Utah is looking for a bounce back season in 2025.
Plagued by a 5-7 campaign in its first year in the Big 12, the Utes and head coach Kyle Whittingham hope to return the football program back to its conference-championship-contending ways.
A lot of that success will hinge on the additions of new offensive coordinator Jason Beck and starting quarterback Devon Dampier. The pair moved to Salt Lake City after leaving New Mexico this offseason, following a year in which they led the Lobos to the No. 4-ranked offense in the country.
How that duo will fare in Utah — and other quandries — will start to get answered this week as the Utes begin their fall training camp.
With the season opener just a little more than a month away, here are the five biggest questions facing the Utes.
Can Devon Dampier live up to the high expectations?
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, seen at the Utah Utes spring football game in Salt Lake City on Saturday, April 19, 2025, has Heisman potential.
After nearly five seasons with Cam Rising, the Utes will have a new starting quarterback in 2025.
Enter Devon Dampier.
The New Mexico transfer quarterback didn’t wait long to leave a lasting impression with his Utes teammates and coaches. At Big 12 Media Days, Whittingham said his new quarterback has the “it factor.”
Last season the junior quarterback was one of the best dual-threat playmakers in the country. He finished with 2,768 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024.
He made an even bigger impact on the ground, rushing 155 times for 1,166 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. If he can repeat that in 2025 — or something close to it — the Utes could be in contention for the Big 12 title.
There are still some question marks facing Dampier this season, though. He’s never played at the Power Four level. He only completed 57.9% of his passes with the Lobos. He also struggled with turnovers.
The Utes and Whittingham will find out soon enough if Dampier is ready for the Power Four stage this season.
Will Jason Beck lead the Utes to an offensive rebound?
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) New University of Utah football offensive coordinator Jason Beck talks about kicking off the first quarter of the 2025 offseason during a news conference on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Like Dampier, new Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck has a lot riding on this season.
Tasked with rebuilding the, statistically, second-worst offense in the Big 12 in 2024, Beck has brought in a fresh playbook and focus for the Utes this season.
In one season with the Lobos and Dampier, Beck engineered the fourth-best offense in the nation.
Most notably, the Lobos averaged 484.3 yards per game last season — 230.7 yards on average through the air and 253.6 yards on the ground — while scoring 33.5 points per game.
Utah’s offense ranked near the bottom of the Pac-12 and Big 12 in 2023 and 2024, respectively. If Beck can bring on the same success he had with New Mexico, the Utes could be primed for success in their second year of Big 12 play.
Who will be Utah’s No. 1 and No. 2 receivers?
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes wide receiver Dorian Singer (3) attempts to pull in a catch as Utah hosts the Baylor Bears, NCAA football in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024.
Following the transfer of wide receiver Zach Williams to USC this spring, the Utes will, likely, have a battle in fall training camp for the No. 1 and No. 2 receiver positions on the team.
This offseason Utah signed five new transfers at the position: Tobias Merriweather (Cal), Ryan Davis (New Mexico), Larry Simmons (Southern Miss), Justin Stevenson (Wyoming) and Creed Whittemore (Mississippi). Each has limited experience as a team’s top option.
Of the five candidates, Merriweather could be a top candidate to earn the starting position. The junior caught 11 passes for 125 receiving yards and one touchdown last season. His height — standing at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds — also makes him a major factor in the red zone and as a deep threat.
Whittemore enters fall camp as one of the more unproven but intriguing candidates in Utah’s receiving corps. Ranked as the No. 28 wide receiver in the transfer portal, the redshirt sophomore had 15 receptions for 167 yards as a Bulldog.
He also had five carries for 101 yards, with two touchdowns coming on the ground, making him a potential threat in Utah’s rush attack.
Davis enters fall camp as the most experienced receiver of the bunch. The redshirt senior spent two seasons with New Mexico and three with UAB.
In 2024 he finished with 54 receptions for 747 receiving yards and three touchdowns in New Mexico.
Simmons and Stevenson could also make their mark as Utah’s top options at the wideout position. Simmons, a junior, finished 2024 with 27 receptions, 424 yards and one touchdown at Southern Miss.
Stevenson, a sophomore, was a vertical threat for Wyoming a season ago, tallying 17 catches, 204 yards and three touchdowns.
How will Utah recover from key defensive transfers?
(David Zalubowski | AP) Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter, top center, flies in for a touchdown past, from left, Utah linebacker Johnathan Hall, cornerback Smith Snowden and safety Nate Ritchie in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Boulder, Colo.
The Utes lost two major contributors on defense this offseason.
Former defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa transferred to in-state rival BYU while cornerback Cameron Calhoun bolted to the SEC’s Alabama.
Before leaving, the pair of defensive playmakers were anticipated to play in starting roles for the Utes this season. Now defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley and Utah will have to fill those losses in fall camp.
At defensive tackle, the Utes will likely pivot to sophomore Dallas Vakalahi and senior Aliki Vimahi. Vakalahi had 16 tackles and two sacks last season.
Vimahi, meanwhile, finished with seven tackles and two pass breakups.
While the loss of Calhoun stung, the Utes have a solid group of corners on defense to replace him. Returning nickelback Smith Snowden and outside corner Scooby Davis will likely be the Utes’ top starting defensive backs in 2025.
Scalley also added UC Davis transfer Blake Cotton, Texas A&M’s Donovan Saunders and Garden City Community College corner Jeremiah Caldwell to bolster depth.
That leaves Utah with a strong committee of versatile corners following Calhoun’s departure.
Who will be Dampier’s backup?
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson (11), in Big-12 football action between the Utes and the Arizona Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium, on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
The Utes have a quarterback competition on their hands.
At the backup position
This spring, sophomore quarterback Isaac Wilson and freshman quarterback Jamarian “Byrd” Ficklin entered a battle for Utah’s backup quarterback role.
Wilson returned to the Utes this offseason after entering the transfer portal in December. He struggled in the role last season after former Utah star quarterback Cam Rising went down with injuries.
He finished with 1,510 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in nine games, seven of which he started.
Ficklin is entering his true freshman campaign after committing to Utah as a three-star recruit in the 2026 class. While unproven and inexperienced, Ficklin impressed Utah’s staff with his dual-threat capabilities during the spring.
The Utes will have to rely on one of the quarterbacks’ services in the event Dampier misses time with an injury.
Note to readers • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.