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Kyle Whittingham and the Michigan Wolverines landed an experienced player in the 2026 offseason, earning the commitment of defender John Henry Daley.

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Daley announced his commitment to the Wolverines on Thursday, per On3 insider Pete Nakos. He last represented the Utah Utes, leaving the program after two seasons. He first represented the BYU Cougars for two years before joining Utah.

Daley boasts a four-star ranking with a 93 score on 247Sports. He stands out as the ninth-best player at his position and 49th-best player in the transfer class. When he came out of high school, he had a three-star ranking with an 87 score. He listed ninth in the state of Utah and 47th among athletes in the 2021 class.

What’s next for Michigan after landing John Henry Daley

It’s quite the pickup for Kyle Whittingham and Michigan to make in the defensive unit, landing the talents of John Henry Daley.

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Daley will have two years of eligibility remaining, meaning that the Wolverines would have him for the 2026 and 2027 campaigns if he stays there to conclude his career.

The experienced defender is rehabbing his Achilles, having torn it last November. Prior to the injury, he was playing at an incredibly high level.

He tied for the FBS lead with 17.5 tackles for loss and ranked second in the country with 11.5 sacks. Despite missing the end of the season, he earned All-America honors from Walter Camp (First Team), AFCA (Second Team), AP (Second Team) and CBS Sports (Second Team). He also earned All-Big 12 First Team honors after getting votes from the league’s coaches.

It also helps Daley that he is already familiar with Whittingham, following him from Utah. That will give him an advantage in obtaining a solid role in the defense, providing a significant boost to that side of the ball.

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The Wolverines enter a new era of college football with Whittingham leading the way. They moved on from Sherrone Moore following controversial events, going 16-8 with him at the helm after two seasons. Whittingham will look to bring the program back into national championship contention, a standard that Michigan holds itself to.

Related: Louisville Cardinals land 7-sack North Carolina star in transfer portal

Related: USC Trojans lose former 5-star QB to transfer portal

If you ask Morgan Scalley, he’ll tell you he has a long-term plan for Utah football.

But on Tuesday, the Utes’ new head coach spoke off the cuff.

He had no speech prepared. There were no notes in hand. At his first news conference in Utah since taking the top job, Scalley wanted to speak from the heart.

“I’m a baby,” he said while growing emotional inside Rice-Eccles Stadium. “But, man, is our team gonna rip your face off.”

With longtime coach Kyle Whittingham stepping down last month and unexpectedly leaving for Michigan — taking a conglomeration of BYU and Utah staffers with him — Scalley has had to swiftly pick up the pieces and establish Utah’s new identity.

He’s hired a new staff and has now turned his focus to building next season’s roster.

With the transfer portal open and set to close on Jan. 16, Scalley’s been focused first on player retention.

“You’re always recruiting your own guys,” he said. “They need to know that they’re loved. They need to know that they’re appreciated. A coach’s job is to provide clarity, accountability and support, and as long as you’re giving them constant feedback … That constant feedback is huge. You don’t get many surprises with that.”

He’s also had to keep his eye on bringing new players in, too.

The Utes have been active in the transfer portal early in the cycle.

“We will bring the ones that want to be here, and we will develop them and love them,“ Scalley said. ”The future is bright here. At the end of the day, you’re either in the boat or you’re out.”

Pickups in the portal

The Utes have received a handful of commitments since the transfer portal opened on Jan. 2.

Former Oklahoma freshman safety Marcus Wimberly committed to the program on Monday. He redshirted with the Sooners in 2025 and was a three-star recruit in the previous recruiting cycle.

Utah also picked up North Texas sophomore defensive end Ethan Day, who had 53 tackles and 4.5 sacks this season. The Utes needed to find production on the edge after Logan Fano declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and All-American John Henry Daley entered the portal and committed to Michigan on Thursday.

Alongside Day, the Utes added Wyoming sophomore defensive tackle Lucas Samsula. He finished the season with eight solo tackles and 1.5 sacks.

“You’ll always have to be physical,” Scalley said of establishing Utah’s identity in the trenches. “[That starts with] establishing the offensive and the defensive lines. I also believe that you have to be innovative. You have to be creative.”

