Month: July 2025

Utah is the third-driest state in the United States. From the parched Colorado Plateau to the even drier Great Basin, it’s almost all desert.

In high school, I rowed with Utah’s only club crew team. Each spring, we drove our boats to the Great Salt Lake—the only place for miles with enough water to row on. The lake’s salty water stank of sulfur, which made everything it touched stink, too. Thousands of brine flies swarmed our docks. They’d carpet my arms so thickly that when I looked down, I’d see more flies than flesh.

But away from shore, I could spot beauty all around. The water would stretch so far in every direction that I couldn’t see the land beyond. Unless the wind picked up, the lake lay flat, gleaming, and blue. Mountains pierced its surface and cloned themselves in the ripples below. They looked like spinning tops—stretching from peaks to flared bases, then winnowing back to sharp points.

I noticed with awe how the lake teemed with life. I’d look down, and what I thought were floating flakes of sediment would begin to swim. They were brine shrimp: crustaceans that carry the Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem on their centimeter-long backs. Waterfowl would fill the sky, diving to dip their beaks and spindly legs into my wake.

The year I left for college, one of my sisters joined the crew team. I hoped we could bond over rowing on the lake. But that November, a former teammate called me. She said our team wasn’t rowing on the Great Salt Lake that next year; that they might never row on it again. Utah was in a water shortage, and the lake had shriveled to its lowest levels on record.

The shoreline had receded so much that our docks became unusable. Most boats had been hauled out of the water as it crept down their bows. The boats that remained lay beached in a dry marina—a ghost town where, just months before, I’d rowed every afternoon.

The Great Salt Lake sits 20 miles northwest of my house in Salt Lake City. You see it whenever you look at the horizon: a streak of silver separating land and sky.

From its perch, the Great Salt Lake sustains all of northern Utah. Moisture evaporates from the lake and falls in the nearby mountains (mostly as snow, giving Utah fabulous skiing). Come spring, this water trickles through Utah’s valleys and returns to the lake. On its way, it hydrates the plants, animals, and people along the nearby Wasatch Front, home to Salt Lake City.

When I first visited the Great Salt Lake on a fifth-grade field trip, it covered 1,700 square miles. Though I didn’t know it yet, this was half of its size 30 years before, when my mom was a fifth-grader. In the 1980s, Great Salt Lake spread over 3,300 square miles—larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

Now, my youngest sisters are in fifth grade. And again, the lake has halved, dropping to 888 square miles in 2022. Without meaningful change, the Great Salt Lake will vanish within my lifetime.

This would spell catastrophe for Utah. The New York Times says the Great Salt Lake’s disappearance would constitute an “environmental nuclear bomb.” Water supplies would dwindle, and ecosystems would perish: from the brine shrimp in the lake to the over 10 million migratory birds that refuel in its marshes each year. Utah’s population may vanish with them.

When Utah industrialized, mines began dumping waste into the lake, polluting it with heavy metals like arsenic. As a terminal lake, the Great Salt Lake has inlets but no outlets other than evaporation. All the metals that have ever been poured into the Great Salt Lake have accumulated in its lakebed over time, with no way out.

Now, retreating water levels are exposing stretches of cracked, arsenic-laden lakebed. Windstorms have begun to blow across the lakebed, picking up clouds of poisonous dust. They carry it into the Wasatch Front, which houses 2.8 million of Utah’s 3.4 million residents.

Even inhaling ordinary dust can be devastating to health. Arsenic-laced dust storms from the Great Salt Lake’s dried lakebed carry an extra hazard. When these storms arrive, the air will turn toxic. Millions of Utahns along the Wasatch Front—including my entire family—will breathe poison.

