2025 was an eventful year for Utah Athletics.
Kyle Whittingham’s decision to step down as Utah’s coach after 21 years, then ending up as the head coach at Michigan a week later certainly tops the list, but the other nine stories were also noteworthy.
Coaching comings and goings were a major theme, from Whittingham stepping down and longtime volleyball coach Beth Launiere retiring to Utah hiring Morgan Scalley as its new football coach and Alex Jensen as its new men’s basketball coach.
Of course, the Top 10 wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Utah Athletics nearing a landmark private equity deal, which broke the seal on private equity investment in college athletics.
Here is the Deseret News’ look at the 10 biggest University of Utah sports stories of 2025.
Kyle Whittingham steps down and takes Michigan job; Utah hires Morgan Scalley as head coach
By far the biggest story of the year in Utah sports was Kyle Whittingham stepping down from Utah after a 21-year run as head coach. A day later, Morgan Scalley — the program’s longtime coach-in-waiting, was announced as the program’s new head coach.
A week later, Whittingham accepted the head coaching job at Michigan — his first job outside of the state of Utah since 1993.
The coach-in-waiting plan was originally made for there to be a smooth transition from Whittingham to his successor, Scalley. When Whittingham took the Michigan job, all bets were off.
Whittingham, of course, wanted the trusted coaches he has been around to go with him to Michigan, and the money — and allure of coaching for one of college football’s premier programs — was too much for most to pass up.
In all, Whittingham took six coaches with him to Ann Arbor — offensive coordinator Jason Beck, offensive line coach Jim Harding, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, receivers coach Micah Simon, quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr. and defensive ends coach Lewis Powell.
Even longtime strength and conditioning coach Doug Elisaia made the move to Michigan with Whittingham.
The coach departures threw a wrench into Utah’s hope for continuity under Scalley, and as a result, there will be five new coaches on staff next year.
Whittingham was supposed to coach the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska to finish off his Utah career, but after taking the Michigan job, Scalley’s debut was moved up.
Scalley won his head coaching debut, 44-22, to kick off a new era for Utah football.
Utah Athletics nears deal with private equity
While Whittingham’s decision ranks No. 1, Utah’s private equity deal has a claim for the top spot, and could have wide-ranging effects for the future of college sports.
Other schools — and conferences — have discussed private equity partnerships, but Utah was the first school to rip the band-aid off. More schools are likely to follow.
Though the agreement still needs to be finalized, which University of Utah president Taylor Randall says will happen in early 2026, the partnership between the university and private equity firm Otro Capital is set to generate at least $500 million for the Utah athletic department, per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
Utah created a new entity, Utah Brands & Entertainment, which will oversee revenue sources, including trademark licensing, event-related revenues, sponsorships, ticketing and more.
Utah’s athletic department has the majority of seats on the new Utah Brands & Entertainment board, and Utah Athletics will solely control the hiring and firing of coaches, scholarship management, player management, revenue-sharing membership and compliance.
The infusion of cash comes at a time where athletic departments are in need of money. Schools are now dishing out $20.5 million to athletes per year, with that cap rising over time.
Alex Jensen hired to coach alma mater
Alex Jensen, then a Utah Jazz assistant, was on the shortlist when the Utah men’s basketball job opened up in 2021, but he withdrew his name from consideration.
When the job opened again in 2025 following Crag Smith’s firing, the timing was right.
Jensen was named the program’s 17th head coach, drawing widespread approval from fans. The former Jazz and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach has a tough road ahead of him — Utah hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since 2016 — but Utah’s administration feels that he is the right man for the job.
Jensen, who starred at Utah in its 1998 runner-up season, brings over a decade of NBA experience to the job. He was integral in the development of former Jazz star Rudy Gobert, and Utah believes in his ability to develop players.
Utah has a completely new roster and the rebuild will require patience from Ute fans. Utah is off to an 8-6 start, but faces a daunting Big 12 schedule. The Utes won’t be favored in many Big 12 games, and started conference play with a 97-78 loss to No. 1 Arizona.
Utah football wins 11 games, but falls short of Big 12 title
After a 5-7 season a year ago that was marred by injuries, the 2025 season — Utah’s second in the Big 12 Conference — was necessary to get the program back on track.
Whittingham decided to come back for what would turn out to be his final season at Utah.
“I couldn’t stomach going out on that, with that season, as frustrating as it was, and as discouraging as it was,” Whittingham said at Big 12 media days this July.
“It just didn’t sit well with anybody, but most of all me and so I thought, ‘Hey, that’s not going to be the final act of my deal. I got to come back and try to get the ship right and get back on track.”
After an offensive revamp — more on that below — Whittingham made good on his promise to “right the ship.”
The Utes won 11 games — just the fourth time in school history Utah has won 11 or more games in a season — and capped off the season with their first bowl win since 2017 in Scalley’s head coaching debut.
Two losses to Top 15 teams Texas Tech and BYU prevented the Utes from reaching the Big 12 championship game, so the team’s ultimate goals were not realized, but an 11-2 season is still successful, no matter how you slice it.
Utah ski team wins 17th national championship
Another year, another national championship for the Utah ski team.
Utah claimed its fourth national championship in five years, finishing strong on the final day of nationals.
Joe Davies finished the men’s 20K freestyle with a time of 43:33.9, over a minute ahead of second-place John Steel Hagenbuch of Dartmouth (44:44.1), to help boost the Utes to a 56-point lead ahead of the women’s 20K freestyle.
