Author: Jesse

Utah approached its first of two fall scrimmages with a bit of caution.

The majority of the scrimmage for the first-teamers was “thud work” and didn’t include live tackling, with “live work” for the second-teamers.

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While there’s certainly time for physicality, and it’s something that Utah has incorporated into practices, coaches felt the best approach for the opening scrimmage of fall camp was to ease up on the starters and reduce the risk of injuries.

“We just felt it was the best approach for the first scrimmage,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Twos got all the live work … so got some good teaching tape and I think we’re in a good place right now, 10 practices in after today and 15 more to go and we’ll be ready to play.”

The first scrimmage of fall camp is an important time for coaches and players alike, and after seeing the team in a game-like setting, roster decisions can start to be made.

That includes the wide receiver group.

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Receivers

Whittingham said Monday that it feels like they’ve identified the top seven or eight receivers, the ones that will travel with the team to road games and the receivers that Utah will sink all of their practice reps into as the team moves forward in fall camp.

One of those players is Larry Simmons, the post-spring transfer from Southern Miss. Quarterback Devon Dampier mentioned that Simmons, who caught 27 balls for 421 yards and a score last season, had a “very big day” during Saturday’s scrimmage.

At another key position battle —starting outside cornerback — Blake Cotton is emerging.

“Blake Cotton, I’d say he’s got the edge right now,” Whittingham said.

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The 6-foot-2, 190-pound UC Davis transfer totaled 25 tackles and two pass breakups a season ago and has been locked in a very competitive battle between Don Saunders, Rock Caldwell and others.

Whoever gets the nod will start opposite Scooby Davis at outside corner. Smith Snowden will play nickel, but also play on the outside at times when Utah plays two cornerbacks.

Running backs

Another place where the depth chart has been whittled down is at running back, where Washington State transfer Wayshawn Parker and New Mexico transfer NaQuari Rogers have established themselves at the two top running backs.

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Both players share a similar build — Parker is 5-foot-10, 206 pounds; Rogers is 5-10, 205 — and the longtime Utes coach described both players as having similar styles.

“They both do an outstanding job of picking up blitzes, they’re not afraid, they stick their nose in there,” he said. “They’re north and south guys, so they run behind their pads well, get upfield. They both have good hands, so they’re very similar. NaQuari just has more experience; Wayshawn’s just a sophomore.”

Parker ran for 735 yards and four touchdowns on 137 carries in his freshman season, while Rogers totaled 382 yards and five touchdowns on 74 carries his junior season.

“They’re interchangeable as the one. We’re also having some good production from Daniel Bray, Raycine Guillory a couple of freshmen that they have a lot of promise and of course Devon is like a running back back there at times, so he’s adding to what we’re doing and then we’ve got guys running the speed sweeps, the wide receivers that are supplementary,” Whittingham said.

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Those receivers that could factor into the running game include Nate Johnson and Hunter Andrews.

QB2

As far as the backup quarterback competition goes, Utah still hasn’t made a decision, but one will come soon, possibly after Friday’s second and final scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The two contenders for the spot, sophomore Isaac Wilson and freshman Byrd Ficklin, both had their moments at Saturday’s scrimmage, but both also made mistakes, and the competition continues.

Wilson’s experience playing in nine games last season (1,510 yards, 10 TD, 11 INT, 56.4% completion) is working in his favor against Ficklin, who was impressive in high school but unproven at the collegiate level.

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“Obviously Isaac is the one that has the Division I experience, has helped him and will help him if he’s called upon this year. We’re not sure how Byrd will react in a game situation, just a true freshman, and so that works in Isaac’s favor as far as the experience factor,” Whittingham said.

Ficklin, meanwhile, has a game that more heavily incorporates the quarterback run and plays similarly to Dampier.

“Byrd is a guy that is very mature, doesn’t seem to flinch when his number’s called, when he gets his opportunities, and so whichever one emerges as the guy, we’ll have confidence in him,” Whittingham said.

At the defensive tackle position, where Utah will need some true freshmen to help out in the rotation, Whittingham highlighted Pupu Sepulona and Karson Kaufusi as standing out.

