Utah Football Pre-Fall Camp Offensive Confidence Ranking

Utah football will kick off fall camp exactly two weeks from today, and they will look to build off of a strong 2025 season. This offseason was filled with a lot of change, but fans should still feel a good amount of optimism about this year’s squad. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, here is my confidence level in each position room before fall camp. TIGHT END The returners: Hunter Andrews is the only player coming back for Utah with a decent amount of experience. But his season was cut short in 2025 after a season-ending injury versus Texas Tech. Andrews is a playmaker, whether it is in the backfield or as a pass catcher. All signs are pointing to Andrews being a full go for the season opener. Utah does have their rhinos: Semi Taulanga and Sione Motuapuaka coming back, and the hope this fall is to see them in more than just blocking situations. Taulanga went viral this spring after a video was posted of him catching the ball and then trucking defenders en route to the end zone. Rounding out the returners is Kana’i Lopes. The former linebacker has made the move to tight end for this season, and at the end of spring ball it seemed like he was understanding more about the position. Expectations shouldn’t be too high as he gets used to the new position. The additions: Noah Bennee and Will Monney seem to be the biggest question marks this fall. Bennee has played a lot of football over his career but has never really wowed people. Reports coming from spring ball made it sound like he had made some big-time plays for the Utah offense. Monney is in a similar boat; he’s played a good amount of football but never really broke out. We didn’t hear much about the Oklahoma State transfer this spring, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t impact things when it matters. Utah was extremely happy when Bear Fisher committed around a year ago. Fisher came in at 6’4″ and 240 pounds, meaning he was already in a position to play. He made some very impressive grabs back in spring ball, and with the new five-for-five rules, it might be beneficial for Utah to get him some reps so he can slide into Bennee’s role next year. Confidence level: 3.5 out of 5. With the talent at WR, there won’t be as much of a need for the TEs to produce. That doesn’t mean they won’t get theirs; it will just be less than what we’ve seen in recent years. They should still be good enough to get the job done, but there aren’t any bonified stars in this room. OFFENSIVE LINE The returners: While there are no returning starters from last year’s team, there is still a lot of snaps played with the projected starters. Keith Olson, Soloatoa Moea’i, Zereoue Williams, Alex Harrison, Roger Alderman and Reece Parmenter all played a decent amount of time last season due to Utah’s ability to blow teams out. Isaiah Garcia is back after suffering a crushing injury last fall when he was playing some really good football. Soren Shinofield has quietly been working and very well could earn a spot on the ten-man traveling unit this fall, which just strengthens the group even further. Due to Utah’s history of cross-training guys at multiple spots on the line, Jordan Gross has the ability to mix and match the line if the need arises. The additions: There are only three additions who could impact things this fall. Cedric Jefferson is seen as the leader for one of the starting tackle jobs, but he hasn’t fully locked it down yet. If he does, then that will bring some added experience to the offensive line. Five-star signee Kelvin Obot might not start, but he will most definitely be on the travel squad. He is another player who has been cross-trained, so tackle or guard will be in the cards for him. Ohio State transfer Isaiah Kema is enthralled in a battle for a spot on the two-deep at center, and we will see if he can make up ground this fall. Confidence level: 3.5 out of 5. In what might be seen as a ‘hot take,’ I think the Utah offensive line will be good this fall. They won’t play at as high a level as last year’s line, but they will still be good. If they are even slightly above average, Utah will be in business this season. This group is sick of hearing how they are a ‘liability’ for Utah, and they are ready to prove the doubters wrong. WIDE RECEIVER The returners: Larry Simmons, Nate Johnson, Tobias Merriweather, Daidren Zipperer and Creed Whittemore bring a solid core of returners for Utah this fall. Simmons and Whittemore really came into their own at the back half of the season, and spring was big for the two of them. Johnson looks to have fully embraced the wide receiver role this season, and his speed will be very useful this fall. Merriweather and Zipperer are the most to gain this fall. Merriweather had a very up-and-down season in 2025, and Zipperer missed the entire season after having a strong offseason. There won’t be a lot of pressure on the two of them this fall due to the additions and other returners, which could lead to some unexpected plays from them. The additions: Braden Pegan, Kyri Shoels and Ricky Johnson boosted the wide receiver room in a big way this offseason. Pegan is coming off a career season in the Kevin McGiven offense, and Shoels has also worked with McGiven before. Pegan gives Utah size that was lost to the portal and can be a jump ball target this season. Shoels can play both slot and outside, which makes him even more valuable to the offense. Johnson might be one of those sneaky good additions that fans will look back at. He didn’t really do much at Mississippi State, but he was one of the hottest names this spring. He is yet another threat that can shift the tide for Utah this fall. Confidence level: 4.5 out of 5. On paper, this is the deepest Utah has been at wide receiver in a long time. There is a really good mix of guys who can play different roles on the offense as well. If the projections pan out this fall, this group will quickly move up to 5 out of 5. RUNNING BACK The returners: Wayshawn Parker and Daniel Bray are the headliners of this year’s RB room. Parker had a stellar season last year despite being robbed of the chance to reach 1,000 rushing yards. He also proved to be a big-time threat in the passing game as well. Bray’s speed is something that was poorly used last season, but that should change under Kevin McGiven. The additions: Steve Chavez-Soto had a stellar freshman season at San Jose State and will most likely take reps when Parker needs a breather. His role will continue to increase if he can improve as a pass catcher. That same sentiment applies to freshman RB LaMarcus Bell. He is great with the ball in his hands and can make things happen in the open space, but he needs to improve as a receiver. Don’t be shocked if Bell gets some reps in blowouts with the new five-for-five rule. Confidence level: 4.5 out of 5. Utah won’t rush for more than the program high 3,462 yards and 41 touchdowns that they did last season. But this room is still really good. Parker (and the coaching staff) are determined to get the junior past the century mark this fall, and Chavez-Soto can take some of the load when needed. Bray adds a flair to this room that provides a nice change of pace. If Chavez-Soto and Bell showcase improved pass-catching ability, this room will be a 5 out of 5. QUARTERBACK The returners: Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin both turned down offers to transfer this offseason and elected to return to Utah. Dampier had a stellar season in 2025 despite being injured for the majority of it. In past seasons that could have fully derailed things, but last year it wasn’t the case due to Ficklin. It feels so refreshing to not have some sort of QB battle hanging over the program’s head as we head into fall. Even with the new offense that will be run this fall, the pair have the skills to make the QB room one of the biggest strengths of this offense. The additions: With both Dampier and Ficklin returning, there wasn’t a big need to add this offseason. Utah brought in freshmen QBs Michael Johnson and Kane Archer, but both have a lot to work on before they will see the field. And the hope is Utah fans won’t see them for a long time. But the most shocking offensive addition this offseason was the return of Brandon Rose to the Utah QB room. Rose spent most of his career with Utah but transferred to UMass after the 2024 season. He is back for one final season, and he does nothing but shore up the room with some more experience and veteran leadership. Confidence level: 5 out of 5. Utah has one of the most dynamic one-two punches at QB. They both are playmakers, and Utah fans can sleep easy knowing that there isn’t a steep drop-off from QB1 to QB2 again this season.