Behind a second-place performance by Erica Laven, who finished the race in 50:49.6, a fifth-place finish by Selma Nevin (51:30.6) and a 19th-place finish by Celine Mayer (53:51.5), the women’s team put up 78 points to finish first in the event and bring home the NCAA championship.
After a narrow loss to Colorado in the 2024 championship, the Utes were back on top in 2025.
Utah hires Jason Beck and offensive revamp takes center stage
Utah’s offense was not only fun to watch after a dreadful 2024 season, but it was one of the most productive offenses in the entire country.
Offensive coordinator Jason Beck, running back Wayshawn Parker, quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin and a veteran offensive line, among others, transformed Utah’s offense in 2025.
The Utes finished the season ranked No. 4 in the country in both scoring offense (41.2 points per game) and total offense (482.9 yards per game). Beck leaned on the offensive line and Utah’s running backs to power the Utes to the second-best rushing offense in the country, which averaged 266.3 yards per game.
Utah set two school records in 2025 — rushing yards in a season (3,462) and rushing touchdowns in a season (41).
Beck was creative, using cornerback Smith Snowden and linebacker Lander Barton on offense early on, but played to Utah’s strength, which was rushing the ball.
The offense wasn’t perfect, as evidenced by showings against the Red Raiders and Cougars, but it was a massive upgrade for the Utes. Beck would be just a one-year rental for Utah, as he followed Whittingham to Michigan after the Las Vegas Bowl.
Dampier, the Big 12’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year, played injured in some of Utah’s games but still guided the Utes to offensive success.
Dampier threw for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns with five interceptions on 63.75% accuracy in 2025. He also rushed for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns.
With a month off from games in the lead-up to the Las Vegas Bowl, Dampier had time to heal, and it showed in a 44-22 win over Nebraska. Dampier threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 148 yards and three scores in his best performance of the season.
After a “running back by committee approach” to begin the year, Parker established himself as RB1, rushing for 981 yards and six touchdowns.
The Utes’ attack was powered by an offensive line that featured three seniors and two NFL draft picks in Caleb Lomu and Spencer Fano, who won the Outland Trophy and was a unanimous first-team All-American.
Beck was at Utah for just one year, but he made a big impact and breathed new life into the Utes’ offense.
Utah gymnastics finishes fourth at nationals
The Red Rocks qualified for their 49th consecutive appearance at the NCAA gymnastics national championships in 2025, continuing an astonishing streak as the only program to appear in every national championship.
While that impressive streak lived on, so did another one for the Red Rocks, who haven’t won a national title since 1995.
Utah finished in fourth place, behind Oklahoma, UCLA and Missouri. While the Red Rocks came up short of their ultimate goal, it was still another season among the nation’s best.
Freshman Avery Neff was the standout gymnast for the Red Rocks in 2025 while fighting through injury, earning All-American and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors. During the regional semifinals, she earned an all-around win.
Utah women’s basketball makes NCAA tournament amid sudden coaching change
Gavin Petersen was given the reins of the Utah women’s basketball program just four games into the season after Lynne Roberts left to become head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
Despite the sudden change, Petersen steadied the ship and finished 22-9 as Utah made the NCAA tournament for the fourth year in a row.
Though the Utes lost in the first round to Indiana, Petersen handled a difficult situation well and proved why he was the right choice to lead Utah.
This season, the Utes are off to an 11-4 start, including an 87-77 overtime win over No. 8 TCU on Saturday.
Utah announces it is likely to move to new arena from Huntsman Center
In March, Utah’s board of trustees voted unanimously to allow campus leaders to explore alternative sites for the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
The historic arena, which hosted the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird national championship in 1979 and Utah athletics events since 1969, will likely soon be gone.
“We have evaluated the most strategic approach to the future of the Huntsman Center, and it is exciting now to see clarity within President Randall’s comprehensive vision to create College Town Magic on our fantastic campus,” said Utah Athletics director Mark Harlan.
“This unprecedented project will positively impact future generations of U students, and today’s announcement is simply the start of a process that will include an even brighter future for our athletics facilities as a key piece of this plan, including the relocation of the Huntsman Center.”
University of Utah president Taylor Randall announced plans for a renovation of Utah’s campus, which would require “relocating” the Huntsman Center — a.k.a. building a new arena.
“I want to make it clear that we have not decided where the new arena should go,” said Randall. “We need to study the economics, the location, the parking, the access and events will continue at our current Huntsman Center until a new arena is constructed.”
Beth Launiere retires after 36 years as coach of Utah volleyball
Whittingham wasn’t the only longtime Utah coach to leave the school in 2025. Longtime volleyball coach Beth Launiere announced her retirement after 36 years at Utah.
Launiere shaped Utah’s volleyball program, leading the Utes to 689 wins and 20 NCAA tournament appearances. The Utes won six Mountain West titles and advanced to the Sweet 16 four times, most recently in 2019.
The three-time Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year awards and 2019 Pac-12 Coach of the Year produced 16 All-Americans.
In her final season, Launiere and the Utes made the NCAA Tournament, finishing the season with a 15-15 record with wins over No. 23 BYU and No. 13 Kansas before losing to the University of Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAAs.
“After 36 years as the head volleyball coach at the University of Utah, I have made the difficult decision to announce my retirement,” Launiere said in a school press release.
“While it is not easy to walk away from a lifetime’s work, I am ready and excited to begin the next chapter of my life. Thank you to the hundreds of players whom I have had the privilege to coach, and the many assistant coaches, support staff and administrators who were my daily collaborators to build this program into what it is today.
“I will miss the daily interactions, but I know our relationships will last a lifetime. It has been an honor to represent one of the greatest universities in the country. I will forever love Utah and will always be a Ute!”