I’m shocked that you don’t immediately know this! You’re slipping, 77ute.
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Ha ha! Good grief, I looked it up, and it was just in 2023!
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https://www.footballscoop.com/2026/01/26/sources-utah-lands-top-usc-staffer-for-general-manager-role
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UTAH has hired former Ute OL and former Ute coach Alex Gerke as Assistant OL coach replacing Isaac Asiata who is the new OL coach at Weber. Gerke was recruited by Chuck Stobart and played for Mac. When Mac became Utahs HC Gerke was OL coach where he coached Jordan Gross and Doug Kaufusi.
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One of the big differences I’ve noticed so far?
Morgan is engaged with the community.
He was at the gymnastics meet last night. Sitting on about row 12.
Not down on the floor. Not in some first row seat. The 12th row.
I don’t know that I ever recall Kyle at a meet, but u certainly can say he wouldn’t have just had seats in the stands.
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Kyle was a great coach, no question. But he wasn’t a very outgoing guy. That’s not necessarily terrible, but maybe this program needs Scalley’s engagement more than it needs a Whittingham-type coach.
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The more I see and hear of Coach Scalley, the more I like the guy.
Go UTES!
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he was down on the floor yesterday at the bb game
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Apparently Scalley played some basketball at Highland. Helping Alex a little?
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Lost in the portal craze is the regular recruiting class, this year 20 players.
Some interesting lands:
- Kelvin Obot, offensive tackle, five-star, 6-5, 300, Fruitland High (Fruitland, Idaho).
- Mataalii Benjamin, offensive tackle, four-star, 6-7, 315, Lehi High (Lehi, Utah).
- LaMarcus Bell, running back, three-star, 5-11, 190, Lake Oswego High (Lake Oswego, Ore.).
- Moses Sparks Jr., interior offensive line, three-star, 6-4, 280, V. Sue Cleveland High (Rio Rancho, N.M.).
- Fameitau Siale, defensive end, three-star, 6-4, 260, O’Dea High (Seattle, Wash.).
- Preston Pitts, linebacker, three-star, 6-4, 213, Clear Falls High (League City, Texas).
- LaGary Mitchell, linebacker, three-star, 6-2, 200, Meridian High (Meridian, Idaho).
- PJ Takitaki, defensive end, three-star, 6-4, 230, Lehi High (Lehi, Utah).
- Michael Johnson, quarterback, three-star, 5-11.5, 165, Douglas County High (Douglasville, Ga.).
- Kane Archer, quarterback, three-star, 6-1, 205, Greenwood High (Greenwood, Ark.).
- Major Hinchen, cornerback, three-star, 6-2, 175, La Quinta High (La Quinta, Calif.).
- Rowdy Pearce, interior offensive lineman, three-star, 6-3.5, 285, Midland Christian High (Midland, Texas).
- Aisa Galea’i, cornerback, three-star, 6-1, 185, Orem High (Orem, Utah).
- Milz Asiata, offensive lineman, three-star, 6-5, 331, Aquinas High (San Bernardino, Calif.)
- Dylan Waters, cornerback, three-star, 6-1, 175, Fort Bend Marshall High (Missouri City, Texas).
- Bear Fisher, tight end, three-star, 6-5, 235, Queen Creek High (Queen Creek, Ariz.).
- Tayson Reid, linebacker, three-star, 6-1, 225, Snow College (Ephraim, Utah).
- Earl Parker, cornerback, three-star, 6-3, 195, Hutchinson Community College, redshirt freshman.
- Nicholas Igwe, defensive end, no rating, 6-4, 255, Kilgore College, freshman.
- Brandon Holmes, cornerback, no rating, 6-1, 180, Fresno City College, sophomore
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Asiata of course was class of 2025 but never made it to campus due to personal reasons. Glad he’s finally on the hill.
The best name on the list is Rowdy Pearce. Honorable mentions to Major Hinchen and Bear Fisher.
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How many can say they played against Fruitland in football?
(Turk raises hand)
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Very encouraging!
Not to be a downer, but one of the first thoughts that came to my mind was, “Wow! Those guys look great! I hope we can keep them at Utah.” That’s our world now. I’m an eternal optimist, so I think we’ll be OK. The U. of U. Is not our fathers’ or grandfathers’ U of U. Heck, it’s not even mine. (Finished there in 1982. 
)
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My thoughts exactly. Of these 20, how many stay at Utah for more than two years? More than three years? Six or seven, maybe? That’s just how it is now.
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Which is why HS recruiting is virtually meaningless now, except as it pertains to guys who will contribute significantly in their first year or two. The one player in this year’s class who seems certain to make an immediate impact is Obot.
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Just under a month until the Legislature finishes. If the Otro Capital deal can emerge unscathed, that means the money that was going to facilities from the big donors (eg, Garff south end zone) can be redirected into NIL. I don’t think we’re going to be a top 5 NIL spender, but I also don’t think we’re going to be poached like we have in the past.
“The first priority is to recruit your own players” - heard that phrase a time or 17.
Especially with the OL - which benefits from multiple years together - I think Jordan Gross, helped out by his own coach here at Utah, Alex Gehrke, can mold those guys into a solid OL. Take care of the boys up front and everything opens up.
Cautiously optimistic we can keep these new guys, and Scalley will be successful.
Without looking at the schedule and not knowing the 2-deep or many of these new players, I think 8 wins next season is achievable… which would be a really nice first year.
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Interesting interview with Joe D’Orazio, the new Utah GM. Joe’s first job was as GA at Utah for one year in 2013 working with the defense where he became close friends with Scalley, a friendship that continued over the years. It sounds like over the years they talked a lot and it appears that it was his desire to work with Morgan when he became HC. After Utah he worked for the Chiefs, Columbia, Baylor and USC. In talking about his job as GM he said that he has three main functions with roster construction: Scouting (looking for the guys that fit what Utah is looking for at each position group physically and culturally); Valuation (Using data to determine the monetary value/cost of each guy - Joe played OL at Penn and if I heard correctly he went to the Wharton Business School); Development (creating a plan with the coaches and players to develop the player in all aspects of life). Very impressive guy.
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The Private Equity deal is very intriguing because it gives companies and individuals another avenue to contribute to the university. Many years ago as a newly minted grad I sat on a fundraising board of directors for a few years. I learned a ton about how the charitable giving world works. One thing is that most people and organizations have a pool of money they can allocate to charitable giving each year. How they divide that up is a decision that can be influenced by fundraising professionals.
Then more recently we have NIL come along. So in addition to the charitable pot we now have a business expense pot that can be used. But wait, there’s more - along comes this private equity deal where these same folks can now make an investment. This opens up another avenue for folks to contribute that is different from the others. So there is an opportunity for those who may have tapped out their charitable contributions who don’t need any more expenses on their books to make an investment. There is a potential for real ROI here that is not the same as what they get the other 2 ways. That makes this very interesting for some of the folks I have talked to.
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Great interview with Morgan
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another good interview with Morgan.
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