“They’re all doing things well and they’re all coming along and learning and getting better each day. We think that we’re going to have some real superstars emerge from that group,” Whittingham said.

The first game of the Alex Jensen era of Utah basketball is one step closer to reality.

The school announced the nonconference schedule for the Runnin’ Utes in the 2025-26 season, and it includes a pair of exhibition games, eight home games, three neutral-site matchups and a pair of road contests.

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Who is Utah basketball playing in its nonconference schedule?

• Oct. 17 — Nevada | exhibition

• Oct. 24 — at Oregon | exhibition

• Nov. 3 — San Jose State

• Nov. 8 — Weber State

• Nov. 10 — Holy Cross

• Nov. 15 — Sam Houston State

• Nov. 18 — Purdue Fort Wayne*

• Nov. 20 — Cal Poly

• Nov. 25 — vs. Grand Canyon&

• Nov. 26 — vs. Iowa/Ole Miss&

• Dec. 2 — at California

• Dec. 6 — Cal-Baptist

• Dec. 13 — vs. Mississippi State^

• Dec. 20 — Eastern Washington

• Dec. 29 — at Washington

Note: * at Huntsman Center as part of Acrisure Series; & at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, as part of Acrisure Series; ^ at Delta Center.

What stands out about Utah’s nonconference schedule?

• The schedule features a pair of exhibition matchups, including a trip to former Pac-12 rival Oregon.

• The Utes will begin regular-season action with six straight games at the Huntsman Center.

• Utah hosts Weber State — the first time the in-state schools have played since 2019. It’s part of a three-game series with the Wildcats, as Standard-Examiner’s Brett Hein first reported in May. The other games will be played in 2026 and 2028, according to Hein.

• This year’s multi-team event (MTE) for the Utes will take place in California at the Acrisure Series, where Utah will face Grand Canyon in its first year in the Mountain West Conference before taking on either Iowa or Ole Miss in its second matchup at the event.

• The Utes’ two true road games will both take place against former Pac-12 opponents at California and Washington.

• Utah will also face the SEC’s Mississippi State in a neutral-site matchup at the Delta Center. The two teams played a neutral-site game last year, when the Bulldogs beat the Utes at Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi.

Who will Utah play during Big 12 play?

Here’s a look at who Utah will play this season during its Big 12 schedule. Game times and dates will be released closer to the start of the season.

• Home and away: Arizona State, BYU, Colorado

• Home only: Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, TCU, UCF

• Away only: Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, West Virginia

Utah State’s Fall camp is in full swing as the Aggies prepare for the 2025 season with their season opener against UTEP less than a month out. There are still some questions about the depth chart, especially at receiver and at offensive line, but there are other position groups where the starters are clearer. So, who are the predicted starters and who are the backups that could make a difference and potentially see the field? Let’s get into it!

This article in the series will cover the quarterback and running back room.

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Quarterbacks

Starter: Bryson Barnes (Senior): Bryson Barnes is one of Utah State’s more experienced players. Last season as a junior, Barnes played in nine games and made three starts. He accounted for 1,386 total yards and passed for 856 yards (77-126; 61.1%) and 12 touchdowns to six interceptions. Barnes also rushed for 530 yards on 68 carries and scored five touchdowns on the ground. Before transferring to Utah State, Bryson Barnes played for Utah and played in 24 career games with 11 starts. At Utah, Barnes completed 181 of his 301 attempted passes (60.1%), and passed for 2,025 yards and 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. On the ground, Barnes rushed for 391 yards and three touchdowns on 111 carries. Bryson Barnes helped lead Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 titles and consecutive Rose Bowl appearances. His ability to throw the ball and run makes him an extremely important player to the success that Utah State’s offense can have.

Backup #1: Anthony Garcia (Sophomore): Anthony Garcia comes in from Arizona and also played at San Jose State in 2023. At Arizona, Garcia played in one game against Arizona State, where he rushed for one yard. Anthony Garcia had a very successful high school career and has shown the ability to fit into this new system and make plays. Anthony Garcia prepped at Capital Christian High School in California, and as a senior, Garcia threw for 2,689 yards and 34 touchdowns to four interceptions, completing 146 of his 250 pass attempts (58.4%). Garcia also rushed for 553 yards and scored eight rushing touchdowns as a senior. Anthony Garcia, a three-star recruit per 247Sports, fits the system well for the Aggies as a passer and a runner; he just needs to build on experience.