This dust won’t kill you overnight, but the EPA links it to “asthma, heart attacks, and premature death.” Similar disasters have happened to other lakes, and nearby cities have not fared well. After Owens Lake, a saline lake in California, dried up and toxic dust storms started, cities along its coast emptied. The arid lakebed filled the surrounding air with PM10—tiny particles that have serious health effects if inhaled. Owens Lake became the nation’s largest single PM10 source, spreading pollution across the West. The Great Salt Lake is 15 times larger than Owens Lake ever was. Its collapse would be far more catastrophic.

It terrifies me, thinking of what would happen to my community if the Great Salt Lake vanished. My little siblings all have severe asthma, and two live with just 60 percent of normal lung capacity.

When my brother visited the Great Salt Lake on his own fifth-grade field trip, his rowdy class kicked up dust on the lakeshore, which plunged him into a severe asthma attack. Fortunately, he had his inhaler ready. But what would happen to my siblings if these dust storms invade Salt Lake City? And the air outside his house? Could he survive in a place where he could barely breathe?

If the lake fully dries up, I know my family has the means to leave Utah, and we will.

This is what happened to the cities around Owens Lake. Those who could afford it fled. The less fortunate stayed and dealt with the consequences.

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The next few years will determine the Great Salt Lake’s fate. Utah faces two options. We can respond with apathy and watch as the lake disappears, along with many of Utah’s residents. Or we can wake up to the danger we’re in. Enact substantive legislation, offer water conservation incentives, and appropriate money to save the lake.

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Saving the Great Salt Lake won’t be easy. The University of Utah estimates that 33 percent more water must flow into the lake each year for it to reach healthy water levels by the 2050s. This means Utahns will have to make sacrifices. We must curb municipal water use—by getting rid of water-intensive lawns, for example.

Utah agriculture, the largest consumer of water from the lake, must also reduce its water intake. It likely won’t do this on its own, so Utah’s legislature must take action. Utah’s government must tighten water use regulations around thirsty crops like alfalfa, and invest state funds to lease water rights back from agricultural groups so more water can flow to the lake.

These actions will be politically charged and economically costly in the short term. But they will ensure that Utah, its people, and its industries last far into the future.

I worry that my siblings may never know the Utah I know. My littlest sisters are 10 years younger than me, and a lot can change in a decade. Will they ever ski through lake-effect snow, or find themselves enveloped in the brilliant sunsets you only see rowing on the Great Salt Lake?

I pray they will. But more than that, I count on myself and other Utahns to take action.

Adelaide Parker

Adelaide Parker is a 2025 Puffin student writing fellow focusing on education for The Nation. She is a writer and student at Harvard College from Salt Lake City, Utah, majoring in social studies and philosophy. She works as a co-op for The Boston Globe.

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Former University of Utah basketball standouts Gabe Madsen and Lawson Lovering will reportedly be in an NBA training camp this fall.

Madsen has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Miami Heat while Lovering has done the same with the Memphis Grizzlies, according to Draft Express director of scouting Jon Kepchevich.

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Both players went undrafted this offseason before finding opportunities to showcase their talents in NBA Summer League action.

Madsen, the Utes’ all-time 3-point makes leader, played for the Golden State Warriors Summer League team in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas earlier this month.

In six games, he averaged 9.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 50% from the floor and 51.8% from 3-point range.

That included a 22-point effort in a win over the Utah Jazz Summer League team. Madsen made six 3-pointers in that matchup.

Lovering, meanwhile, averaged 3.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 offensive rebounds and 0.6 blocks in seven games played for the Grizzlies in Summer League. He shot 62.5% from the floor.

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The 7-foot center had his best effort in a 10-point, six-rebound, one-block game in a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

An NBA Exhibit 10 contract is a non-guaranteed, one-year deal that essentially is a training camp invite, allowing teams to get a closer look at a player and giving the player the opportunity to earn either a roster spot or two-way contract.

An Exhibit 10 contract, which is often for the league minimum salary, can be converted to a two-way deal before the start of the NBA regular season.

Once called the “Territorial Insane Asylum,” today’s Utah State Hospital was built 140 years ago in what was then the faraway Provo foothills on purpose. The distance was the point.

