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A curveball thrown in Utah Valley’s schedule benefited Adam Hall and his Utah Valley squad.

A historic winter storm roared through Oklahoma, canceling UVU’s Jan. 25 dual at Oklahoma State.

It wiped out a shot against a top-10 team and kept the Wolverines out of competition since Jan. 17.

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That changes at 9 p.m. ET Friday when UVU (3-6 overall, 1-3 Big 12) hosts North Dakota State in a dual streamed live on Flowrestling.

The unexpected layoff generated a “different training phase.”

“We just turned it into a good time for our team to train and really, you don’t get a two-week period during the season where you can focus on just training as opposed to who are we getting ready for and who are we preparing for week to week,” Hall said.

It was a time for self-improvement amid the battle-tested Wolverines’ loaded schedule.

Each starter boasts at least 15 matches this season. The number will only grow as the postseason hunt continues.

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“I know as we hit the postseason that the volume will drop,” Hall said. “The intensity will stay high and these guys will get their rest as we approach Big 12s and NCAAs. I know that the schedule we put together allowed our team to get wins that we needed to get into the rankings and really put ourselves in position to go to the national tournament and get on the podium.”

Rankings A ‘Testament’ To Program

Six Wolverines debuted in the first NCAA Division I coaches rankings, released a week ago.

Haiden Drury led the pack as he sits 15th at 141 pounds.

David Evans (#16 at 149), Mark Takara (#32 at 157), Caleb Uhlenhopp (#31 at 184), Kael Bennie (#28 at 197) and Jack Forbes (#27 at heavyweight) rounded out the group.

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“As a smaller program, maybe the little guy, especially in the Big 12, but then nationally, too, it is (that) these guys have a chip on their shoulder,” Hall said. “Just trust what we are doing is preparing them to wrestle with the best in the country. Here and there we have picked up some ranked wins and (we’re) starting to get recognized.”

It’s another step for the Wolverines, who are building in Hall’s second season in charge.

Hall didn’t recruit six of his starters (the previous coaching staff did), he said, as he implemented a newfound belief in the group.

“It is going to take a little bit of time to get where we want to be, but we are on the road to that spot we are trying to get to,” Hall said.

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Excelling Evans

Hall knew Evans’ season wouldn’t be flawless.

Sure, the Penn State transfer would endure some losses and a few setbacks in his first season as a Wolverine.

But Evans, after he missed three consecutive duals in December but suffered a ranked loss against Wyoming’s Gabe Willochell in his return, enters Friday’s dual with two consecutive ranked wins.

He majored South Dakota State’s then-#21 Alek Martin and worked a one-point win over Missouri’s then-#18 Josh Edmond.

It’s a return to form for Evans, who was “banged up” after the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite before he caught the flu and strep throat in the same week.

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“Trying to come off that while cutting weight, it was a recipe for disaster,” Hall said. “It was one of those like, ‘Man, we probably shouldn’t have wrestled you or a couple of these other guys.’ Look, I was like, ‘Every team is dealing with (sickness).’”

Evans became UVU’s key transfer portal addition in the offseason after he spent five seasons at Penn State.

“We will take our lumps now and hopefully we get a shot at (Willochell) at the conference tournament or national tournament,” Hall said. “I think everything happens for a reason and Dave taking a tough loss and having a better performance the following week with some tough guys that I think was really good for him.”

Drury’s Decision

One offseason made all the difference for Drury.

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The redshirt senior narrowly missed the past two NCAA Championships, but isn’t leaving anything to chance in his final season.

“I think when our staff had him this past year, we got 80 percent out of him,” Hall said. “It was, ‘I’m gonna do just what I need to do and that is it.’ This year, you have just seen more urgency from him. He is just more devoted to his recovery. We asked him to meet with our sports psychologist regularly and he is doing that. You just start seeing more buy-in.”

Hall saw plenty of inconsistencies in Drury’s redshirt junior season. Ranked wins occurred, but other times, the performances puzzled Hall.

“Last year he hit a phase where it was like, ‘I don’t know what you are doing out there,’” Hall said. “‘You are finding the out of bounds. You are not being aggressive. There is something going on,’ and I think there were some things going on maybe in his personal life that were just frankly a distraction. I think this year, he has just been really locked in and it has shown.”

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Drury boasts four consecutive dual wins and enters Friday’s dual ranked #18 at 141.

UVU Entering ‘Next Phase” Of Program

One of UVU wrestling’s longtime avid supporters will soon retire.

UVU president Astrid Tuminez will step in down in May, which presents a critical period for Hall’s program.

“I think it is a big deal in terms of the direction that our program is heading because of how much support we have had in my year and a half of being here,” Hall said. “So, I think the next phase of our program is coming up and I think that our institutional support is good and it is going to get even better as we try to make jumps as a program.