Backup #2: Jacob Conover (Graduate Student): Jacob Conover has played in 10 career games for BYU (2020-2022), Arizona State (2023), and Utah State (2024), and over his 10 games, Conover has completed 18 of his 52 passes (34.6%) for 197 yards and three interceptions. Conover was 2-4 for 24 yards passing least season and has yet to throw a touchdown pass in his career. Jacob Conover was a four-star recruit coming out of high school at Chandler (Arizona) High School. During his senior year, Conover threw for 3,306 yards and 38 touchdowns. In his time with Chandler (Arizona) High School, Jacob Conover threw for over 10,000 yards and 102 touchdowns as he worked towards becoming the 10th-best pro-style quarterback in the nation (247Sports).

Backup #3: CJ Tiller (Sophomore): CJ Tiller is in this position right now, but could very likely take over the second-string role because he does have experience at the college level. He did not appear in any games in 2024. Before coming to the Aggies, Tiller played for Boise State and appeared in two games. His first career start was in the LA Bowl against UCLA, and Tiller completed 12 of his 21 passes for 117 yards and an interception.

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Running Backs

Starter: Javen Jacobs (Junior): Javen Jacobs has now played for three schools in Arizona State, New Mexico, and Utah State. At New Mexico for the 2024 season, Jacobs appeared in seven games and rushed for 277 yards (40 carries) and three touchdowns. Jacobs also caught 17 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown during the 2024 season. At Arizona State (2022-2023), Javen Jacobs appeared in 15 games and gained eight yards on three carries, and returned nine punts and six kickoffs. Out of high school, Javen Jacobs was a three-star prospect and was ranked as the #1 athlete in Arizona and #24 overall prospect in Arizona (247Sports).

Backup #1: Miles Davis (Senior): Miles Davis spent five seasons at BYU from 2020-2024 and appeared in 27 games with one start. Over his career with the Cougars, Miles Davis rushed for 468 yards on 90 carries and two touchdowns, catching 16 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown. In high school, Davis was a three-star recruit out of Las Vegas High School and had 46 receptions for 1.041 yards and caught 11 touchdowns.

Backup #2: Derrick Jameson (Junior): During his sophomore year with the Aggies, Derrick Jameson appeared in four games, finishing 2024 with 15 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Against Washington State, Jameson scored on a 72-yard touchdown on his first-ever carry. Before coming to Utah State, Derrick Jameson spent two seasons at Iowa Central Community College from 2022-2023.

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Backup #3: Tre Kofe (Redshirt freshman): Tre Kofe redshirted the 2024 season, coming out of Corner Canyon High School in Utah. During his senior year, he had 781 yards of total offense, which included 369 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 75 carries, and 142 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 10 catches. After a productive high school career, Kofe went on a two-year LDS mission before arriving at Utah State.

Coming up next in the series: Receivers

After tying the competitive course record with a 10-under 62 on Saturday, there was still one major goal to accomplish for newly minted professional Martin Leon on Sunday in the final round of the Salt Lake City Open at Bonneville Golf Course.

That goal was to beat the tournament record.

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Mission accomplished.

Martin, a former University of Utah golfer from Chile, carded a 7-under 65 on Sunday to post a 17-under 127 and beat 2023 champion Mitchell Schow’s tournament record by two shots. The 2023 Utah State Amateur champion repeated the title he won last year, when he posted a 9-under 135.

Leon, 23, wins $4,500 for the effort, and gets to pocket all of it this time around. When he won last year, he was an amateur and so low pro Rhett Rasmussen got the first-place prize money, which was $4,000.

“I really like Bonneville, ever since I moved here five years ago,” Leon said. “I would come and play here pretty much every weekend during the summer with some friends, and yeah, I think I just got used to the place.”

