Month: March 2025

This article was first published in the Ute Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Wednesday night.

When Mark Atuaia was hired as Utah’s running backs coach last December, there was an inkling of what was to follow, but it wasn’t a sure thing yet.

“Truth be told, I love football. I could have done a whole bunch of other things, but at the end of the day, it was football that woke me up in the morning.”

Utah RBs coach Mark Atuaia

In Atuaia, Utah was getting an experienced running backs coach with more than a decade of experience, coaching the position at BYU, Virginia and most recently, Washington State.

Advertisement

Immediately after the hire, Utah fans started to wonder if Washington State running back Wayshawn Parker might follow his coach to Salt Lake City, giving a boost to a running backs room that lost every scholarship player who carried the ball.

As a true freshman, Parker had 137 carries for 735 yards and four scores, including a 149-yard, two-touchdown performance against Utah State. When he hit the transfer portal, he was a hot commodity — 247Sports ranked him as the No. 3 transfer running back — and he had his share of offers, including offers from USC, Tennessee and Ole Miss, among others.

The relationship with Atuaia, along with a wide-open running backs room, helped sell Utah to him.

“It’s like a father-son type thing. I go to his house, just sit there and just chill with him. I got the bond with his children and his wife and it’s just a very good bond,” Parker said of Atuaia.

Advertisement

The gregarious Atuaia is known for his positive energy, active social media presence and “Freestyle Fridays” series that features him rapping. That energy translates to the practice field and beyond — he was one of the most vocal coaches during the media portion of the team’s Tuesday practice.

“Truth be told, I love football. I could have done a whole bunch of other things, but at the end of the day, it was football that woke me up in the morning, got me excited, and until that fire dies out in this profession for me, that’s when you’ll see me head off and do something else,” Atuaia said. “But that’s burning bright and it’s burning strong and I love what I do. I love getting up every morning and being with great men like I am with right now.”

Atuaia said one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is being able to build relationships with players and affect their lives for good, and that connection he forged with Parker from recruiting him in high school to coaching him through his first collegiate season proved to be strong enough for Parker to want to come to Utah.

“One thing that’s overlooked, I think, in this new day and age of college football, is our relationships, and I relied heavily on that during the recruiting process for him,” Atuaia said. “I had a year with him and a year to prove myself to him and his family and to earn their trust. So it was that essentially that brought him over here.”

Advertisement

Parker is the projected starter in the backfield for the Utes next season, though no one is handing him the job — he has to earn it every day in practice.

“Wayshawn Parker’s got the inside track on that, but by no means is that settled,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said of the starting running back position.

In Tuesday’s media viewing window, it was Parker who assumed the lead running back role. Though the defense wasn’t allowed to tackle him, making it hard to get a full read on the situation, he had some powerful runs where he decisively hit the hole and ran for first downs.

The offensive line stood out during Tuesday’s session, and Parker is excited to run behind a line that returns all five starters from a season ago.

Advertisement

“I feel wonderful (about the offensive line). I know I got Spencer (Fano) and then the whole returning line is great,” Parker said.

Though not cemented as the starter yet, Parker is taking the opportunity to lean into a leadership role in the room during spring practice.

“I mean, it felt great to be a leader for this first time. I know I’m a sophomore, but it just felt great to … help them out and they help me out,” Parker said.

Helping Parker in the backfield will be former New Mexico transfer quarterback Devon Dampier, who proved his dual-threat ability a season ago with the Lobos, rushing for 1,166 yards and 19 touchdowns. The threat of Dampier running, which defenses have to account for, could make things a little bit easier for Parker and the running backs.

Advertisement

“It frees it up because he’s a triple-threat. He can run, pass, and he can pitch it out to me. It just opens up everything for everybody,” Parker said.

“I mean, it felt great to be a leader for this first time. I know I’m a sophomore, but it just felt great to … help them out and they help me out.”

Utah running back Wayshawn Parker

Last season, Parker and the Cougars faced off against Dampier and the Lobos as New Mexico upset then-No. 18 Washington State. Dampier had 174 yards and a touchdown through the air and 193 yards and three scores on the ground in the 38-35 win.

After that experience, Parker is glad to be on the same team.

“Oh, he doing very well. I mean, I played against him when it was Washington State against New Mexico. He killed us. It’s good to be on his side and see how he plays,” Parker said.

