The next piece to reassembling the Utah football coaching staff is in place — and Morgan Scalley is turning to another former Ute.
Former Utah wide receivers coach Chad Bumphis will return to the U. in the same position, after spending the past three years as receivers coach at his alma mater, Mississippi State.
Bumphis spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Utah before moving to SEC country.
“It is awesome to have Chad back in the fold with us,” Scalley said in a statement. “He has an energy and a passion for coaching that our wide receivers are going to love. He is an exceptional recruiter and evaluator, and his ability to teach and develop I have witnessed first-hand.”
During his time at Utah, Bumphis worked with two future NFL players, Devaughn Vele and Britain Covey, as well as a group that included Jaylen Dixon and Money Parks.
In his final season at Utah, the Utes ranked No. 5 in the Pac-12 in both scoring offense (38.6 points per game) and total offense (466.9 yards per game).
In that 2022 season, Vele, a seventh-round NFL draft pick who now plays for the New Orleans Saints, led the Utes with 55 receptions for 695 yards and five touchdowns.
“My wife Nataly, son Ace and I are all fired up to be moving back to Salt Lake City and rejoin the Utah football family,” Bumphis said in a statement.
“I couldn’t be more excited for the direction of the program under the leadership of Coach Scalley! Thank you to Coach Scalley and Coach (Kevin) McGiven for trusting me with a great group of wide receivers to continue developing. I can’t wait to get to work! Go Utes!”
Bumphis also spent a graduate assistant year at Utah in 2018, and his coaching career includes time at Austin Peay, Buffalo and Iowa Wesleyan.