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Skyline High senior Austin Shelley placed second with an 8-under 136 (70-66) and was the low amateur, while Schow placed third at 7-under 137 (67-70).

Professionals Spencer Wallace and Pete Stone and amateurs Tyler Ewell and John Fox tied for fourth at -6.

After playing bogey-free on Saturday, Leon was not quite as sharp on Sunday — making three bogeys — but it hardly mattered. There was a moment Sunday when Fox got within a shot of Leon with a birdie on No. 12, but the amateur would bogey four of his last six holes to drop down the leaderboard.

Leon bounced back from bogeys on 9 and 11 with an eagle on 12 and birdies on 13 and 14 to regain his big lead, and he cruised to the finish line.

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“Lovely,” he said when he was told he broke the tournament record by two shots.

“I did not know that. I remember Mitch played pretty well two years ago. I played with him, so that’s great to know.”

Leon didn’t make anything longer than 25 feet over the course of the 36 holes, but credited his putting for the victory.

“The putter was pretty hot this week,” he said.

He thanked Bonneville head professional Lynsey Myers for putting most of the pins on the backs of the greens, “because the greens were so firm you had no chance to stop it.”

After he left the University of Utah, Leon played for Rutgers in 2023-24 and for the University of San Francisco in 2024-25. The Salt Lake City Open was his first tournament as a professional.

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He said he will play in the Larry H. Miller Utah Open at Riverside Country Club in Provo this week, then head out to European Tour Qualifying School the following week. If things go well there, he might sign up to play in the PGA Tour Qualifying School this fall.

Leon said he would eventually like to call Utah his permanent home.

“The people here have been super welcoming, and the support system here is great. I really enjoy Utah overall. It kind of reminds me a little bit of home,” he said. “… I’m just one random kid from Chile, but since I went to the U. you guys have been awesome to me.

“I went to New Jersey, then went to California, and you don’t really feel that same hospitality (at those places). I really like being here, and that’s why, eventually, one day, I hope I can fully move back here.”

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Todd Tanner was the low senior professional, shooting a 3-under 141, and earned $2,600 for the win.

Bountiful’s Haley Sturgeon, who was second at last week’s Utah Women’s Open, was the low women’s pro with a 4-over 148 and earned $750 for the effort.

The post Jazz rumors: Utah’s plans for veteran acquired in Celtics trade appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Utah Jazz are entering another year of their rebuild after selecting Rutgers star Ace Bailey with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. But even with a youth movement, teams still need veteran players to help keep the locker room in sync. The Jazz acquired another veteran player in Georges Niang in a trade with the Boston CelticsGeorges Niang in a trade with the Boston Celtics, and the team does plan to hold on to him, as per NBA insider Jake Fischer.

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“Sources say Utah plans to keep veteran big man Georges Niang after reacquiring Niang this week in a trade with Boston,” Fischer reports. “The Jazz also acquired second-round picks from the Celtics in 2027 and 2031 in the trade that sent two-way guard RJ Luis to Boston.”

It’s a good move for the Jazz to keep Georges Niang on the roster following the trade. Young, rebuilding teams need veteran leadership and Niang certainly provides that. The organization is also familiar with Niang as he played four seasons for the Jazz from 2017-2021.

Niang finished last season with the Atlanta Hawks, and was traded to the Celtics in the Kristaps Porzingis trade. The Celtics then shipped him to the Jazz. Niang gave the Hawks a strong boost off the bench after being acquired at the deadline in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Niang appeared in 28 games for the Hawks after the deadline, including two starts, at just about 23 minutes per game. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists with splits of 44.1 percent shooting from the field, 41.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 79.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

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The Jazz finished last season at 17-65 and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Jazz will be heading into Will Hardy’s fourth season at the helm as head coach.

Related: 1 move Utah Jazz should’ve made in 2025 NBA offseason

Johnathan Hall is an important piece at a position of strength for the Utah defense going into the 2025 season.

The Utes’ linebacking group, with its talent and returning experience, is expected to be the driving force of success for Morgan Scalley’s defense this season, and Hall — the presumed LB3 alongside seniors Lander Barton and Levani Damuni — will play a major role in it.