The Utes have also reportedly secured a talented wideout to help new offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven. Utah State transfer wide receiver Braden Pegan, who had more than 900 receiving yards last year under McGiven, is set to join the Utes, according to multiple reports.

If Utah’s bowl performance was any sign of what’s to come, the Utes could let it fly more often than they did under Whittingham.

Player retention

So far, the Utes have earned several commitments from key contributors set to return in 2025.

The Utes have locked down wide receivers Creed Whittemore and Daidren Zipperer.

They’ve also picked up commitments from safeties Jackson Bennee, Rabbit Evans and Nate Ritchie. On Wednesday, running back Wayshawn Parker announced he had re-signed with the Utes.

But the Utes also appear to be saying goodbye to some key contributors from last season. Tight end JJ Buchanan and defensive tackles Jonah Lea’ea and Dallas Vakalahi all entered the transfer portal this week.

Scalley is still waiting on official word from quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin, who already signed a deal to return.

After bringing McGiven to Salt Lake City to replace offensive coordinator Jason Beck, Scalley’s hoping to sell last year’s top weapons on his new play caller.

“It doesn’t hurt that we already have the skill players that have [been in] a similar system, ” Scalley said. “That’s the beauty for them.”

In a high-scoring, up-tempo affair, the Colorado Buffaloes pulled away late from the Utah Utes for their 12th win of the season. Neither team could guard each other, nor protect the rim, but it was the Buffs who made winning plays down the stretch to ultimately win 85-73.

Colorado had a balanced attack in the first half, running their motion offense through off-ball screens and backdoor cuts, with their guards finding incisive passes or drives. Sebastian Rancik did his usual best drawing fouls, Josiah Sanders had some shifty drives, and star guards Barrington Hargress and Isaiah Johnson hit timely jumpers.

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Utah’s scoring was more star-driven, but it was no hero ball. Don McHenry and Terrence Brown scored 30 of 38 first half points, with McHenry particularly hot making 7 of 9 shots. Where head coach Alex Jensen succeeded was countering CU’s 1-2-2 zone press. Utah kept the ball moving and worked their way to open shots, sometimes taking one or two dribbles total per possession.

CU switched to a 2-3 zone and found some success there, at least until the Utes cracked the code to that one too. During this brief stretch of solid defense, the Buffs enjoyed a 10-point lead for seven or eight minutes. Bangot Dak had some nice inside finishes and a triple, Felix Kossaras and Alon Michaeli hit catch-and-shoot threes, and the Buffs had some exciting fast breaks after causing turnovers.

Utah hung around a bit too long. That 2-3 zone didn’t last long before Tad Boyle oscillated between man-to-man and the same zone press as before. None of them worked, as the Utes’ sharp passing beat the zone, while CU’s lackadaisical help defense left the perimeter defenders exposed. The Utes cut the deficit to 65-63 and remained down 2 or 4 for the next five minutes.

That was as close as Utah got before the Buffs pulled away. They certainly had their chances, but were denied at the rim, twice by Kossaras, and then again by Dak who followed up his rejection with a put-back slam on the other end. Once CU had some breathing room, it was Rancik and Johnson getting to the rack and drawing fouls, just as they did last weekend in Tempe.

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There’s a lot to be desired on the defensive end, but it’s another deserved win for the Buffs. They’re now 12-3 on the season, 2-0 in Big 12 play, and looking like they can compete in a loaded conference. It helps when you assist more than half your baskets, even better when you shoot 19/21 from the free throw line.

Colorado will be tested on Saturday (5 PM, CBS Sports Network) when they host the #14 Texas Tech Red Raiders, an elite offensive unit led by consensus All-American JT Toppin and the shifty Christian Anderson who’s averaging 19.6 points and 7.5 assists per game.

For a half Wednesday night, Kansas had the Utah women’s basketball team out of its usual rhythm on offense.

That helped the Jayhawks take an eight-point lead through one quarter and lead by as many as 10 points.

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In the second half, though, the Utes began to better resemble themselves offensively, particularly from 3-point range, and it helped Utah earn a hard-fought 62-59 victory at Phog Allen Fieldhouse in the Utes’ first game since they knocked off No. 8 TCU last Saturday.

