficklin | FR | 6'1" | 181 | — |
| QB | 3rd | Brandon Rose← Massachusetts | JR | 6'2" | 212 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Wayshawn Parker | SO | 5'10" | 206 | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Steve Chavez-Soto← San José State | FR | 6'0" | 205 | ★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Daniel Bray | FR | 5'10" | 171 | — |
| RB | 4th | NaQuari Rogers | SR | 5'10" | 205 | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Bryce Duke | SR | 6'0" | 210 | — |
| RB | 6th | Omar Shah | SO | 5'9" | 203 | — |
Wide Receivers · 11
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Braden Pegan← Utah State | JR | 6'3" | 210 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Kyri Shoels← San José State | JR | 6'0" | 182 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Ryan Davis | SR | 5'11" | 181 | — |
| WR | 4th | Larry Simmons | JR | 6'1" | 190 | — |
| WR | 5th | Nate Johnson | JR | 6'1" | 202 | ★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Mana Carvalho | FR | 5'9" | 153 | ★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Rayshawn Glover | JR | 5'8" | 163 | — |
| WR | 8th | Tobias Merriweather | JR | 6'5" | 195 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 9th | Creed Whittemore | SO | 5'11" | 175 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 10th | Luca Caldarella | SR | 6'4" | 199 | — |
| WR | 11th | Ricky Johnson← Mississippi State | FR | 6'2" | 185 | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Hunter Andrews | FR | 6'3" | 235 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Will Monney← Oklahoma State | JR | 6'4" | 230 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Otto Tia | SR | 6'4" | 220 | ★★★ |
| TE | — | Noah Bennee← Weber State | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Offensive Line · 1
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OT | — | Cedric Jefferson← Montana State | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | 1st | Logan Fano | JR | 6'5" | 249 | ★★★★ |
| DE | 2nd | Kash Dillon | FR | 6'5" | 241 | — |
| DE | 3rd | Lance Holtzclaw | JR | 6'3" | 227 | — |
| DE | 4th | Paul Fitzgerald | JR | 6'4" | 251 | ★★★ |
| DL | 1st | Ethan Day← North Texas | SO | 6'4" | 250 | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Jireh Moe← San José State | FR | 6'0" | 280 | ★★★ |
| DL | 3rd | Lucas Samsula← Wyoming | SO | 6'4" | 305 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Jamal Wallace← Tennessee | JR | 6'3" | 313 | ★★★ |
| DT | 1st | Jonah Lea'ea | SO | 6'5" | 271 | — |
| DT | 2nd | Aliki Vimahi | SR | 6'4" | 296 | — |
| DT | 3rd | Pupu Sepulona | FR | 6'2" | 274 | ★★★ |
| DT | 4th | Karson Kaufusi | FR | 6'6" | 286 | ★★★ |
| DT | 5th | Mike Tauteoli | SO | 6'4" | 297 | — |
| DT | 6th | Semi Taulanga | FR | 5'11" | 336 | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Johnathan Hall | JR | 6'1" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Lander Barton | SR | 6'5" | 236 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Levani Damuni | SR | 6'3" | 246 | — |
| LB | 4th | Trey Reynolds | JR | 6'1" | 226 | — |
| LB | 5th | Elijah Elliss | FR | 6'2" | 220 | ★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Cyrus Polu | FR | 6'1" | 218 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Moroni Anae | SR | 6'2" | 224 | — |
| LB | 8th | Mateaki Helu | FR | 6'1" | 208 | — |
| LB | 9th | Kana'i Lopes | FR | 6'3" | 220 | — |
Defensive Backs · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Elijah Reed← Akron | JR | 6'3" | 190 | ★★★ |
| CB | 2nd | James Chenault← South Florida | SO | 6'0" | 180 | ★★★ |
| CB | 3rd | Elijah Davis | JR | 6'0" | 182 | — |
| CB | 4th | Blake Cotton | SR | 6'2" | 190 | — |
| CB | 5th | Rock Caldwell | JR | 6'3" | 172 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 6th | JC Hart | SO | 6'2" | 199 | ★★★ |
| CB | — | Nick Brown← Lamar | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| S | 1st | Jackson Bennee | SO | 6'2" | 189 | — |