Now, the hospital is anything but tucked away. The land it sits on is worth millions, right next to a water park eager to grow. There are a handful of local elected officials antsy to explore the potential for big change that its sale could provide.

Standing in their way, however, is the more than 300-acre hospital campus itself that lawmakers have invested millions into over the years to modernize.

Dallas Earnshaw, the hospital’s nearly 20-year superintendent, took The Salt Lake Tribune on a tour of the site on a sunny day in April to underscore the importance of the facility staying put.

Standing outside one of its buildings, he said past concerns over staffing shortages and long patient waitlists have been resolved, with most patients waiting about a month for treatment, a marked improvement. As he spoke, colorful slides from the water park next door peaked over trees that provide shade on the lush green campus.

“You’ve heard rumblings that there are private investors who want to move us [and] buy the land. That’s the people that own the water park,” Earnshaw said. “They want to buy this land and develop it.”

State lawmakers have also explored its sale. And Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner in February sponsored a resolution that indicated the commission supports looking into its sale, too.

“There’s no way on God’s green earth,” Earnshaw continued, “we would ever replicate this beautiful campus if we moved.”

What the hospital does

The state hospital has 378 beds available for intensive in-patient treatment, split between civilly committed adults and children and the forensic unit, which houses adults charged with a crime who are not considered mentally competent enough to continue court proceedings, as well as those found “not guilty by reason of insanity” or “guilty and mentally ill.”

In 1955, the hospital housed as many as 1,500 people, back when the facility was “little more than a human warehouse,” the hospital says of its history on its website.

But in 1969, Utah began to transition away from a more state-centric system to a county-focused one. That led to the creation of 14 mental health centers — like Wasatch Behavioral Health and Salt Lake Behavioral Health — across the state, where people with less intensive mental health needs can receive care closer to home.

“Every once in a while, you’ll have somebody whose mental illness is so severe they don’t stabilize, they’re still pretty sick, and they need more intensive care,” Earnshaw said. “That’s who we get.”

Getting people to the sprawling site hasn’t been without challenges. In 2015, the Disability Law Center sued because inmates who required treatment there were staying in jail for too long without a conviction, waiting for beds to open up. By the time the complaint was filed, that waitlist had grown to about 100 people.

The hospital also suffered until a critical staffing shortage — down about 180 people — during the COVID-19 pandemic, Earnshaw said.

Now, he added, “we actually have a wait list for nursing positions.”

Why some argue it should be sold

Even with those improvements, Powers Gardner said the state’s mental health system doesn’t adequately address its resident’s needs, especially as Utah has grown. That’s why she sponsored the commission’s resolution, she said, which beyond a sale also supported alternative solutions.

“We currently have just one state hospital — and it’s full. There’s a waiting list, and our ability to expand staff is limited by geography and infrastructure. It’s a system bottleneck,” she said in a written statement, “and it’s hurting people across the state.”

She mentioned a friend whose son has schizophrenia and has been hospitalized for treatment more than 70 times. They live in Washington County, Powers Gardner said, and have been waiting on an evaluation to see if he can get a bed at the state hospital.

“If he gets a bed in Provo, she’s asked me to visit him because it’s simply too far and too hard to access. This isn’t a Provo issue. This is a statewide crisis,” she said. “We need a mental health system that serves everyone in Utah — not just those lucky enough to live nearby.”

Earnshaw said the facility has adequate civil beds but lacks about 60 forensic beds. Currently, he said, “overflow” forensic patients are being housed in another building on campus previously meant for civil patients.

Yet, the same concerns that prompted Powers Gardner’s resolution also inspired Rep. Tyler Clancy, as well as Rep. Jon Hawkins, to each run bills in two consecutive years looking to sell the site.

The latest, Clancy’s HB299, mandated a study of forensic beds and court-ordered civil commitment. Its findings will be presented to lawmakers during the interim legislative session next month.