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For the first time since he arrived in Utah ahead of the 2023 season, Hall has had a full offseason as a linebacker. The junior started off his college career at safety, but was moved to linebacker going into 2024.

With that full offseason to continue to hone his skills at the new position, both the player and his position coach are understandably optimistic about what Hall can accomplish in 2025.

“I’m really comfortable. Really comfortable,” Hall said Thursday, about working next to Barton and Damuni in the middle of what is annually a tough Utah defense.

Utah linebackers coach Colton Swan, too, has high expectations for Hall in 2025.

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“I think I’m going to be pleasantly surprised with how much development and growth he’s had,” Swan said July 30, the day fall camp opened. “You know, we flipped him right to linebacker before the start of the season last year, and so, not fair to him to have any experience doing it, but he did a great job.

“Now going through a spring and leading into this fall, he’s a phenomenal player as it is, but now he’s had a year under his belt. I’m expecting some great things.”

Hall’s first experience playing linebacker in college was a success. During the 2024 season, Hall had 38 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack and four passes defended, along with an interception.

His nine tackles for loss tied for the team lead.

“I think I’ve grown a lot, truly a lot. Coach Swan is a big part of that. And I just, I give him 100% of everything I have.”

Utah linebacker Johnathan Hall

Hall credited his fellow starters, Barton and Damuni, for the help they’ve given him in finding that level of comfort, one year after logging his most significant reps as a Ute. That included starting three games.

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“(Barton and Damuni) helped me a lot, both of the guys, they helped me a lot,” Hall said.

For Hall, Barton and Damuni (the latter of whom missed last season due to injury), there will be a lot of expectations to deliver in the 2025 season — and that’s fine for a group that has more than 40 combined collegiate starts among them.

“I think we complement one another really well. I think Lander, he’s more of the talkative leader. I think I’m more of a playmaker, but I’m the leader, as in … I can get guys together, like, ‘Hey, let’s go,’ things of that nature,” Hall said.

“And then Levani, he’s a vet, man. He’s been here for, I don’t know how long he’s played in college. He’s definitely a great addition to our linebacking corps.”

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Hall also gives a lot of credit to Swan for the growth he’s seen at linebacker.

“I think I’ve grown a lot, truly a lot. Coach Swan is a big part of that,” he said. “And I just, I give him 100% of everything I have.”

With Utah’s season opener at UCLA on Aug. 30 just three weeks away, Hall is liking what he’s seeing from the defense as a whole.

“I think the defense is progressing really well. I love the tempo,” he said following Utah’s second day in full pads during fall camp on Thursday. “I love the passion we’re playing with right now.”

He also has positive things to say about the offense he lines up against every day in practice as it goes through a transition to a spread offense under first-year coordinator Jason Beck.

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“I love playing against it. It’s something I’ve never played against before, really unique, and I hope we can carry this on to the season,” Hall said.

“Just the style — the style is nothing that I’m used to: spread offense, a lot of motions, a lot of pulls, counters, things of that nature, so I’ve been getting used to it, but I really enjoy playing against it.”

One interesting wrinkle to that new-look offense is that Barton is getting reps at tight end — something head coach Kyle Whittingham first talked about at Big 12 media days in July and has garnered a fair amount of attention since then.

During his high school career at nearby Brighton High, Barton had 72 career receptions for 816 yards and 17 touchdowns. It’s an exciting element that Utah hopes to utilize in revitalizing its offense.

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Hall hopes for success on that side of the ball for his linebacker mate, but he’s also jokingly ready for the competition when the two line up against each other in practice.

“We always joke about it … but he can’t catch no pass on me,” Hall said.

After finishing an 11-year run as the bumbling but lovable Phil Dunphy on “Modern Family,” Ty Burrell created a new beginning of sorts and moved to Utah.

The actor and his wife, Holly — a Utah native who went to Kaysville’s Davis High School, per Deseret News — made the move with their two daughters back in 2020.

Five years later, Burrell is adamant that starting this new chapter in Salt Lake City has been a good move for his family.

“It’s just been spectacular,” he recently told People. “We moved here right after (’Modern Family’) ended, and I don’t have any regrets. It’s been lovely and a great place to raise the kids.”