| S | 2nd | Nate Ritchie | JR | 6'2" | 206 | ★★★★ |
| S | 3rd | Nate Tilmon | FR | 6'1" | 186 | ★★★ |
| S | 4th | Brock Fonoimoana | FR | 6'1" | 191 | — |
| S | — | Marcus Wimberly← Oklahoma | FR | 6'1" | 193 | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 1st | Orion Phillips | SO | 6'3" | 168 | — |
| PK | 1st | Dillon Curtis | FR | 6'2" | 187 | ★★★ |
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Season History · last 12
4 AP top-10 · 10 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10-2 | 7-2 | #8 | #13 | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 5-7 | 2-7 | #40 | #10 | — |
| 2023 | 8-4 | 5-4 | #32 | #10 | 0-1 |
| 2022 | 10-3 | 8-2 | #10 | #7 | 0-1 |
| 2021 | 10-3 | 9-1 | #16 | #10 | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 3-2 | 3-2 | #23 | — | — |
| 2019 | 11-2 | 8-2 | #12 | — | 0-1 |
| 2018 | 9-4 | 6-4 | #17 | — | 0-1 |
| 2017 | 6-6 | 3-6 | #25 | — | 1-0 |
| 2016 | 8-4 | 5-4 | #35 | — | 1-0 |
| 2015 | 9-3 | 6-3 | #35 | — | 1-0 |
| 2014 | 8-4 | 5-4 | #38 | — | 1-0 |
Recruiting Classes
avg #39 · 28 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★130 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #40 | 208 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 2024 | #59 | 185 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 2023 | #20 | 236 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| 2022 | #34 | 210 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 2021 | #33 | 203 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 2020 | #29 | 212 | 0 | 4 | 13 |
| 2019 | #42 | 197 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| 2018 | #33 | 210 | 0 | 2 | 19 |
| 2017 | #33 | 206 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 2016 | #37 | 201 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 17net -3Out 20
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.1 / 3.2
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Braden Pegan | WR | 4★ | ← Utah State |
| ▲ | Steve Chavez-Soto | RB | 3★ | ← San José State |
| ▲ | Ethan Day | DL | 3★ | ← North Texas |
| ▲ | Lucas Samsula | DL | 3★ | ← Wyoming |
| ▼ | JJ Buchanan | WR | 4★ | → Michigan |
| ▼ | John Henry Daley | EDGE | 4★ | → Michigan |
| ▼ | Smith Snowden | CB | 4★ | → Michigan |
| ▼ | Salesi Moa | CB | 4★ | → Michigan |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
5 items
- 3-star receiver Darnell Jackson Jr. commits to UtahThe Utes received their third commitment of the day as three-star Texas wide receiver Darnell Jackson Jr. announced his pledge to Utah on Wednesday.UTAH15h
- Utah adds commitment from speedy WR Darnell Jackson: ‘The vibes and the culture just felt right’Utah has been on a red-hot pace throughout the summer and has added another speedy piece to the offense. The Utes secured a commitment from speedy three-star Spring (Texas) Grand Oaks wide receiver Darnell Jackson on Monday night. Jackson committed to Utah over Texas State and Northwestern after a busy month of official visits. “Utah […]UTAH15h
- Utah keeps in-state momentum, lands talented OL Ian AloisioProvo (Utah) Timpview offensive lineman Ian Aloisio just announced he plans to play his college ball at Utah and broke down why he chose the Utes. Utah has been on a nice recruiting heater over the last few weeks and Aloisio is a huge addition in the trenches. He’s not just one of the top offensive lineman in the […]UTAH17h
- 4-star Davis receiver Jaxton Itaaehau commits to UtahUtah secured its biggest commitment of the 2027 class thus far late on Wednesday night as Davis wide receiver Jaxton Itaaehau announced his pledge.UTAH5d
- Utah stays hot in-state, adds two-way playmaker Jaxton ItaaehauKaysville (Utah) Davis athlete Jaxton Itaaehau has committed to Utah and broke down why he chose the Utes. Much has been said about how loaded the ’28 class in Utah is and it’s definitely shaping up to be one of the most talented groups of in-state talent in the last decade. Saying that, the class of ’27 […]UTAH5d