As Morgan Scalley ushers in a new era, Michigan reportedly attempted to lure away standout backup Byrd Ficklin to join Kyle Whittingham in the Big Ten.
Morgan Scalley enters his first season as head coach of the Utah Utes ready to pick up where Kyle Whittingham left off. After inheriting one of the best situations from last year, what's the outlook in Salt Lake City?
Most analysts have the Utes anywhere from the second-best team to No. 5 in the Big 12. Needless to say, that's a pretty good range considering Scalley hasn't coached a full season yet. This isn't a rebuild, but rather a continuous motion of culture with how Utah has traditionally run the program. One of the best position groups to keep an eye on will be Utah’s quarterback room.
The Utes have two of the best quarterbacks in the nation with Devon Dampier leading the charge. There are good enough players in place all around the roster. However, Utah might have the best quarterbacks in the nation. Dampier is fascinating because he's a pure dual-threat. If you don't protect the edges against him, he's going to escape and take off down the field. His arm is also just as lethal.
Dampier accounted for 3,325 yards of total offense, along with 34 total touchdowns and just five interceptions. His quarterback rating (84.4) was seventh in the nation last season. Just imagine what he's capable of when he's 100 percent healthy. He enters the 2026 season as the No. 3 quarterback in the Big 12.
What's rare when addressing Utah's QB situation is using plural language. Byrd Ficklin showed flashes of greatness last year and returns under Dampier. What's scary is he's a carbon copy in many regards. If Dampier goes down due to injury, Ficklin is capable of carrying the load and is built for the same scheme.
Whittingham wanted Ficklin to follow him to Michigan. And really, why not? Bryce Underwood is a decent signal-caller, but he'll move on to the NFL sometime soon.
"I know that Michigan went after Ficklin, and offered him a considerable package," Former Utah coach Ron McBride said this week.
Ficklin knows he's in a perfect position to take over the Utes' offense as soon as next season. This all depends on Dampier heading to the NFL in 2027. With a little help in the legal process, there's a possibility he could stay at Utah for an additional season due to the fifth-year ruling, which was first adopted from a case regarding former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.
We'll know more in December on Dampier's future plans. Regardless of when he goes to the league, Ficklin will be ready to go. The Utes are pretty stable at the QB position ahead of the 2026 season.
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