Ty Burrell’s history with Utah

Burrell’s history with Utah actually dates back to 1999, when he took part in a production at Pioneer Theatre Company so he could be closer to Holly, who was his then-girlfriend, the actor wrote in a 2014 essay for HuffPost.

The couple, who met in the late 1990s when they were both studying at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., have had a home in Utah since 2008.

Over the years, Burrell has made his mark on Utah.

The actor co-owns the Beer Bar restaurant and Bar X on 200 South in downtown Salt Lake City; The Eating Establishment in Park City; and The Cotton Bottom in Holladay, per Deseret News.

And at the start of the pandemic, the Burrells wrote a check for $100,000 that helped establish the online fund Tip Your Server, which raised money for out-of-work servers in the local restaurant industry, as the Deseret News reported.

It was always their plan to move back to Utah when “Modern Family” ended, Burrell previously told the Deseret News.

What else Ty Burrell said about living in Utah

Although Burrell has been connected to Utah over the years, living in the Beehive State full-time was still a bit of an adjustment, he recently told People.

Growing up, he said, his family didn’t take part in a lot of outdoor adventures, so being surrounded by mountains and an abundance of hiking trails was somewhat jarring.

“At first, when we moved here, it almost felt like cosplay, like we were pretending to be people who were outdoorsy,” Burrell said. “And now we really truly love it.”

Since living in Utah, Burrell has been spotted at a few Utah Jazz games — on one occasion flashing the U in support of the Utah Utes.

He and fellow actor Katherine Heigl — who has also praised Utah as being a great place to raise a family — also recently provided narration for a pair of videos that were part of the final bid presentation to the International Olympic Committee for the 2034 Olympic Games, per Deseret News.

Heigl, who lives in Oakley, Summit County, has said that leaving Hollywood for more of a slow-paced, small-town life was the “right choice” for her family, as the Deseret News previously reported.

“I didn’t know how to raise them in L.A.,” she previously told E! News. “So I felt like I could do it here.”

In 1992, MTV premiered a new television program called “The Real World.” In it, producers cast a handful of young adults who didn’t know one another to live in an outrageous mansion together for a few months and drink themselves nearly to death.

For children of the 1990s, these hot young people — hardly older than us — were a televised testament that maybe we too could be trusted to navigate the complexities of adulthood.

The show’s format and early seasons were particularly eye-opening for Utah Latter-day Saint teenagers, what with the partying and scandalous coed living. The unadulterated hedonism intrigued us while also allowing us to dip our toes into disrepute without ourselves becoming disreputable. “The Real World” was disconnected from our real world, filmed off in some distant land involving distant people with distant lives we could hardly understand. It was exciting in the way a lot of fiction is exciting. Aspirational, even if unrelatable.

Then Julie Stoffer showed up.

I was 15 when Julie, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a Brigham Young University student, was cast for Season 9 of “The Real World.” There was a soft MTV ban in my home due to the network’s proclivity, in my parents’ view, to promote general hooliganism. But even they had to confess their own curiosity about a sister in Zion crossing the gritty airwaves of teen impropriety.

It’s hard to explain how scintillating it was to discover a fellow Utah saint on MTV at that time. There had been a small slew of Beehive State celebrities through the years — usually of the Osmond variety — but we had rarely seen our faith and culture examined under such a worldly microscope.

And it wasn’t like this Julie person was a former church member. We’d seen those. We claimed them even while they disavowed us. But there was a limit to how connected we could actually feel to those who tried to hide the connection themselves.

All that talk about BYU

Julie was an active Latter-day Saint, proudly claiming our lovely Deseret. She was a current student of the Lord’s University. BYU wasn’t her alma mater. It was her Alma. I don’t know whether that joke makes sense. I haven’t been to church since Mitt Romney was a presidential candidate.

The point is, my peers and I devoured Julie’s season, salivating over every reference to our faith and state.

“Did you hear them talk about BYU in the last episode?” I remember my friend Tim asking. “They talked about her going to BYU.”

We were embarrassed when Latter-day Saints on television were embarrassing. And we watched with a plea in our hearts that they represent us well. But even when they didn’t, we couldn’t look away.

