Month: July 2025

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It’s a bit strange to see Micah Simon in red.

The former BYU receiver, one of five former Cougars on the Utes’ staff in 2025, hauled in 90 receptions for 1,109 yards and five touchdowns during his time in Provo from 2015-19.

After stints with the Carolina Panthers and in the CFL , Simon got his start in coaching by working under new Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck as an offensive analyst in 2022 before getting his first full-time gig as Northern Colorado’s wide receivers coach.

“I’ve respected Coach Witt ever since I knew about him. So being able to be under his tutelage and his staff, it’s awesome to me.”

—  Utah receivers coach Micah Simon

Following his time in Greeley, Colorado, Simon linked back up with Beck in Albuquerque, where he coached New Mexico’s wide receivers, who totaled 2,768 yards last year while catching balls from new Ute quarterback Devon Dampier.

When Beck made his move to Salt Lake City, Simon followed shortly behind to the state where he began his college career.

“Obviously playing college down south, definitely a good feeling to be here,” Simon said this spring. “Just being able to be back with Coach Beck again for another year, be back with Coach Atuaia, Uncle Markie as I call him, someone I’ve known for a really, really, really long time.”

After learning from Bronco Mendenhall at New Mexico, Simon will now get the chance to learn from another head coach that got his start in 2005 — Kyle Whittingham.

“I’ve respected Coach Witt ever since I knew about him. So being able to be under his tutelage and his staff, it’s awesome to me,” Simon said.

“Going into my fourth year as a coach and being around all these guys that have so much experience, I kind of pinch myself every day being here and just enjoying the process, enjoying the learning, enjoying the lessons from guys who have done this for 10-plus years. So it’s been awesome.”

There’s no easing into Simon’s first full-time Power Four job — in fact, his receiver group may be the position most under the spotlight in 2025.

“A lot of production that needs to come from these guys, so for sure feeling pressure,” Simon said. “But we’re built for the pressure. We love the pressure and yeah, I’m excited for the group.”

Dorian Singer, Utah’s leading receiver last season, had his petition for another year of eligibility denied by the NCAA. The Utes’ second-leading receiver, Money Parks, graduated, and their fourth-leading receiver, Zacharyus Williams, transferred to USC.

The only player who returns for Utah in 2025 that caught over 100 yards last season is Daidren Zipperer, who came on strong at the end of 2024 and recorded eight catches for 122 yards.

“You lose pretty much every guy who’s caught meaningful passes and scored touchdowns. A lot of yards (lost) from last year to this year,” Simon said.

It’s pretty much a blank slate for Simon and his wide receivers group.

The Utes hit the transfer portal hard, bringing in five new wideouts to replace the departing class from 2024 — Cal’s Tobias Merriweather, Southern Miss’s Larry Simmons, Wyoming’s Justin Stevenson, New Mexico’s Ryan Davis and Mississippi State’s Creed Whittemore.

All five have prior college football experience, but it remains to be seen which one will step up and emerge as Utah’s WR1.

Davis is an easy pick, due to his connection with Dampier. Last season, Davis had a career year with 747 yards and three scores on 54 receptions. He also has the advantage of not having too much of an adjustment period at his new school, due to knowing Beck’s offense and playing with Dampier.

Those factors, along with his age, have led Davis to become a leader in the receiver room.

“I think easy to point out Ryan Davis (as a leader) just because of his experience, his elderly experience,” Simon said. “… But he stands out for sure and I’ve kind of challenged him at that standpoint as well because of our room being so new.”

Merriweather, who had stops at Notre Dame and Cal, was a post-spring portal pickup. He had 284 yards and two touchdowns on 14 receptions in 2023 for the Irish.

He was projected to be Cal’s starting wide receiver, but suffered an injury that kept him out until November. Despite that, the 6-foot-5 receiver still finished the season with 125 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions — a yardage number that would have placed third among Utah’s wide receivers last season.

He could emerge as Utah’s go-to pass-catcher this season.

Simmons, another post-spring transfer, had 27 receptions for 421 yards and a touchdown at Southern Miss, and could earn significant playing time at Utah.

Stevenson comes to Utah from Wyoming, where he caught 17 balls for 204 yards and three touchdowns. He was targeted on deep balls at Wyoming and Utah’s staff is hoping his development continues and he takes a big sophomore step forward.

Whittemore, who could fit into a slot receiver role, played the first four games for the Bulldogs, catching four passes for 65 yards and adding 41 rushing yards, but chose to redshirt before entering the transfer portal.

Luca Caldarella, who has been with the team since 2022, could see some action as well.

“Super excited, super excited. Love the way they have worked throughout spring,” Simon said. “A lot of progress has been made. A long ways still to go. I coach these guys really, really hard. I expect a lot out of ’em, but no, I love the group, I love the group.”

Simon’s first wide receiver group at Utah is the biggest variable on the team. There’s not a proven WR1 — at least at the Power Four level — in the group, but if Dampier is what he’s cracked up to be, he can help elevate Utah’s wide receivers.