“I think,” Clancy said, “that that’ll probably lead us into some directions of, ‘What does that look like? What does the future look like?’”

Another factor? The Splash Summit water park next door is hungry for expansion.

The water park next door

Splash Summit’s interest in the state hospital site isn’t a secret.

In January 2023, Hawkins, R-Pleasant Grove, told the House Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee when he was running his bill, HB177, that “the owner of Splash Summit, who owns the property right next to the state hospital,” approached him with the idea.

Hawkins conceded that the property was “prime real estate” and that “there is an economic development opportunity here.“

“But,” he continued, “that is not why I’m running this bill.”

Instead, he said, he wanted to address longstanding issues with the state’s mental health system and bring in a commission to find a new site — just like officials did before today’s Utah State Correctional Facility’s moved from Draper to Salt Lake City’s west side in 2022 to make way for The Point development.

The water park donated $4,000 to Hawkins months after he proposed his bill, according to campaign finance disclosures. Hawkins did not return The Tribune’s request for comment.

Powers Gardner said she’s also been approached by the Splash Summit owners about the hospital. She has a “professional relationship” with them, she said, but added their introduction happened “long after my concerns about the mental health system were already forming.”

Representatives of Splash Summit did not respond to The Salt Lake Tribune’s multiple requests for comment.

The park’s owners still seem to be eyeing an expansion, though. They separately sought a public-private partnership with Provo this spring to build a larger water park and develop the nearby Slate Canyon Park.

But after poor public response to a developer’s pitch for that plan at a neighborhood meeting in late April, Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi announced in July that the “owner’s proposal to buy this land is fully and completely declined.”

140 years later, what’s next?

When Provo first cropped up on the east side of Utah Lake — then a full day’s journey from Salt Lake City — most of its population lived on farmlands on what is now the west side of Interstate 15, Earnshaw said.

There wasn’t much industry, so the city’s earlier leaders went to Utah’s Territorial Legislature and asked for help, looking to create more local jobs. They thought the Utah State Hospital could become an economic engine, Earnshaw said.

These legislators had initially eyed the original statehouse in Fillmore for the planned hospital after they’d settled on Salt Lake City for the Capitol, but ultimately settled on Provo. The hospital opened on July 15, 1885, nearly 11 years before Utah became a state.

“They had a lot of political clout, even back then,” Earnshaw said, “here in Utah County.”

While the hospital once drove revenue, Powers Gardner said that’s no longer the case. It provides jobs and student training, she acknowledged, and patients’ families who travel to Provo likely spend money in town.

“However, I have not seen economic data that suggests the hospital is a major economic engine for the county or city. In contrast,” Powers Gardner said in a written statement, “any development on that land — whether it’s retail, resort, residential, or mixed-use — would likely generate significantly more tax revenue, create new jobs, and revitalize that area of Provo.”

She added that she would like to see any money from such a sale go toward building and funding a regional system of five or more mental health facilities across the state.

A complete cost estimate and feasibility study hasn’t been done yet, so it’s unclear how much it would cost to recreate the resources currently available in Provo, according to a provided statement from the Utah Department of Health and Humans Services, which oversees the hospital.

“We know that the cost for the current buildings was somewhere around $650 million,” the statement read. “The reality of moving the hospital would require new buildings and land acquisition, which we really wouldn’t know unless a plan were created to move it.”

The city of Provo has remained relatively mum on the issue. Provo spokesperson Nicole Martin said the city didn’t initiate any of the recent proposals mulling a sale of the property.

“The location and provision of state mental health services is not a simple issue. More importantly, it is a state issue,” she said. “Provo City has not felt compelled to weigh in one way or another on these proposals.”

DHHS also has not taken a position on moving the hospital.

“We are committed to maintaining an open dialogue with state and local officials about the future of the hospital,” the department said in a provided statement, “and we are hopeful that those conversations will be thoughtful and focused on the behavioral health needs of the population.”