Evidently deciding that “no press is bad press,” the episode in which Julie’s family visited and judged her fellow cast members over their partying habits and sexual orientation was like having fry sauce pumped into our veins. “Our parents would disown us,” I remember one of Julie’s brothers telling the gay roommate after wondering aloud what would happen if one of his siblings was gay.

One episode featured Julie talking with the BYU Honor Code Office about whether her broadcast turpitude merited expulsion. “She’s just doing missionary work,” my friend Nick argued. “Even Jesus hung out with the prostitutes and marijuana addicts.”

The season ended, but the drama did not. Articles about Julie’s ongoing consternations with BYU drummed up dialogue in our community. There were continued discussions about whether she did our faith a favor as she was suspended from school for living with men on television.

Our very own ‘Survivor’

Julie’s name had barely left our lips when suddenly, in 2002, Neleh Dennis was cast on “Survivor.” Premiering at the turn of the century, “Survivor” was structured around a social strategy game in which contestants were required to compete in challenges, forage for food, and “out-survive” other players.

Utah news outlets covered Neleh’s assent in the contest like it was a presidential race. The coverage was exclusively positive. Neleh was cute. She was folksy. She was charming.

She was ours.

Every time Neleh uttered “oh my heck” it felt like our names were being individually read aloud on prime-time TV.

The neighborhood parents were less horrified by Neleh’s coed living than they had been with Julie’s. Maybe Julie had paved the way for Neleh, or maybe it’s not really living in sin if there’s no roof. Whatever the reason, Neleh was treated differently. She wasn’t a controversy; she was a revered ambassador.

It was reported that Neleh had selected a copy of the Book of Mormon as a personal item to bring with her to the island. One of my Sunday school teachers cut out an article about this and read it to us, citing it as an example of missionary work coming in all shapes and sizes.

“Neleh could have brought Teen Vogue,” Sister Swenson said. “But she didn’t. She brought scriptures. Maybe that’s why the Lord is helping her do so well on ‘Survivor.’” We amen’ed that. We amen’ed the hell out of that.

Neleh truly was successful, outlasting nearly all the other contestants that season until she made it to the finals against another player named Vecepia. My entire extended family gathered at my Aunt Tami’s house to watch Jeff Probst’s live reading of the last votes. “Please win,” I whispered to myself throughout the broadcast. “Please, please win.”

We screamed in excitement whenever Jeff revealed a card with Neleh’s name on it. We booed Vecepia. We didn’t have any particular issue with the latter. But her success felt like a challenge to our way of life.

Another Deseret defeat

Neleh took second that season. She lost by a vote or two. I cried when it happened. I had recently come off two Utah Jazz finals losses to the Chicago Bulls. My heart could barely handle another Deseret defeat.

After Julie and Neleh, Utah’s dabbling in reality television became more and more common, to the point that we eventually stopped noticing it so much. Producers pushed the this-might-be-a-sister-wife angle less in introducing characters, aware that the novelty had worn off enough that the general public wouldn’t be intrigued to tune in just because a Utah Latter-day Saint was being paraded across the television like an exotic zoo animal.

It’s funny to me now that we cared so much — as if my life or anyone’s perception of Utah could ever change in any meaningful way just because David Archuleta nailed “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in the season finale of “American Idol” (another reality show runner-up from the Beehive State).

It doesn’t really matter, of course. It didn’t then, and it doesn’t now. I know that. I probably kind of knew it then, too.

Still, even today, when a new set of characters is introduced in the first episode of my favorite reality programs and I find out one of them lives just a few miles from my house, I can’t help but think from somewhere not very deep down, “Please don’t be crazy. Please don’t be racist. Please don’t say ‘oh my heck.’”

“Please, please win.”

Note to readers • Eli McCann is an attorney, writer and podcaster in Salt Lake City, where he lives with his husband, new child and their two naughty (yet worshipped) dogs. You can find Eli on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EliMcCann or at his personal website, www.itjustgetsstranger.com, where he tries to keep the swearing to a minimum so as not to upset his mother. This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.