Morgan Scalley began his career as a head coach with a resounding 44-22 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl.
Through a storm of uncertainty and changing landscapes, Scalley has steadied the ship, powering the Utes to their first 11-win season since 2019. An emotional year capped with a win gives fans and players plenty of reason to feel confident as they head into 2026.
“The biggest thing I want to emphasize is that there have been so many distractions for these players. And the game is all about them, so they’re the ones who don’t deserve all of the distractions. They worked their tails off. Credit goes to the seniors and the leadership of this football team. I’m so grateful they held it together, and it really was the players holding it together for us,” Scalley said.
One thing that was continuously mentioned by players and coaches throughout the season was the culture surrounding Utah football. While no two coaches are the same, Scalley has made it apparent that he hopes to maintain a culture of hard work and brotherhood in his teams moving forward.
“I think it would have been a lot harder had we not had a great culture already established with players really understanding their role in leading. There is a lot to being a head football coach, especially at a time when the [transfer] portal is about to open. It would be very easy for people to start saying, ‘What about me?’ and to lose focus. I can’t say enough about our players,” Scalley said.
The confidence goes both ways within the program. Players expressed their high levels of trust in their new coach following the win. Scalley not only stepped up when he was announced as the new head coach, but far before the lights were focused on him.
“The way Scalley came in right away was big. We all sat down, and he got up there with confidence. As players, when things change, you don’t really know what’s going to happen. When you know you’re being led by someone who has confidence in himself and also in the program, it lifts us up from the jump,” quarterback Devon Dampier said.
Dampier has become a topic of discussion amongst fans and media outlets throughout the country. The junior from Phoenix, Arizona, has a big decision to make about what team he will play for in the future.
While Dampier hasn’t given any indications of plans to transfer, college football has become a sport in which you can never be certain where a player will end up until the transfer portal window closes.
Schools like Michigan and Arizona State are rumored to have already offered Dampier large sums of money to transfer their way. The fact that Dampier hasn’t entered his name into the transfer portal thus far is good news for Utah. Players have until Jan. 16 to enter their names and choose a new team to play for next season.
When asked what the next couple of weeks look like for him, Dampier made it known that his focus was always on the upcoming game.
“It’s all about this game. That’s what it’s been about. These are the final hours I have with my seniors. They demonstrated leadership to the max, and so I’m grateful for them, and I take my relationships very valuably and seriously,” Dampier said.
Keep an eye on Utah’s players over the course of the next two weeks. The transfer portal has given the Utes bounds of success in the past, and will likely bring in new names and faces for next year.
This is Morgan Scalley’s team now, and his head coaching career is off to a 1-0 start. College football is continuing to change, and the U is confident in the program it has built. Go Utes!