Advertisement

As for his individual goals this season, Parker hopes to follow in Micah Bernard’s footsteps and break the 1,000-yard mark this season.

“Just really touching 1,000. I want to touch that thousand and just make all the coaches, NFL coaches look at me and see like, oh yeah, I want that guy for sure,” Parker said.

In case you missed it

Utah hired Sacramento Kings assistant general manager Wes Wilcox to become the men basketball program’s new general manager. Here’s what he brings to the role.

From the archives

Extra points

• Alex Jensen has made his first hire. Why it’s a timely announcement (Deseret News)

• Here’s how former Utes performed at Big 12 Pro Days (Deseret News)

• Utah football gets a QB commit from the brother of an incoming Ute (Deseret News)

Meta, X, and Snap are celebrating a new Utah law that will require Apple and Google to take responsibility for verifying users’ ages on their app stores and obtain parental consent for minors.

The tech giants have been battling to determine which party should be responsible for age verification on the app stores. Companies like Meta believe the app stores themselves should verify users’ ages because these entities host and distribute the apps. The app stores, however, argue that companies making the apps should bear the responsibility as they’re the ones offering the product to end users.

Utah isn’t the only state considering some such legislation around age verification; it is the first to enact a law of this kind. The App Store Accountability Act, as the new law is called, was passed by Utah’s legislature earlier this month, then headed to Gov. Spencer Cox’s desk for a signature to make it official.

Ahead of the law’s passing, Apple announced a new set of child safety initiatives for its App Store, which include an age-checking system for apps. Its implementation would allow app developers to use a new Declared Age Range API to access age range information provided by the parent. This information doesn’t provide the app developer with the minor’s exact age or birthdate, but allows them to customize their app experiences appropriately based on the age range provided.

Apple’s system requires the app developers to do the work of requesting the age range before an app is used, rather than the App Store verifying the age at the time of download.

Not surprisingly, social media companies are thrilled the new Utah law would require app stores to verify users’ ages before apps can be downloaded onto their devices.

In a joint statement, Meta, X, and Snap praised Utah’s move, saying:

We applaud Governor Cox and the State of Utah for being the first in the nation to empower parents and users with greater control over teen app downloads, and urge other states to consider this groundbreaking approach. Parents want a one-stop-shop to oversee and approve the many apps their teens want to download, and Utah has led the way in centralizing it within a device’s app store. This approach spares users from repeatedly submitting personal information to countless individual apps and online services. We are committed to safeguarding parents and teens, and look forward to seeing more states adopt this model.

In total, 16 U.S. states, including California and Texas, have introduced their own versions of app store legislation focused on age verification and youth safety.

The Utah Hockey Club has recalled forward Kailer Yamamoto from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL.

Yamamoto, 26, has been a standout for Tucson this season, leading the team with 51 points (21 goals, 31 assists) in 51 games. He previously played three games for Utah in October 2024 but did not register a point and finished with a -1 rating.

Dylan Guenther Records 100th Career NHL Point Utah Hockey Club forward Dylan Guenther recorded his 100th career NHL point last night against the Detroit Red Wings.

Advertisement

Since being sent down, Yamamoto has proven himself as a strong depth scorer in the AHL, earning this call-up at a crucial time. With Utah in the thick of the Western Conference wild card race, adding a productive forward could provide a needed boost.

A former first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers, Yamamoto has also spent time with the Seattle Kraken before joining Utah. In 306 NHL games, he has recorded 58 goals and 76 assists for 134 points.

Now, he’ll look to build on his strong AHL season and help Utah push for a playoff spot down the stretch.

Andre Tourigny Among Many Supporting Ryan Smith and the New Utah Ownership On Monday, March 17,

Advertisement

James Mirtle of the Athletic put out an article ranking every NHL owner from 1-32, based on surveyed responses from over 4000 readers, including fans of every NHL team.

Utah HC Drops UtahHC+ Service To $1 For Rest Of The Season Utah Hockey Club owner Ryan Smith loves his fans, and it shows after the announcement made today.

Utah Hockey Club Files Trademark Hinting At Possible Team Name According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Uyte LLC—the same company that filed previous trademarks for the Utah Hockey Club—has now filed a trademark for the nickname “Mammoth.”