The agency added that it was “optimistic that any future changes would include a thorough assessment of the behavioral health needs and plans for how to replicate or improve the services that are offered to Utahns who need critical care.”

Note to readers • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.

The post Utah Jazz’s biggest Ace Bailey concern after 2025 NBA Summer League appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Utah Jazz took a swing for the future when they selected Ace Bailey with the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Known for his elite athleticism, high motor, and scoring upside, Bailey looked like a franchise piece in the making.

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But after his shaky Summer League debut and a few red flags from the pre-draft process, one concern stands out and could shape how his rookie year unfolds. The biggest question is this: can Ace Bailey become an efficient scorer at the NBA level, or will decision-making and shot selection hold him back?

The Jazz are in the middle of a rebuild and made that even more clear this offseason. They moved on from veterans like Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and John Collins to give more opportunities to their young core. Bailey is expected to be a key part of that next generation. However, his first impression in Las Vegas left Jazz fans both hopeful and uneasy.

Early Signs Raise Efficiency Concerns

Bailey played just two games in Summer League before being sidelined with a hip flexor injury. In those first 25 minutes, he posted a stat line of eight points, seven rebounds, and a handful of defensive plays. At a glance, it was not a bad showing. But a deeper look told a different story. Bailey shot just 3-of-13 from the field and hit only one of his five attempts from three. He never once attacked the rim and instead settled for contested jumpers and off-balance shots.

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For someone drafted to be a scoring wing, that approach raised concerns. His inability to get downhill and create high-percentage looks was a major talking point online. Some called his performance inefficient, while others said it exposed holes in his offensive game that could be problematic early in his career. The Jazz want him to grow, but they need to see better decisions with the ball.

For his second game, though, the 18-year-old bounced back with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds, and three assists.

Draft Baggage and Preseason Noise

Before the draft, Bailey’s stock drew scrutiny due to an unconventional pre-draft approach. He declined public workouts with several teams, including the 76ers and the Jazz, proposed place, contributing to a slide from a projected top-three selection down to fifth.

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Complicating things further, the Jazz reportedly planned to include Omar Cooper Jr., the son of Bailey’s advisor, as an unpaid guest coach for their Summer League team. The NBA intervened and halted that plan, citing concerns over the optics and propriety of such a socially connected coaching role.

Despite the unusual backdrop, there were positives on display. Bailey was engaged defensively and continued to hustle even after being benched late in his Summer League debut. Jazz coach Will Hardy praised his energy and noted that Bailey contributed in ways not reflected in the box score. That level of effort gives Utah something to build on as he acclimates to NBA expectations.

Time to Learn and Adjust

But the offensive concern remains. If Bailey wants to thrive in the NBA, he must adjust his shot selection and show a willingness to attack the paint. Settling for long jumpers might have worked in high school, but the pros are a different world. Standing as a lanky 6-foot-7 forward, the Jazz need him to be efficient, they need him to be smart with the ball, and they need him to get better at reading defenses and making the right decisions in live action.

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Utah’s future depends on how its young players develop. Along with Bailey, they acquired NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player Walter Clayton Jr. via a trade, and have promising pieces in Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, and Brice Sensabaugh. If Bailey can round out his game, he could lead this group into a new era. If not, the Jazz may find themselves searching for another star to fill the gap.

The good news is that Bailey is still just 18 years old. One Summer League game is not a career verdict. But the concerns are real and now clearly defined. The Jazz have time to help him grow, but they also need to set clear expectations. They need to build his confidence while holding him accountable. That balance will define his first year and perhaps the early phase of Utah’s rebuild.

Ace Bailey has the tools to be special. What he does with them now is up to him.

Related: Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama rips celebrating Karl Malone with vicious repost

Related: NBA insider reveals Utah Jazz may have traded John Collins for being ‘too productive’ on the team

The state of Utah hasn’t struggled to put players in the NBA over the years.