“We have to have a response every game. I mean, we lost a couple ones that we should have won early in the preseason,” Utah senior guar Lani White said in a postgame interview on ESPN+. “This entire season, we just try to respond every game, fixing the things that we need to change, and honing in on things that we’re really good at.”

The methodical comeback and victory still had a tense ending, though, after Kansas trimmed a 62-50 lead down to a single possession in the final minute, as Utah went the final four and a half minutes without a point.

It was reminiscent of Utah’s win over Arizona to start Big 12 play, when the Utes led by 16 but had to get a defensive stop on the final possession to win.

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Elle Evans’ 3 with 39.3 seconds to go made it 62-59, and the Jayhawks chose to play defense instead of foul on the next possession. White shot a fadeaway that didn’t draw iron, and it left Kansas with 7.9 seconds and with a chance to tie.

Following a timeout, S’mya Nichols, who had 19 points and five assists for Kansas, got a good look from straightaway, but her 3-point attempt came up short and Utah rebounded the ball.

The nerve-wracking moments weren’t over — Reese Ross was fouled after the 3-point miss and went to the free-throw line, but she missed both and gave Kansas hope with 0.8 seconds to play.

Lilly Meister’s 3 was well short, though, and Utah hung on.

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“We have been working all week on our defense. Kansas had a lot of sets, so we were just trying to be (connected) within our defense, switching everything, just trying to talk. But we’ve come a long way defensively,” White said.

White was a catalyst for the Utes’ second-quarter rally, when they turned a 20-10 game into a 20-all tie and eventually went into the half down two.

She scored seven straight for the Utes in just over a minute and a half, and it helped a once-moribund offense start to get on track.

White ended up scoring 17 points and finishing with five rebounds, two steals and an assist — to go with two turnovers — in pacing the Utes.

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Ross, the Utes’ hard-nosed front court player, nearly had another double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, and Chyra Evans had 10 points and six rebounds.

Those two, in particular, helped Utah finish with a 42-30 rebounding edge, and the Utes turned that into a 12-7 edge in second-chance points after grabbing 11 offensive rebounds to four for Kansas.

Utah’s second-half 3-point shooting, albeit inefficient, also played a big role in the win.

At one point in the third quarter, both Utah and Kansas had hit just two 3-pointers each — a rare poor shooting effort from two of the best 3-point shooting teams in the Big 12.

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The Utes, though, finally created some separation by hitting from outside. First, White made a step-back 3 to give Utah a then game-high four-point lead at 41-37.

Then, freshman guard LA Sneed drilled two 3-pointers, including one as the shot ticked down in the final seconds of the third quarter, to make it 47-41 Utes going into the final period.

Utah shot 57.1% in the third quarter and 4 of 8 from 3-point range.

The Utes ended up making 9 of 28 3-point shots — not the most promising outside shooting night, but far succeeding Kansas’ 3 of 16 struggles.

It was enough to helped offset the Utes losing the turnover battle 17-9 and getting outscored 14-6 in points off turnovers.

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In conference play, a win — no matter how it comes — counts the same way in the victory column, and for the Utes, they’ll take a two-game win streak into a road game at Kansas State on Saturday.

“It means everything,” White said, of winning on the road. “Our motto is, we’re down on the road always. I mean, it’s us against the crowd, it’s us against traveling, it’s us against the refs. Always. So (the) mentality for us, is we got to fight.”

Utah’s first Big 12 win is going to have to wait, after the Runnin’ Utes fell 85-73 to Colorado at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado, on Wednesday.

That dropped Utah to 8-7 on the season and 0-2 in Big 12 play.

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Here are three takeaways from the game.

Buffaloes made the plays at the start and the end

Colorado got out to a quick 11-1 lead, much like the 14-2 deficit Utah found itself trailing by last Saturday against No. 1 Arizona.

To the Utes’ credit, they rallied and made a game out of this one.

Colorado, though, simply was the more consistent team in earning the win.

The Buffaloes shot better from the field, 46.8% to 39.4%, outrebounded the Utes 41-35 and outscored Utah in bench points, 33-8.