The top government employees at the Utah Capitol earn more than their counterparts in some of the country’s most populous states, according to publicly available salary information.

The chiefs of staff for the Utah Governor’s Office, Utah Senate and Utah House all made over $300,000 in 2024, with each position receiving a 40% raise over the previous two or three years, according to data that is accessible through the Utah state auditor’s Transparent Utah website.

Legislative leadership said the salaries and raises are justified because Utah’s part-time Legislature and its relatively small number of legislative staff require the people in full-time positions to cover a variety of responsibilities, making the jobs demanding and difficult to fill in the state’s tight labor market.

Here’s what the governor’s top staff makes

Jon Pierpont, who Gov. Spencer Cox brought on as chief of staff in 2021, received a salary of nearly $338,000 in 2024, not including benefits, which add nearly $123,600 to last year’s total.

Cox earned just over $182,200 that same year, with an additional $62,800 in benefits. It is not unusual for a governor’s chief of staff to make more than a governor. This was the case in most of the states reviewed by the Deseret News.

Similar chief-of-staff positions for governors in other states with easily accessible government employee data all made less:

1. Utah: $337,986 (2024)

2. Texas: $335,710 (2025)

3. Connecticut: $240,710 (2025)

4. Indiana: $220,000 (2024)

5. New York: $214,322 (2023)

6. Ohio: $212,991 (2024)

7. Florida: $205,486 (2025)

8. Idaho: $189,509 (2025)*

9. Massachusetts: $185,285 (2024)

*Estimate based on hourly rate.

Of these states, Utah has one of the smallest populations, at 3.5 million, compared to 31.3 million in Texas, 23.4 million in Florida, 19.9 million in New York, 11.9 million in Ohio, 7.1 million in Massachusetts, 6.9 million in Indiana, 3.7 million in Connecticut and 2 million in Idaho.

“The context matters: He not only leads the Governor’s Office as Chief of Staff, but also serves as Chief Operating Officer over 20 state agencies and 22,000 employees — overseeing a budget and workforce larger than those managed by most tech CEOs,” said Rob Carroll, senior adviser for communications to Cox, in a statement.

Utah state executive offices are each headed by a director, a commissioner or board members who report to Pierpont. Most of these leaders belong to Cox’s Cabinet and earn between $200,000-250,000 a year.

Before joining the Governor’s Office, Pierpont, who attended the University of Utah, worked as the executive director of Utah’s Department of Workforce Services for eight years under former Gov. Gary Herbert.

Pierpont’s annual salary doubled during his first year as chief of staff from $120,574 in 2021 to $242,572 in 2022, before increasing by $50,000 in 2023 and $40,000 in 2024, constituting a nearly 40% raise over those two years.

Here’s what lawmakers’ top staff make

The chiefs of staff in Utah’s state House and Senate have also seen regular salary increases. While the Legislature appropriates funding for government agencies, each office determines employee salaries. The Senate president and House speaker determine the salary of their respective chief of staff.

Senate chief of staff Mark Thomas’ salary has increased from just under $148,000 in 2019 to more than $314,200 in 2024, including a 20.5% raise from 2023 to 2024. These totals do not include benefits which made up another $117,300 in 2024.

Here’s how that salary compares to similar positions in other states:

1. Texas: $335,000 (2024)

2. Utah: $314,226 (2024)

3. Indiana: $235,242 (2024)

4. Connecticut: $226,425 (2025)

5. Florida: $213,216 (2025)

6. Ohio: $211,312 (2024)

7. Massachusetts: $187,537 (2024)

8. New York: $175,994 (2023)

9. Idaho: $101,234 (2025)*

*Estimate based on hourly rate.

Utah’s Senate chief of staff oversees all Senate employees and works with legislative leadership to “manage the day-to-day operations of the Senate” and to coordinate with the House and Governor’s Office, according to a statement from the state Senate majority.

Thomas, who studied political science at the University of Utah, came to his Senate position from the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, where he served as the state’s elections director under then-Lt. Gov. Cox.

Likewise, over the past four years, House chief of staff Abby Osborne’s salary has increased from around $183,800 in 2020 to nearly $315,200 in 2024, with a 15% raise from the previous year. This does not include the $104,800 she also received in benefits.