Among BYU, Utah, Utah State, Utah Tech, UVU and Weber State, 76 players who’ve played college basketball in the Beehive State have gone on to play in the NBA.

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As of last year, according to Clutch Points, 4,898 players had played at least a game in the NBA, and 1.5% of those players played college ball for a Utah-based school.

There are names in that group that even the most casual fan will recognize, players such as Danny Ainge (BYU), Tom Chambers (Utah) and Damian Lillard (WSU) to name a few.

There are many former Jazzmen in the group, plus a No. 1 overall pick (Andrew Bogut), All-Stars and champions. Utah products have pretty much run the gamut in the league.

Right now, the mid 2020s, might be the golden age of for Utah products in the NBA, though, in terms of quality at the top and quantity of players in the NBA.

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As of July 27, there are eight Utah college products on NBA rosters. Those players are:

• Egor Demin (BYU/Brooklyn Nets).

• Kyle Kuzma (Utah, Milwaukee Bucks).

• Pelle Larsson (Utah and Arizona, Miami Heat).

• Jakob Poeltl (Utah, Toronto Raptors).

• Damian Lillard (Weber State, Portland Trail Blazers).

• Sam Merrill (Utah State, Cleveland Cavaliers).

• Neemias Queta (Utah State, Boston Celtics).

• Dillon Jones (Weber State, Washington Wizards).

There is also a two-way player who should see playing time in the NBA next season:

• Branden Carlson (Utah, Oklahoma City Thunder).

Only once in history have there been more Utah college basketball products in the NBA at the same time. That happened in the 2005-06 season and was driven by some pretty notable names:

• Rafael Araújo (BYU).

• Keith Van Horn (Utah).

• Michael Doleac (Utah).

• Andre Miller (Utah).

• Lance Allred (Utah)

• Andrew Bogut (Utah).

• Eddie Gill (Weber State).

• Keon Clark (Utah Tech).

• Marcus Banks (Utah Tech).

• Ronnie Price (UVU).

Other eras have come close, including the early-to-mid 1980s and the late 1990s/early 2000s, but the mid 2000s and the mid 2020s stand out from the rest.

The current crop of players is a good one — maybe not better than that mid-2000s group but definitely close.

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For one, it includes the best NBA player in state history in Lillard, the only Utah-product on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team. Lillard most likely won’t play next season after tearing his Achilles tendon in the first round of the playoffs, but he is under contract with Portland and is the best Utah product to ever play in the NBA.

Kuzma, Poeltl, Demin and Queta all have a good chance of being starters next season, meanwhile. Kuzma and Poeltl for sure with the Bucks and Raptors, respectively, but Demin was a lottery selection by the Brooklyn Nets — a tanking team — and thus has a real chance to be a starter from Day 1.

Queta has been a reserve for the Celtics, but after the departures of Kristaps Porziņģis and Luke Kornet, along with the expected departure of Al Horford, Queta appears in line to start for a Celtics team many believe is going to tread water next season with star Jayson Tatum out for the season.

Merrill is a proven reserve for Cleveland, and agreed to a four-year, $38 million contract to stay with the team. The Cavs in effect chose Merrill over fellow reserve Ty Jerome, showing their belief in the Aggie great.

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And Larsson, who played in 55 games last year, appears to be in line for a bigger role with the Heat after being their primary playmaker/scorer during NBA Summer League.

Jones, meanwhile, could see real minutes for Washington after seldomly playing for Oklahoma City, and Carlson is a single injury to a Thunder big man away from being a needed reserve for the defending champions.

The crop of Utah products in the NBA in 2025-26 could grow, too. Delon Wright, a 10-year vet, is currently unsigned after finishing the year with the New York Knicks. Wright played key minutes in the playoff for the Knicks, who advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Are we currently the golden era of Utah college basketball products in the NBA? That can certainly be debated. At the very least, though, college basketball in Utah is producing pros at a high rate — among the highest rates in state history — and many of those products are going on to have long, productive careers.