The Utes made it tough, eventually whittling a 10-point Colorado lead down to two points in the last 10 minutes.

After a Keanu Dawes jumper made it 69-67 with 3:58 to play, the Buffaloes responded with a decisive 8-0 run over the next couple of minutes and Colorado pulled away for the win.

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The Buffaloes ended the game on a 16-6 run.

Utah’s Big 3 showed up big-time

As is becoming the norm, Utah’s top three players carried the effort for Utah.

Don McHenry led all scorers with 24 points, with 18 of those coming in the first half. He finished with seven rebounds and an assist, to just one turnover.

Keanu Dawes contributed across the board, with 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Terrence Brown, meanwhile, also had 16 points and added three assists and two steals. He shot just 5 of 17 from the field, though.

There were some other bright spots for Utah. That included Utah finishing with seven turnovers, to 11 for Colorado, and the Utes owned a 15-11 edge in second-chance points.

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It wasn’t enough, though.

Colorado’s balance won out

The Buffaloes entered the night with five players averaging in double-figures.

They ended Wednesday night’s contest with four players scoring in double digits. That was led by Sebastian Rancik, who had 19 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Bangot Dak was big in the paint, as he posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds and added two assists.

Colorado also made more 3-pointers, eight to five, and was better at the free-throw line, going 19 of 21 while Utah was 16 of 23.

In a game where Colorado led for more than 39 minutes but Utah still hung around, too many little things went against the Utes.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — MJ Collins Jr. scored 20 points as Utah State beat Air Force 99-62 on Tuesday night.

Collins shot 8 of 14 from the field, including 2 for 6 from 3-point range, and went 2 for 3 from the line for the Aggies (13-1, 4-0 Mountain West Conference). Kolby King scored 15 points while shooting 4 for 7 from beyond the arc and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. Mason Falslev had 13 points and shot 4 of 6 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. The Aggies extended their winning streak to six games.

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Caleb Walker led the Falcons (3-12, 0-4) in scoring, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds. Air Force also got 11 points from Kam Sanders. The loss was the Falcons’ eighth straight.

Utah State took the lead for good with 19:37 left in the first half. The score was 45-31 at halftime, with Adlan Elamin racking up 11 points. Utah State extended its lead to 58-35 during the second half, fueled by a 9-0 scoring run. Collins scored a team-high 11 points in the second half to close out the win.

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided byData Skriveand data fromSportradar.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – Morgan Scalley has been a Ute since the day he was born. His father played for the Utes, and after graduating from Highland High, Scalley became an All-American safety at Utah.

Now, after 18 years as an assistant coach, Scalley has his dream job.

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“I’m one of you,” Scalley said at his introductory press conference Tuesday. “I’m a fan. I’m a Ute. I have been forever, and always will be.”

Scalley, who is already 1-0 as the Utes head coach after leading Utah to a 44-22 win over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl, has had opportunities to leave. But he couldn’t pass up his dream job.

Kevin McGiven named Utes offensive coordinator

“I never wanted to leave here,” Scalley said. “My family is here and I don’t want to ever uproot that as long as I felt valued. There have been opportunities. YDo you listen to those opportunities? Yeah. But then you tell those opportunities, thank you, but no thank you.”

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Scalley admits he wouldn’t be here without Kyle Whittingham, who stepped down as Utah’s head coach after 21 years last month. Scalley said he will be eternally grateful for what Whittingham has done for him.

“Kyle Wittingham has given me chance after chance after chance for my entire career,” Scalley said, fighting through tears. “I love Kyle Whittingham for mentoring me, tutoring me, breathing life into me when I didn’t necessarily love football.”

As for why Whittingham left, and eventually took the head coaching job at Michigan, athletic director Mark Harlan said they both agreed it was the right time.

Colton Swan named Utah defensive coordinator

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“I just think there was a peace that came over him,” Harlan said. “That’s that’s my own take. But maybe not enough for him to say, I’m going to step away. He did not want to use the word retirement, and I understood what that meant. The legacy of Kyle doesn’t change by by any of us. He was extraordinary for this university, and he trained Morgan to be the very best he can be.”