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“In this era of NIL and resources being tightened, I think that we are in a great position as a program to make jumps because we don’t have football,” Hall said. “We are one of the marquee sports at our school, and it is exciting.”

Hall also shouted out the rest of UVU’s administration for its constant support — particularly sport administrator Clint Burgi, athletic director Jared Sumsion and vice president of institutional advancement Kyle Reyes.

Watch Utah Valley home duals this season live on Flowrestling.

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In Utah, the minimum age to receive a driver’s license is currently 16 years old, but that could soon be changing.

Rep. Nicholeen Peck, R-Tooele, has introduced a bill, HB464, in the Utah Legislature that would lower the minimum age for obtaining a driver’s license to 15 years and 6 months.

Peck shared that she got the idea for the bill from a constituent, a student from Tooele Junior High School. That student had reached out to Peck and scheduled a meeting with her to present her idea.

“She had all of the research laid out about it, and she had checked into all these different states and accidents rates and everything, and she had done so many things,” Peck told the Deseret News. “I was so impressed, and she was like, ‘This is what I would like to do.’”

The representative added that this constituent brought the issue to her over a year ago, so she is now old enough she would no longer be impacted by the bill. That student was passionate about this issue because she felt that she and her classmates were ready to drive at a younger age.

The bill also addresses the amount of driving practice hours required, as well as the ability for parents to conduct drivers education at home.

When asked about the bill during Wednesday’s Senate media availability, Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, shared that he was driving long before he reached the legal age to get his license.

“We’re outside the statute of limitations,” he said. “I learned to drive, seeing between the dashboard and the steering wheel.”

What would the bill do?

Under HB464, teenagers would be able to obtain a driver’s license starting when they are 15 years and 6 months old. It would also lower the minimum age for a learner’s permit to 14 years and 6 months.

It would also allow parents to provide and fulfill the drivers education requirements for their children. The materials are already available through the Driver License Division, but this bill would allow those materials to be used by parents.

Peck clarified that while parents can teach the drivers education material to their children, they would not be able to conduct the required tests, such as the road exam. She said that there were multiple people in her community who asked for the ability to do this.

The representative said that because her children were homeschooled, they did drivers education through a third party. She added that they didn’t have a great experience with that.

“I don’t even know if they always paid attention, but if I would have been there doing it with them, I think that would have been actually a really positive experience, and actually maybe even parents could become better drivers,” she said.

Currently, young drivers with their learner’s permits are required to reach 40 practice hours; the bill would raise that to 60 hours. Peck said this provision would add more safety around younger drivers.

“The longer a person has to have practice time before they’re actually legally licensed on the road, the less accidents they have when they’re teens,” the representative said.

Safety concerns about more young drivers on the road

When the bill was discussed during Senate media availability, Sen. Mike McKell responded with concern as a “car accident” attorney.

He said that he sees a lot of accidents, and a disproportionate number of those involve young drivers.

“I’m just speaking on my behalf, that would make me really nervous,” he said about the possibility of lowering the minimum driver’s license age.

Data from the Utah Department of Public Safety shows that there have been at least 6,000 crashes involving teen drivers each year since 2016. Teen drivers are defined as being between the ages of 15 and 17 years old.

In 2024, there were 6,574 teen driver crashes with 815 minor injuries, 110 serious injuries and 10 fatalities. Preliminary data shows that in 2025, there were 6,148 teen driver crashes with 780 minor injures, 150 serious injuries and 18 fatalities.

Peck said that there are other states that have these younger age minimums and it is not causing them any issues.

In Idaho and Montana, teenagers can obtain their license at age 15, and in New Mexico and South Carolina, the minimum age is 15 years and 6 months. The youngest age allowed for getting a license is South Dakota, where teenagers can drive without a parent at age 14 years and 6 months.

Peck said she doesn’t have any concerns about increased safety risks with younger drivers on the road. She believes this will help the teenagers learn more responsibility at a younger age.

“I love the idea of them taking an adult step a little bit sooner, so that they can start taking on more of that responsibility and think of themselves as, I gotta grow up, I gotta be an adult,” Peck said.

The representative added that she started teaching her kids how to drive on their private property before they received their learner’s permits.

“I feel like it was a thing that helped increase their confidence in who they were, to learn an adult skill like that,” Peck said.

In the end, the parents get to decide when their kids get to start driving.

Rep. Peck expects to have many conversations about this bill

Peck said she believes this bill will be “juicy” and spur a lot of conversation and discussions. She expects to hear about it from her fellow lawmakers.

“There’s a lot of people wanting to have a conversation about it, and I’m just doing it because a constituent said, ‘Will you do this for me? Rep. Peck, can I help you on a bill?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’”

Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said that if the bill makes it out of the House and into the Senate, they will be having “robust discussions” about it.

Sen. Wayne Harper, R-Taylorsville, also responded to the news about the bill.