Here’s how that salary compares to similar positions in other states:

1. Utah: $315,194 (2024)

2. Texas: $250,000 (2025)

3. Connecticut: $219,115 (2025)

4. Florida: $205,008 (2025)

5. Ohio: $193,059 (2024)

6. New York: $184,886 (2023)

7. Indiana: $183,534 (2024)

8. Massachusetts: $174,983 (2024)

9. Idaho: $103,896 (2025)*

*Estimate based on hourly rate.

Osborne, who studied business management at Montana Technological University, previously worked as the senior vice president of public policy and government relations for the Salt Lake Chamber.

While it comes out near the top in terms of chief of staff salaries, Utah has a shorter legislative session than any of the other states.

In 2025, Utah’s first-in-the-nation session was 45 days long. Meanwhile, Florida’s will be 60 days, Idaho’s will be 95 days, Indiana’s will be 112, Texas’ will be 140, Connecticut’s will be 148 days and Ohio’s, Massachusetts’ and New York’s are year-round.

As a part-time citizen legislature, Utah employs fewer full-time staff than most states, potentially putting more responsibility on the chiefs of staff to handle a greater variety of jobs and to manage some of the workload of the Senate president and House speaker during the interim.

Here are the nine states considered above, ranked by the number of full-time legislative staff in 2021, with the number of part-time employees hired during the session in parenthesis:

1. New York: 2,850 (88)

2. Texas: 1,619 (299)

3. Florida: 1,448 (103)

4. Massachusetts: 791 (0)

5. Ohio: 436 (0)

6. Connecticut: 427 (70)

7. Indiana: 270 (38)

8. Utah: 165 (74)

9. Idaho: 89 (124)

For fiscal year 2021, Utah spent less on legislative branch expenditures than 41 other states, ranking fifth in the country when comparing legislative costs to Utah’s overall budget, according to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Since 2004, Utah’s population has increased by 45% but the number of state employees has increased by just 7%, according to the Governor’s Office.

Legislative leadership react

A joint statement from Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, said that as one of the fastest-growing and best-run states in the nation, Utah requires “the hard work, expertise and dedication of highly qualified public servants.”

“Staff who manage operations, advise decision-makers and oversee a wide range of urgent, sensitive and complex issues are indispensable,” the statement said. “Utah’s part-time legislature is backed by a full-time staff, creating an efficient structure that enables lawmakers to concentrate on serving the public while relying on a dedicated team to provide ongoing support. This requires long hours and high levels of dedication. That’s why it’s not just important but essential to have the right people in key positions.”

Utah’s citizen Legislature pays part-time lawmakers $293.55 per day for all authorized legislative days, for a total of $13,200 delivered as a lump sum payment before the beginning of the session, according to a 2024 report.

Lawmakers may receive reimbursements for travel, meals and lodging and are also entitled to retirement benefits and a health care insurance package. Legislative leadership also receive a bonus of $3,000-5,000 a session depending on their position, with the average legislator making nearly $37,200 a session.

Schultz and Adams in their statement said that the compensation appropriated for their top aides is “comparable with wages for city, county and state level executive employees.”

“We deeply value the contributions of all our state employees, and we believe that investing in top-tier talent is critical to safeguarding Utah’s long-term success and ensuring the sustainability of our government,” the statement said.

In the upcoming year, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall is estimated to make just under $189,300, while her chief of staff, Rachel Otto, will make over $231,000, not including benefits.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson made just over $191,600 in 2024, while her chief of staff, Andrew Roberts, made over $151,400. Meanwhile, Provo City Mayor Michelle Kaufusi made $145,000 and her deputy, Isaac Paxman, made just over $149,300.

Keeping up in a competitive market

Last month, Senate Budget Chairman Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, said that lawmakers approve higher salaries for their staff “to keep everyone up into what we call ‘market.‘”

Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, defended the salaries Utah pays. Top legislative aides are “very unique positions,” she said.

Adams said it comes down to supply and demand. It is hard to hire qualified attorneys in Utah’s tight labor market, Adams said, suggesting that salary surveys had showed a need for raises.

“We’ve either got to pay our people competitively or we’re not going to have people. And that’s probably the bottom line,” Adams said.

In several analyses, Utah ranks around the middle of the pack in terms of cost of living, with Forbes naming it the 20th most expensive place to live in the country, U.S News & World Report naming it No. 25 and World Population Review putting it at No. 17.