Scalley has been busy since taking over the program a couple weeks ago. He has already promoted linebackers coach Colton Swan to defensive coordinator, and brought Kevin McGiven over from Utah State to run the offense. As a defensive coach, Scalley has always loved McGiven’s offensive innovation.

“If you watch and study the film, you’ll see the issues that his offense can present,” Scalley said of McGiven. “Being the head coach in waiting, there is a lot of people who will reach out to you because they think any year is the next year. Every year, his name comes up.”

Scalley is now scouring the transfer portal and trying to keep the talent he has on the team.

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“You have to trust the process that we’re going to continue to reload and that we’re continuing to get the right people in here,” he said. “To those who are fearful and and want to leave, that’s OK. Because we will bring the ones that want to be here.”

Scalley says the identity of Utah football will not change, and they will continue to pursue the ultimate goal.

Morgan Scalley era begins with Las Vegas Bowl romp

“We are physical, we’re going to score and we’re going to play great defense,” Scalley said. “The goal now is playing in January, and getting the national championship. I’m not ashamed to say that we can do it here at the University of Utah.”

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

Do you want to see a hilarious statistic? 6-6. In the past 12 games, this is the win-loss record of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the number one seed in the Western Conference and owners of the best record in the entire National Basketball Association. Having most recently lost to the Charlotte Hornets 124-90, the top-seeded Thunder and NBA Draft Lottery-bound Hornets share that 6-6 stretch.

So, what’s the big deal? Stuff like this happens all the time in sports, and especially so during an 82-game season, right? Well, yes, basketball teams go through cold spells all the time, but something about this tumble feels particularly curious when considering this season’s edition of OKC.

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Prior to this 6-6 stretch, Oklahoma City held a 24-1 record, having lost just one game in its first 25 contests. This is a feat shared by only one team in the history of the NBA: the 73-win Golden State Warriors.

Oklahoma City had the basketball community scrambling for answers. Just like the Warriors in 2015-16, the NBA had no response to OKC’s dominance, only this team was built to last another decade. Stuffed with young talent in MVP-winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, a ‘big three’ of that caliber has already proven capable of lifting the NBA Finals trophy in June, and all three of those players are still below the age of 27.

But suddenly — inexplicably — the Thunder began to flop. Losses to Charlotte, Phoenix, and Minnesota were one thing, but a pattern of failure against the San Antonio Spurs was truly eyebrow-raising. Three losses force-fed by Chef Wembanyama and friends painted a pattern of inadequacy and exposed gaps in what once seemed to be an impregnable defense around Castle OKC.

Enter the Utah Jazz on a four-game losing skid, with a no-refund ticket package into the Paycom Center. I’m no doctor, but this, to me, seems like an excellent remedy for losing.

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Utah, with a 12-23 record and the sixth-best odds on the NBA Lottery ladder, enters Oklahoma City with very little desire to show up the reigning champions. Finally back under the top-eight protection umbrella of their first-round pick, the Jazz are actively fighting to retain their first-round selection from the already bloated war chest of OKC’s draft capital.

The Jazz are winners in just four of their last 14 games, plummeting back to Earth in spite of the extra-terrestrial performance of breakout guard Keyonte George this season. George and Markkanen are averaging 24.3 and 27.7 points per game to this point in the season, respectively, which are both top 20 in the association, but Utah’s defense has been… how do I put this delicately? Utah’s defense has been an affront to the very sanctity of Dr. Naismith’s vision.

There are many reasons why Walker Kessler is such a coveted center on the trade market every season. This is what happens when Utah’s defensive anchor is absent. With Kessler out for the season, and the tanking Jazz finally returning to familiarity, this game is Oklahoma City’s for the taking.

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We’ll see what actually happens, though. These two teams — at least recently — have been complete mysteries.

How to watch Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Wednesday, Jan 7, 2026
Time: 6 PM Mt
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Channel: Jazz+, KJZZ
Odds: OKC -17.5

Calvin Barrett is a writer, editor, and prolific Mario Kart racer located in Tokyo, Japan. He has covered the NBA and College Sports since 2024.