The Utah Blockcast

Steve Bartle and Josh Bennett rank the 10 most important players to Utah’s 2026 season—not simply the best players, but the Utes whose roles may be the hardest to replace. They debate Devon Dampier’s command of an offense built around him, Karson Kaufusi’s ownership of Utah’s defensive-tackle tradition, Braden Pegan’s impact and whether Wayshawn Parker is ranked too low. Plus, “6–7” gets its moment, and Eric Weddle receives proper recognition with his Ring of Honor induction.

Morgan Scalley has impressed throughout his opening months as Utah’s head coach, from his introductory press conference and spring practices to Big 12 Media Days and his work building relationships with program supporters. Steve Bartle and Josh Bennett examine the personality, preparation and institutional understanding that give Scalley a strong foundation—along with potential blind spots that could define his first season. Can he turn Utah’s culture into a complete teaching system, empower his assistants and remain decisive when adversity arrives?

Steve Bartle and Josh Bennett draft their five most interesting Utah football players entering fall camp, allowing to break down position battles, breakout candidates and unresolved roles that could determine whether the Utes are ready to contend for a Big 12 championship.

What Is Utah Football Trying To Become?

Steve Bartle and Josh Bennett ask the defining question surrounding Morgan Scalley’s first Utah team. They project the Utes’ offensive and defensive identities, set statistical expectations for Devon Dampier and both units, and examine how Utah can preserve its traditional physicality while becoming more adaptable, explosive and complete.

Utah must replace all five offensive line starters after losing Spencer Fano, Caleb Lomu and a unit that powered one of college football’s most productive rushing attacks. Steve examines what happened to Washington, Michigan and Oklahoma after similar resets—and why history suggests Utah should expect a decline in protection and rushing efficiency. But those teams also replaced their quarterbacks. With Devon Dampier returning after an impressive offseason, could Utah’s biggest offensive star also be the X-factor that keeps its biggest concern from becoming a fatal flaw?

Steve Bartle and Josh Bennett recap Big 12 Media Days with a Utah-focused notebook from Frisco, covering Morgan Scalley’s first impression, Devon Dampier’s standing among Big 12 quarterbacks, Utah’s offensive line questions and key breakout candidates entering fall camp. The episode ends with interviews with Devon Dampier and Johnathan Hall. 

Sorting through two of the loudest Utah football conversations of the summer: recruiting panic and Big Ten speculation. First, explaining why Utah’s current recruiting class looks more like a continuation of the program’s traditional developmental model than a reason to panic. Then, they break down why Utah keeps getting mentioned in future Big Ten conversations, how the Protect College Sports Act has reignited realignment buzz nationally, and why the Big 12 remains Utah’s present platform. The big takeaway: Utah fans can be ambitious without being unrealistic — and the answer is still to win, build and grow where you are.

Utah football picked up three commitments in one day, landing Texas speedster Darnell Jackson Jr. along with Timpview standouts Ian Aloisio and Fui Vakapuna. Steve breaks down what each addition brings to Morgan Scalley’s 2027 class and why the recent recruiting run matters. Then, a closer look at Utah’s official announcement that it is exploring modernization options for the Jon M. Huntsman Center, what the feasibility study means, and what the university should prioritize as it considers the future of one of campus’ most iconic venues. Plus, an interview with receiver commit Dillon Sykes.

Hitting on two proof-of-concept questions for Utah’s major programs. First, breaking down whether Utah football is recruiting at a Big 12 contender level, how to balance Morgan Scalley’s first full recruiting cycle with the program’s established winning standards. Where the class stands after the commitments of Kaleb Hall and Jaden Bibbs, and what could be on the horizon. 

Then, the conversation shifts to Utah basketball and what Alex Jensen’s identity should look like moving forward. Diving into what the blueprint will be as the Runnin’ Utes hope to climb in the Big 12 and bring real energy back to the Huntsman Center.

Reacting to the news of Utah's & adidas new apparel partnership. 

Which position group has to exceed expectations for the Utes to contend in the Big 12, and what Morgan Scalley must prove in Year 1 as head coach, those are the topics today. 

The discussion starts up front with Utah’s defensive line, where run defense, interior toughness and X-factors who could determine whether the Utes have a championship-level defense. Then, Scalley’s biggest Year 1 assignment: providing proof of concept for his version of Utah football.

Utah football keeps stacking in-state momentum as quarterback commit Jonah Lubno joins the show to discuss his decision, his fit in the offense, and what he wants to bring to the program. Plus, a breakdown of Diesel Dart’s commitment, why Utah’s local recruiting push matters under Morgan Scalley, and what the Huntsman Center seating changes say about Alex Jensen’s effort to reconnect Utah basketball with its winning past.

Former Utah quarterback Travis Wilson and receiver Kenneth Scott join the podcast to discuss their upcoming football camp on the Ute Reservation, why giving back through the game matters, and what they hope young athletes take away from the experience. The former Ute tandem also reflect on their playing careers, the bond they built at Utah, lessons learned under Kyle Whittingham, and what life looks like now after football. Plus, Noam Yaacov is in Salt Lake City, and Utah football hosting another big group of official visitors this weekend.

Josh Furlong joins the Utah Blockcast to react to the Brendan Sorsby news and help explain Utah’s finalized Otro Capital partnership and the launch of Crimson Brand Partners in plain English. We break down what the deal actually is, why Utah pursued it, how it could impact football and men’s basketball, and what questions still remain as college athletics continues moving toward a more professional business model.

Ben Portnoy of Sports Business Journal joins the show to break down the business side of college athletics’ new era, from Utah’s private capital partnership with Otro to the Big 12’s revenue race, House settlement fallout, and the Brendan Sorsby injunction. Plus, a look at what these changes mean for Utah’s future positioning in a rapidly changing college sports landscape.