There should be more on the way, too.

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Under Kevin Young, BYU is recruiting at a level the state hasn’t really seen before. Case in point, AJ Dybantsa is practically guaranteed to be a high lottery selection in the next NBA draft, with whether he goes No. 1 or No. 2 overall being the biggest question. And Dybantsa is only one of multiple potential pros in Provo right now or on the way to Utah County in the future.

Utah, meanwhile, is hopeful for a resurgence under Alex Jensen, and the Utes have made a habit of producing pros, arguably more consistently than any in-state program, decade-to-decade.

Then there’s Utah State, which under Jerrod Calhoun is recruiting better than it ever has and thus it wouldn’t be a shock to see another Aggie latch onto a NBA team in the coming years, especially with the school moving to the Pac-12, which has a chance to be one of the better basketball conferences in all of college basketball.

All of which is to say, Utah and basketball are vibing right now, as long as you forget about the Utah Jazz.

Utah’s fall camp starts Thursday.

Which means — and yes, I know I’ve said this over and over again in our TribUte newsletters — it’s almost time for college football.

With that being said, I wanted to take the opportunity to forecast Utah’s 2025 results, game by game. I don’t have a crystal ball, but here are my predictions for the season.

Game 1: Utah @ UCLA

What a great first test for the Utes. This matchup certainly got more interesting once UCLA signed former five-star and Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the spring transfer portal.

Still, I think the Utes have the upper hand over the Bruins defensively.

Prediction: Utah defeats UCLA, 28-21 (1-0)

Game 2: Utah vs. Cal Poly

This is what many refer to as a “buy game.”

There’s not much else to say about this contest other than that it will be a blowout.

Prediction: Utah defeats Cal Poly, 55-10 (2-0)

Game 3: Utah @ Wyoming

Welcome to Laradise, Ute fans.

It’s been a while since the Utes faced their old foes up north. Even if this is considered an old rivalry, I don’t expect this game to be close by any margin whatsoever.

I think the Utes’ offense will dominate. Utah’s defense will also force several turnovers.

Prediction: Utah defeats Wyoming, 42-14 (3-0)

Game 4: Utah vs. Texas Tech

What an opening contest to conference play, amirite?

The Utes will get their first crack at the NIL-rich Red Raiders to start Big 12 play at home in Salt Lake City. I think this will be a close game as well as Utah starting quarterback Devon Dampier’s first major test.

To me, the matchup to watch will be Utah’s offensive line vs. Texas Tech’s revamped defensive line, led by defensive tackle Lee Hunter. If Utah can win that battle, I think it’ll be in good shape.

Overall, I think the Utes will squeeze out a tough victory over the Red Raiders in Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Prediction: Utah defeats Texas Tech, 24-21 (4-0, 1-0 Big 12)

Game 5: Utah @ West Virginia

The Utes will have to travel 1,900 miles for their first Big 12 road trip of the 2025 season.

And it will be against a formidable opponent in the Mountaineers, too.

Following a big win against the Red Raiders, I think WVU and returning starting quarterback Nicco Marchiol get one over the Utes.

Dampier will also have his first “bad” game as Utah’s quarterback.

Prediction: West Virginia defeats Utah, 31-21 (4-1, 1-1 Big 12)

Game 6: Utah vs. Arizona State

Last year the Utes were defeated by Arizona State, the defending Big 12 champs, in nightmarish fashion.

Cam Rising’s season ended after he sustained a severe lower-leg injury against the Sun Devils. Plus, the Utes’ defense was torched by former ASU running back Cam Skattebo.

Knowing all of that, it sets Utah up for a get-back game. But, I don’t think it ends up going that way.

Prediction: ASU defeats Utah, 17-14 (4-2, 1-2 Big 12)

Game 7: Utah @ BYU

We all know what happened in this game last season.

