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Utah Football
After losing 1,000 yard rusher Micah Bernard to graduation, the University of Utah overhauled their running backs room. New Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck opted for a change in coaching, replacing Quinton Ganther with Mark Atuaia, but it didn’t end there. Depth pieces Jaylon Glover and Dijon Stanley both transferred out after they weren’t highly utilized in 2024. Promising freshman Mike Mitchell, who battled through injuries most of 2024, transferred out in response to Utah landing transfer portal prize, Wayshawn Parker.
Utah had hoped that Parker and Mitchell would form a potent duo, but Mitchell chose for a fresh start at Arizona. Therefore, as nice of an addition as Parker was, questions remain after him for spring camp.
Let’s take a look at the running backs.
Projected Starter
Wayshawn Parker
Sophomore, 5-foot-10 and 206 pounds
The Washington State transfer ran the ball 137 times for 735 yards and four touchdowns in a pass-happy offense. He also caught 11 passes for 108 yards and a score. Once Parker entered the transfer portal, he was one of the top backs on the market, but ultimately elected to follow his former Washington State running backs coach, Atuaia, to Utah.
Parker is a bruising back who is difficult to take down and hopes will be high as he’s expected to lead the backfield and form a dangerous one-two punch with quarterback Devon Dampier. With both of their abilities to run the ball, defenses should be kept on their toes.
The Backups
Naquari Rogers
Senior, 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds
Rogers’ familiarity to Beck’s system, as well as his rapport with Dampier, is a positive for Utah’s revamped backfield. As a sophomore at New Mexico, Rogers averaged 5.2 yards per carry on 74 rushes. He wasn’t featured much in the passing game, but he has that skillset from his freshman and sophomore seasons at Campbell with 25 total receptions.
Devin Green
Sophomore, 5-foot-11 and 202 pounds
Parker’s high school teammate didn’t play much in his freshman year at UNLV, but when he did, he was effective. Green rushed for 124 yards on 29 carries. He’s a big back at 6-foot and 210 pounds, so the potential is there for Atuaia to mold.
Daniel Bray
Freshman, 5-foot-10 and 171 pounds
Bray needs time to pack on weight to his frame, but he could still carve out a role in the 2025 offense. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry as a senior and he also ran for over 1,359 yards and 22 during his junior year at North Crowley HS in Texas. What makes Bray special is his speed. He ran a 10.38 second 100-meter dash in high school.
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