“I can tell you this, my grandkids in middle school are very excited for that bill,” Harper said.

Diop scores 15, Johnson 14 and Odum 13 to help Arizona St. beat Utah 71-63

— Massamba Diop had 15 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, Anthony Johnson added 14 points, and Arizona State beat Utah 71-63 on Wednesday night.

Feb 4, 2026, 11:35 pm – AP

The Senior Bowl was last week, and the Arizona Cardinals now have a new head coach. We can now begin to firmly look ahead toward the NFL draft.

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks released a new mock draft of the first round.

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The Cardinals have the third overall pick, and he has them going with an offensive lineman.

Arizona Cardinals, Round 1, pick No. 3: Utah OL Spencer Fano

The Cardinals must determine if Kyler Murray remains the franchise quarterback. If his time in the desert is indeed done, as many have speculated, the lack of QB depth in the 2026 draft class could prompt the team to look elsewhere for help at the game’s most important position. In this case, Arizona adds a foundational piece to its struggling offensive line, which contributed to a 38.7% pressure allowed rate — the fourth-highest mark in the league in 2025, per Next Gen Stats.

This pick makes sense. The Cardinals need to figure out the quarterback situation, but they won’t likely be selecting one in the first round. They have questions at as many as four starting spots on the offensive line, so landing Fano to lock down right tackle would be a great plan to pair with Paris Johnson.

However, while the pick makes sense, it would mean breaking from a three-year trend. The Cardinals have only selected players from the SEC and Big Ten in the first and second rounds in three years with Monti Ossenfort as general manager.

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Knowing that, someone like linebacker Arvell Reese out of Ohio State makes sense, but he goes second overall in these projections.

Ossenfort obviously could break from his tradition, but it will be something to watch as we approach the draft in the mweeks to come.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL mock draft: Arizona Cardinals land Utah OL Spencer Fano

The Salt Lake City & County Building in Salt Lake City is pictured on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Utah Republican lawmakers are running legislation directing Salt Lake City to make changes to city roads with state oversight for a second year. The action, included in an extensive transportation bill, may have an impact on recently installed bike and bus lanes, but may also change how the state supervises city streets. 

It also brought back chatter about the state potentially exerting more control over local governments, especially in Democrat-led Salt Lake City.

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The bill, sponsored by Taylorsville Republican Sen. Wayne Harper, mandates that Salt Lake City enter an agreement with the Utah Department of Transportation before implementing programs designed to reduce the amount of cars travelling on a highway. The city must also submit plans to “mitigate the impacts of traffic calming measures and highway reduction strategies previously implemented” on different downtown roads, including 300 West, 200 South and 400 South. 

Harper emphasized the word “mitigate” when speaking to reporters on Wednesday about the potential removal of bike and bus lanes. 

“The request that I’ve gotten is to have Salt Lake City to go through and take a look at all that they’ve done — and they’re amenable to this — take a look and see what’s working good with that,” Harper said. “And are there some negative things that they can go through and tweak in order to make it so that safety is enhanced?”

That request, he said, comes from businesses that have complained about limited access to their facilities caused by traffic mitigation tools the city has installed.

Before Jan 1, 2027, Salt Lake City and UDOT must also agree on the designation of street tiers, going from regionally significant highways to the lowest-volume residential roads. 

The first tier, which would have the highest traffic, would be blocked from city-led highway reduction strategies, while tier two roads could qualify for programs to reduce the amount of cars travelling on a highway, but only after completing certain studies and receiving a nod from UDOT. 

Let us know what you think…

To a question on whether the legislation would feed the perception of a state takeover of the city’s say on its streets, Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said lawmakers are “simply responding to constituents.” 

For Adams, capital cities are different, since not everyone who works in them lives within their boundaries. 

“The capital city is a spot where people gather. So we need to make sure (for) those coming (that) it could function,” he told reporters.

The plans are also timely, he said, as downtown undergoes revitalization plans for 100 acres adjacent to the Delta Center.

“We’ve committed a lot of resources, so I think it’s in our best interest to make sure those resources function well, and the city functions right,” Adams said. 

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a statement the city is committed to partnering with the state, UDOT and the Utah Transit Authority to support a strong regional transportation network serving everyone.

“Although we believe this goal can be achieved without additional legislation, we appreciate the Legislature’s willingness to collaborate and believe we have identified solutions that serve all stakeholders,” Mendenhall said.

Nothing in the bill says the bike and bus lanes must be removed, Harper said, “they just have to make sure that it is not causing an impediment to the pedestrians, the bicyclists, or to the drivers that would deteriorate safety.”

And Salt Lake City leaders are committed to making changes, Harper said, a fact Mendenhall confirmed.

“I would characterize the discussions as good faith and collaborative. I am appreciative of them,” Mendenhall said.

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