Utah AD Mark Harlan walked onto the field.

There was the controversial holding penalty against Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn, which ultimately allowed BYU and former quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s game-winning drive on the road.

This year the Utes will be traveling to Provo, and I think they come out of the game with a win. Utah will avenge its loss from a season ago.

Prediction: Utah defeats BYU, 42-36, (5-2, 2-2 Big 12)

Game 8: Utah vs. Colorado

In 2024, Colorado and head coach Deion “Prime” Sanders got the best of the Utes in Boulder.

The loss was one of the worst offensive performances for Utah and backup quarterback Isaac Wilson. Also Utah’s sixth straight loss of the season, it left Whittingham feeling like he was “in the ‘Twilight Zone.’”

Without Heisman winner Travis Hunter and star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, I think the Utes top Colorado at home, avenging the loss from a season ago.

Prediction: Utah defeats Colorado, 38-21, (6-2, 3-2 Big 12)

Game 9: Utah vs. Cincinnati

Cincinnati was not very good last season (neither were the Utes). And I’m not sold on the Bearcats heading into 2025.

This, for me, is an easy prediction to make.

Prediction: Utah defeats Cincinnati, 28-7, (7-2, 4-2 Big 12)

Game 10: Utah @ Baylor

Utah should be riding into this contest on a three-game win streak, but I think Baylor will humble Whittingham and the Utes in Waco, Texas.

Bears redshirt senior quarterback Sawyer Robertson will, uncharacteristically, have his way with Utah’s defense. I also think Dampier will struggle against Baylor’s secondary.

Prediction: Baylor defeats Utah, 27-13, (7-3, 4-3 Big 12)

Game 11: Utah vs. Kansas State

If Utah wants to win the Big 12 this season, I think it will have to beat Kansas State.

Ultimately, I expect this game to be close. Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson, running back Dylan Edwards and wide receiver Jayce Brown will really test Utah’s defense.

The Utes’ offense will have to match their pace. The big x-factor is that this game will be in Salt Lake City, though, which gives the upper hand to the Utes.

I think Dampier and Utah squeak out a close one over the Wildcats at home.

Prediction: Utah beats Kansas State, 13-10, (8-3, 5-3 Big 12)

Game 12: Utah @ Kansas

Utah could very well be fighting for a Big 12 championship berth heading into this contest.

It will be the Jayhawks’ final home game at their newly renovated David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Despite that, the Utes will come into this game more hungry for the win. I expect this to be a close one with Utah coming out on top.

Prediction: Utah defeats Kansas, 21-14, (9-3, 6-3 Big 12)

What do you think?

Now, it’s your turn to predict Utah’s record. Tell me how you think the Utes will fare in 2025 in the poll below.

Bill Armstrong spent his first few years as GM of the Arizona Coyotes making future-focused trades. Now, the future is here. The Utah Mammoth have so many prospects you could practically make a full team with them — and still have some left over.

That’s exactly what we did. Here’s our hypothetical Utah Mammoth all-prospects team.

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Rules

We defined “prospects” as players who are younger than 23 at the time of writing with fewer than 82 games of NHL experience. Players such as Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther, while young and promising, have too much NHL experience to be considered prospects in this context.

Also, not every player will be positioned in his usual spot — some centers will be listed on the wing, etc., to allow the best players to fit into the lineup.

And remember: It’s completely hypothetical and it’s meant to be fun!

Utah Mammoth all-rookie team

Forwards

Tij Iginla – Caleb Desnoyers – Daniil But

Julian Lutz – Cole Beaudoin – Noel Nordh

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Vojtěch Hradec – Gabe Smith – Vadim Moroz

Štěpán Hoch – Owen Allard – Miko Matikka

Extras:

• Sam Lipkin

• Ilya Fedotov

• Jonathan Castagna

• Yegor Borikov

• Tanner Ludtke