“The experience they have is huge right now for our offense and it’s helped us click faster than maybe we would’ve thought,” Simon said of Dampier, Davis and running back NaQuari Rogers.

“With a quarterback like Devon coming in, you just bring the entire playbook because he can handle it all and the quarterback has to handle the most. So everyone else’s job is easier and I feel like we are further ahead this year compared to kind of where we’ve been before with Coach Beck and I together.”

In case you missed it

Here’s what Runnin’ Utes’ head coach Alex Jensen had to say about the House vs. NCAA settlement.

From the archives

Extra points

The post Utah Jazz 2025 NBA Draft grades for every pick appeared first on ClutchPoints.

Arguably no team had a more eventful two days at the 2025 NBA Draft than the Utah Jazz. After taking a shot on controversial prospect Ace Bailey with the No. 5 pick, the Jazz traded up for 2025 Final Four MVP Walter Clayton Jr. and ended the event with unanimous All-American John Tonje.

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Technically, the Jazz drafted four players across the two rounds. However, the Danny and Austin Ainge-led management traded Will Riley and Jamir Watkins for Clayton. By the end of the draft, the Jazz managed to add three of the biggest stars from the 2024-2025 college basketball season to their roster.

With one of the youngest rosters in the league, the Jazz do not have much else on their plate in the 2025 offseason. Following the somewhat surprising Collin Sexton-Jusuf Nurkic trade and their intention to buy out Jordan Clarkson, Utah has 10 players under contract for the upcoming season. Those do not include any of the team’s recent draft picks, who have yet to sign their rookie deals.

Given the state of the organization, Bailey will almost certainly be the Jazz’s top offseason acquisition. Despite the concerns he raised throughout his pre-draft process, Bailey is still the best scorer of the class.

The Jazz will have a lot to evaluate in the upcoming season, but enjoyed a successful night at the 2025 NBA Draft. Early grades are merely tentative, given the unknowns of each player’s transition, but Utah clearly had one of the most interesting draft classes in the league.

Round 1, Pick 5: SG/SF Ace Bailey (Rutgers)

Ace Bailey is easily the most controversial lottery prospect of the draft, but he is undeniably a special talent. Bailey is easily the top bucket-getter of the class, even more than No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.

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Like any prospect, there are clear holes in his game, even without considering his unusual pre-draft process. Bailey is not the quickest defender, and his 1.3 assists per game at Rutgers left a lot to be desired. With a mere 6-foot-10, 200-pound frame, Bailey would also benefit from adding to his slim physique. Even Kevin Durant, whom he is often compared to, outweighs him by nearly 50 pounds.

Regardless, Bailey should still immediately elevate the Jazz’s offense. While it is unlikely that he becomes the team’s leading scorer out of the gate, Bailey could very well be a 15-plus point-per-game scorer as a rookie. He thrived with the ball in his hands at Rutgers, but Bailey is also adept off the ball, which he will do a lot of while playing with Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier and Lauri Markkanen.

The Jazz traded Sexton, but still have a crowded backcourt with Clayton entering the mix. Bailey played a lot of guard in college, but will be asked to fill different roles in Utah, which he is undoubtedly capable of.

While the biggest questions about Bailey regard his desire to play in Utah, he has voiced nothing but excitement since getting drafted. Perhaps the situation will become a serious issue, but it will likely become another forgotten storyline within just a matter of months.

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Many see Bailey as a project, but his gifted scoring ability is something this rebuilding Jazz team desperately needed. He might not have been the best fit for the team on the board, but he was clearly the top available player at No. 5. If his career gets off to the right start, Bailey could easily push Flagg for Rookie of the Year.

Grade: A-

Round 1, Pick 18: PG Walter Clayton Jr. (Florida)

The Jazz had a plethora of guards entering the draft, which made their decision to leave with two more quite unusual. Bailey was clearly the top available prospect at No. 5, but trading up for Walter Clayton Jr. seemed peculiar, given Utah’s overloaded backcourt.

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However, immediately after the draft, Utah made its intentions clear by sending Sexton to the Charlotte Hornets and announcing its decision to release Clarkson. The moves make way for Clayton, a natural-born leader fresh off a national title, to become an immediate contributor.

With George and Collier sharing point guard duties, Clayton will likely begin his career on the bench. But unlike Bailey, the 22-year-old is less of a project and someone the Jazz clearly believe can make an immediate impact. Getting rid of Sexton and Clarkson, its top two guards in 2024-2025, only reinforces the team’s confidence in its new crop of talent.

Clayton is not the quickest or most athletic guard, nor did he have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in college. Yet, those were the same concerns many had about him when he transferred from Iona to Florida. They hardly seemed to matter, as Clayton’s continuous domination led to him winning the 2025 Final Four MVP award.

While he is best with the ball in his hands, Clayton will spend a lot of time off the ball in 2025-2026. His size might make it difficult for him to defend opposing shooting guards, but Clayton’s catch-and-shoot ability allows him to be effective in both guard positions. He should immediately fit into the Jazz’s rotation and provide solid insurance should the team deal with the same injury woes it dealt with in 2024-2025.