On housing affordability, however, Utah ranks among the very worst. World Population Review places the state sixth highest on a scale of median home value, and ATTOM data puts it at No. 7, with a median home price of over $550,000.

Utah is tied in seventh place for lowest unemployment rate in the country.

With just two days to go until Utah’s governor either signs or vetos a controversial bill that would ban the Pride Flag from government buildings in the state, the chances of Sundance staying in the Beehive State aren’t looking good.

At least according to Park City’s Mayor.

More from Deadline

“Deputy City Manager Sarah Pearce and I have worked closely for a year now, one year now, with Jennifer Wesselhoff at the Park City Chamber, the mayors and staff of Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, state elected officials and other stakeholders to reimagine a Sundance Film Festival in Utah that combines the magic of Park City with the affordability of the Salt Lake area,” Nann Worel said late Tuesday in her annual state of the Park City speech. Along with Gov. Spencer Cox, Utah Film Commissioner Virginia Pearce and the other officials Worel mentioned, the Park City leader has been a big advocate for the multi-million dollar United Utah effort that would see the state capitol become Sundance’s hub and Park City become the satellite screening venue in 2027.

But larger political winds may have blown that plan away.

“Unfortunately, a recent bill passed by the Utah legislature and comments made by some legislature have not been helpful in our bid to keep the festival here,” the retiring resort town mayor told local luminaries this evening of the bill designed to ban LGBTQ+ flags and banners on public buildings and schools.

Worel’s remarks come as a final decision on Sundance’s future expected very soon, according to what  festival director Eugene Hernandez told Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. on February 22.

After a year of bids, competition and reimagining of a post-Park City Sundance, Utah’s desire to keep the Robert Redford founded fest is up against a very strong and $34 million tax incentive juiced bid from Boulder CO and a resilient effort from Cincinnati, OH. Gov. Cox and the Utah legislature have put over $3.5 million in state funds directly on the table at the last minute to keep the big bucks gross domestic product, tax revenue and employment generating Sundance in the state. Yet, as first Deadline reported on March 12 and apparently has intensified since, the battle to keep Sundance that may already be lost in part because of the anti-Pride flag bill, several sources say.

With undeniable pessimism in her voice, Mayor Worel added Tuesday: “Regardless of the festival’s trajectory, I am proud of Park City’s efforts, and we will continue to support the arts and explore new opportunities. Change is inevitable with the festival, but if the Sundance Institute chooses to leave our state, we will not only survive, we will thrive.”

Trajectory or not, the tender to keep Sundance local once its current contract expires after the 2026 festival faces serious headwinds from the passage earlier this month in the Republican dominated state chambers of House Bill 77, or the Flag Display Amendments. Headwinds so strong that they have likely irrevocably tipped the fine balance that progressive Sundance and primarily Red State Utah have been able to maintain the past 40 years, I’m told.

Even with very vocal opposition to the Rep. Trevor Lee and Sen. Daniel McCay sponsored HB77 from SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall, direct pleas from her and others in the state to the Sundance leadership to remember the history the Robert Redford founded fest and Utah have received a skeptical reaction. The bill is “a slap in the face,” according to a well-positioned source, to the festival’s proclaimed values of being “vibrant, inviting and inclusive.”

However, as much as Gov. Cox says he values Sundance, the 2024 re-elected politician also has a hard deadline of March 27 to either sign the anti-Pride flag bill into law or veto it. If Cox signs it, which smart money says he will, the measure will go into effect in early May. Starting months before the last Park City centric Sundance next year, there will be $500 fine daily for every Pride flag flying from state funded buildings.

Objections to the bill from the ACLU and Equality Utah have also seen longtime anti-Pride flag promoters Rep. Lee and Sen. McCay (who recently said Sundance makes “porn” and “does not fit in Utah anymore” while reposting a Deadline story) make their POV very clear online.

SLC Mayor Mendenhall’s office and Sundance did not respond to request for comment Tuesday. Neither Rep. Lee nor Sen. McCay got back to us about the state of their legislation with Gov. Cox or Mayor Worel’s speech.

Praising the Winter Olympics returning to Utah in 2034, Mayor Nann Worel surprised many in Park City tonight when that she announced she will not be seeking a second term. Worel, the first woman to be Park City’s mayor, will leave office in January 2026 – just before the next and possibly last Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.