Breaking down the latest on Noam Yaacov’s path to joining the Runnin’ Utes, what Utah’s potential apparel move could look like from timeline to design priorities, and how football recruiting momentum is building after the commitments of Aiden Martin and Dillon Sykes ahead of another big official visit weekend.

Utah football continues to build momentum through official visit season. This episode breaks down what that means and how Utah helped itself during its second OV weekend. Then, what Devon Dampier and the passing attack need to become from a numbers perspective, what might the receiver production look like this season. Lastly, a thought on Cody Campbell looking awfully hypocritical after the Brendan Sorsby injunction.

In this episode, Morgan Scalley reflects on when he first fell in love with the University of Utah, what he learned as a player and coach, how his approach has changed since becoming head coach, and what he wants Utah football to represent moving forward. The conversation also dives into culture, RSNB, recruiting, leadership, Devon Dampier, year-one expectations and the future of the program.

Timestamps:

0:00 — Welcome to the show

1:00 — Morgan Scalley joins the Utah Blockcast

2:00 — When Scalley first fell in love with the University of Utah

3:00 — When did coaching first became part of his future

5:00 — What his players have taught him over the years

7:00 — What has changed since becoming Utah’s head coach

8:30 — Year-one expectations and goals for the 2026 season

11:30 — Turning culture into more than just a slogan

13:30 — What recruits and families need to understand about Utah

15:00 — What Scalley wants opponents to feel when they play Utah

16:00 — How RSNB shows up in his coaching and game-day philosophy

18:00 — What made past Utah leaders like Devin Lloyd, Chase Hansen, Julian Blackmon and Hunter Dimick special

20:00 — Devon Dampier’s leadership and growth at quarterback

22:00 — What Scalley wants fans, recruits and former players to believe about Utah’s future

25:00 — Final message to Utah fans

Utah athletics is entering a new era, and this episode looks at both sides of that reality. Steve opens with the latest on Utah’s private equity deal and why financial pressure across college athletics makes the move feel less like a luxury and more like a necessity.

Then, the focus shifts to Utah football’s official visit weekend, the key recruits in town, and which prospects feel most realistic to commit as Morgan Scalley’s first full recruiting cycle begins to take shape.

ESPN’s latest quarterback tier rankings put Devon Dampier in an interesting spot entering 2026: respected, proven and clearly viewed as one of the better quarterbacks in the Big 12 — but still with another level to reach.

Then, Eric Lilly joins the show for a Cincinnati post-spring check-in. The conversation digs into the Bearcats’ offseason progress, the state of the quarterback room, offensive identity, defensive questions and where Cincinnati fits in a wide-open Big 12 race.

Iowa State is entering one of the more interesting post-spring periods in the Big 12. The Cyclones are moving into a new era under Jimmy Rogers after Matt Campbell’s departure. Joining the show on this one is Alec Busse, who covers Iowa State for Cyclone Alert and 247Sports. 

7:00 - What feels most different about the Cyclones now under Jimmy Rogers?
9:45 - What are the defining characteristics of Rogers program? 
13:00 - Jaylen Raynor feels like the presumed QB1, how does he compare to Rocco Becht?
16:00 - Does tight end remain a focal point? Who is standing out in the new receiver room? 
22:30 - Does the O-line provide indicators of a fast the rebuild?
27:30 - Defensively, what feels most settled, what are the strengths? 
31:00 - Utah travels to Ames, what should fans making the trip expect? 
35:30 - Assessing TJ Otzelberger's offseason and other basketball thoughts. 

It’s a Monday Mailbag edition of the Utah Blockcast, and we’re covering everything from $9 Taco Bell orders, Feldman’s slander, Crown Burger vs. In-N-Out, MJ vs. LeBron, Father’s Day meals, and the Drake/Kendrick debate.

Then we briefly touch on things like the PE deal, Huntsman Center renovation, Olympic facility questions, before diving into football & basketball questions like Devon Dampier’s Heisman case, fall camp position concerns, secondary depth, run defense, and how Kevin McGiven’s offense may compare to Jason Beck’s.

Plus, we close the show with an interview with Utah’s newest commit, Jonah Mailei.

This episode opens with a busy stretch of Utah news, starting with the Utes landing a commitment from 2027 Skyline running back Jonah Mailei, the first running back pledge in Utah’s 2027 class. We also talk through the latest with Noam Yaacov, whose strong showing at the NBA G League Combine has created a more complicated — but not unexpected — waiting game for Utah basketball as NBA interest grows.

Then, SunDevilSource.com publisher Chris Karpman joins the show for a Big 12 insider conversation. We get his view on Arizona State’s rise under Kenny Dillingham, how sustainable the Sun Devils’ momentum is, what the rest of the league should expect from ASU going forward, and where Utah fits in the Big 12 picture under Morgan Scalley. It’s a broader look at a league still trying to sort out its hierarchy — and what Utah has to prove as it enters a new era.

This episode heads to Morgantown for a closer look at one of the Big 12’s most interesting reset programs. Mike J. Asti joins the show to break down West Virginia football entering Year 2 of Rich Rodriguez’s return, including the quarterback picture, the identity of the offense, and what the Mountaineers need to prove in 2026.

Jason Scheer of Wildcat Authority joins the show to break down Arizona football’s 2026 outlook, including Noah Fifita, Brent Brennan, the Wildcats’ Big 12 ceiling and the November matchup with Utah. Then, 247Sports national recruiting editor Brandon Huffman joins for a deep dive into Utah football recruiting, regional battles, key targets and how the Utes are building under Morgan Scalley.