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Considering that Danny Ainge recognized immense success in scouting guards with the Boston Celtics, Jazz fans should feel confident in his belief in Clayton. The 22-year-old shares a lot of similarities with Payton Pritchard, who quickly developed into a key piece of the Celtics’ 2024 championship team.

Grade: B

Round 2, Pick 53: SF John Tonje (Wisconsin)

Despite becoming an All-American in 2024-2025, John Tonje fell all the way down to the end of the draft. His age, 24, and lack of athleticism raised red flags among scouts, keeping him out of the first-round conversation. Tonje was still one of the best scorers in the country in his lone year at Wisconsin, but was only productive in two of his six years in college.

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Tonje was virtually invisible throughout his first three years at Colorado State before finally breaking into the starting lineup as a senior. His attempt to transfer to Missouri for a fifth year failed when a preseason foot injury limited him to just eight games in the 2023-2024 season. However, betting on himself worked in year six, when Tonje looked like a completely different player, averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 rebounds to lead Wisconsin back to the NCAA Tournament.

There were too many questions about Tonje to convince scouts into overlooking his age, but there were few players with more name value and potential available at No. 53. Tonje has a smooth shooting stroke and above-average size for the position that will allow him to adjust to the next level. Many also criticized his high volume of free throw attempts, but it is hard to argue against a 90.9 percent foul-line shooter.

The most likely scenario is that Tonje spends a few years in the G-League before migrating overseas. His slow lateral movement will likely limit his three-and-D potential, and Wisconsin has not had much success developing NBA prospects. But for a late second-round pick, there is not much risk in taking a gamble on a consensus All-American talent.

Grade: B+

Related: Jordan Clarkson breaks silence after Jazz buyout

Related: Jazz waive March Madness legend ahead of free agency

Utah has entered into another legal battle against social media, this time going after Snap Inc., the owner of the social media platform Snapchat, which is predominantly more popular among younger generations.

“This, of all the cases, this one really matters,” Utah Attorney General Derek Brown told the Deseret News, “because this is where kids are.”

This lawsuit is the fourth brought by Utah’s Attorney General’s office and the Utah Department of Commerce, with the support of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, in their efforts to safeguard children from online predators and social media addiction.

The state leaders are bringing three specific allegations against the photo/video platform, per the press release:

• The app’s platform is designed to be addictive. It has harmful features embedded into its platform to “exploit children’s psychological vulnerabilities for financial gain, constituting an unconscionable business practice under state law.”
• It’s marketed as a secure alternative to other social media apps for parents and children, thereby deceiving its users when it claims to protect them.
• The app violates “the Utah Consumer Privacy Act by not informing consumers about its data collection and processing practices and failing to provide users or their parents with an opportunity to opt out of sharing sensitive data, such as biometric and geolocation information.”

Snap’s platform is unique among other major social media platforms due to the way content is shared. Since 2011, users have been sharing timered photos or videos “designed to delete by default,” according to Snapchat.

“This, along with other addictive and experimental features, induce Utah children to compulsively check the app,” the lawsuit claims. “Snapchat’s vanishing design feature has made it a favored tool for drug dealers and sexual predators targeting children” and gives “teens a false sense of security, leading them to believe their photos and messages disappear forever after being viewed, which encourages them to share riskier content” that could then be potentially exploited.

Brown said that his office’s priority is holding these companies accountable, a joint legislative effort among state leaders.

“We will do everything we can using the legal system to incentivize and encourage companies to take steps to protect kids,” he said. “And parents need to be very mindful of what’s taking place on social media, because a lot of the drug dealing, the extortion, the sexting, and a lot of the really problematic things that are taking place right now with our kids is focused not just on social media, but on Snapchat.

Margaret Busse, the executive director of Utah’s Department of Commerce, told the Deseret News that Utah is no exception in cases where adults prey on children via Snapchat.

“In 2021, a 27-year-old man from Salt Lake City groomed three young girls between the ages of 12 to 14 on Snapchat. He ultimately kidnapped them and sexually assaulted them,” Busse said. “In March 2023, a South Jordan man used a teen Snapchat account to lure a 13-year-old to his car, where he sexually assaulted her. In October 2024, a Riverton man was accused of sexually assaulting multiple victims, including minors that he found on Snapchat throughout Salt Lake City.”

And in 2023, Snapchat introduced the “My AI” feature, which has only heightened the safety concern, Busse said.

During investigation, per the lawsuit, tests showed that the AI Chatbot, which is powered by ChatGPT, gave a 15-year-old advice on how to hide the appearance of alcohol and marijuana from parents and even gave a 13-year-old recommendations on how to “set the mood” for a romantic night with a 31-year-old.

The only way the AI can be removed from the app is if a user has a paid subscription, so now parents need to be aware the children face potential dangers from both real-world and digital predators.

“If I’m the head of this company, and I understand how much my product is harming kids and how unsafe it is, why would I keep doing this?” Busse said.

“This is a choice companies make. It is not inevitable,” she said. “They could design a product with a very different business model, with very different features, that doesn’t have to be exploitative of our kids.”