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When Wayshawn Parker steps on the field, his footwear stands out.
Since October, Parker has been sporting bright-pink cleats — a departure from his usual white cleats, which blend into Utah’s red, white or black uniforms. Parker originally sported the pink cleats during October, which is breast cancer awareness month.
Aside from promoting awareness for cancer, there was another reason that Parker wanted to sport the hot-pink cleats.
“I got it from my niece. My niece, she don’t know where I’m at on the field. She knows No. 1, of course, but what pops out is the pink cleats. That’s what she likes,” Parker said.
As the calendar turned to November, the team went back to its normal red, white or black accessories, but Parker wanted to keep rocking pink. Coach Kyle Whittingham struck a deal with him — if he runs for 100 yards, he gets to keep wearing the cleats.
Since Oct. 25, Parker has been on a tear, rushing for at least 100 yards in his last three games.
As Spike Lee once said in an Air Jordan commercial, “It’s gotta be the shoes.”
While any extra bit of motivation might help, the real reason for Parker’s emergence has been an increased workload. Parker improved his practice habits and showed Utah’s coach that he was the man to get more carries.
Since an eight-carry, 23-yard performance against BYU, Parker has been red-hot. He rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries vs. Colorado, 104 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries vs. Cincinnati, and 129 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries at Baylor — including a 64-yard touchdown run.
He also had a key block in Byrd Ficklin’s third-quarter 74-yard touchdown run that broke open the game for the Utes.
“Seeing him going down the field, knowing that I can make a crucial block, which I did, it just made me happy just to see him go score,” Parker said.
It’s the first time in Parker’s young career that he’s rushed for over 100 yards in three consecutive games. He’s getting closer to his preseason goal of 1,000 yards — he sits at 736 yards with at least three games (two regular season and a bowl game) to go, needing an average of 88 yards per game to get there.
“Hey, I’m having a great time. I mean, from the start of the season to now, it’s been beautiful to be in Utah. Running behind the No. 1 O-line feels great, and with the No. 1 QB also, that just makes my day better.”
— Utah running back Wayshawn Parker
Throughout much of the season, Parker was splitting carries with NaQuari Rogers, but he’s now emerged as Utah’s RB1.
“Wayshawn Parker goes over a hundred yards again and really is continuing to separate himself in the backfield from other guys and doing a good job,” Whittingham said.
Led by Parker, Utah has become one of the nation’s best rushing teams, currently ranking No. 2 in the country with 278.4 rushing yards per game. That’s better than service academies Air Force and Army, which nearly exclusively keep the ball on the ground.
Quarterbacks Devon Dampier (543 yards, five touchdowns) and Byrd Ficklin (442 yards, seven touchdowns) are Utah’s second- and third-leading rushers. Rogers (372 yards, 10 touchdowns) and Daniel Bray (256 yards, one score) have also been a big part of the Utes’ ground game.
With 2,784 total rushing yards thus far, the 2025 Utes are closing in on a school record that has stood since 1984. The 1984 team rushed for 3,263 yards, led by Eddie Johnson’s 1,021 yards. Utah’s 2025 team needs 480 total rushing yards, and if the Utes keep up their 278.4 rushing-yards-per-game pace, they won’t even need a bowl game to break the record.
“I mean, it is great. I didn’t know that, but yeah, it is great having that feeling that we can be the record,” Parker said of potentially breaking the school mark.
Utah’s offensive line has thus far lived up to the high expectations and has helped clear the way for Utah’s running backs.
“I would say as advertised, exactly what we expected and if anything, maybe even better than we expected,” Whittingham said. “We’re second in the nation in rushing the football and that’s a real good indicator of the physicality and the talent level of your front.”
Offensive coordinator Jason Beck knows what the strength of the team is, and he’s tailored his offense accordingly. Utah has rushed the ball on 61% of its plays this season.
Parker, the former Washington State running back who was one of the more coveted running backs in this year’s transfer portal, has blossomed at Utah and is hitting his stride at the right time.
“Hey, I’m having a great time. I mean, from the start of the season to now, it’s been beautiful to be in Utah. Running behind the No. 1 O-line feels great, and with the No. 1 QB also, that just makes my day better,” Parker said.
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Emergence of backup QB Byrd Ficklin is a good thing for the Utes, but it comes with a price