Utah News

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.

In his first interview since Kyle Whittingham stepped down, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan addressed the former coach’s departure from the program.

Whittingham was careful to use the words “stepping down” in his statement about leaving Utah’s program on Dec. 12, with reports popping up soon after that the longtime coach could pursue other coaching opportunities.

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“I will say that he did not want to use the word retirement, and I understood what that meant. He might go coach again, whether it was a head coach, whether it was maybe in the NFL where his son (Alex) has been,” Harlan said.

On Dec. 26, Whittingham was announced as Michigan’s new head coach, a little more than two weeks after the job in Ann Arbor surprisingly came open late in the coaching cycle after Sherrone Moore was fired for having ”an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”

Suddenly, Utah’s all-time winningest coach was inking a deal with Michigan.

Harlan called Whittingham’s decision to step down a “mutual understanding.”

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“Kyle and I spoke about what he was thinking about the team, about the program, and of course where he was at with his decision-making. That conversation went on for a few days, I would say. And then after talking it through back and forth, we just kind of both came to a mutual understanding that now was just a good time for him to step down,” Harlan said.

Harlan said that Whittingham did not ask for a contract extension during his conversations with Utah. Whittingham, whose contract at Utah ran through 2027, inked a five-year deal with Michigan that runs through the 2030 football season.

“No, we talked about everything as it related to the program. He was already on his final — he had a few more years on his contract,” Harlan said. “So it was more about where the program is and what he wanted to do. But we didn’t change his contract or (he) certainly never asked for an extension. It was just more about what was his feeling about coming back for another year.”

In what would be his final interview with the Utah media on Dec. 18, Whittingham said he did not want to “overstay his welcome” at the school.

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“I’m at peace and I did not want to be that guy that overstayed his welcome and people just saying, ‘Hey, when’s this guy going to leave?’ That was not my intention ever, and I hope I didn’t do that. I’m sure with some people I did do that, but to me the timing is right,” Whittingham said.

In his introductory press conference at Michigan, Whittingham said he made a “mistake” by answering questions about his retirement.

“Well, I signed a five-year contract (at Michigan). What I made (as) a mistake at Utah is when they started asking me about retirement, and I started answering questions and giving my own thing,” he said. “I am not that old. I am 66. It is not that old. I feel like I got enough energy and juice to see this through.”

Asked if there was “miscommunication” between Utah and Whittingham about retirement, Harlan said no.

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“I go back to after last year where he was seriously contemplating (retirement) and we talked about it and he really was passionate about coming back and fixing it. I mean, what he said publicly is exactly what he told me privately,” Harlan said.

“He did not want to leave it this way (last year). And a part of me always felt because his love for Morgan (Scalley) and wanting Morgan to really take it at a healthy place. And so it was similar to this following cycle where — I can’t get in his head and I don’t think anybody but him can really say — but I just think he felt the time was right to do that.”

Harlan said that the former Ute coach will be honored by the university at some point.

“There will be a time and a place to celebrate everything he brought to this university,” Harlan said.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the book that inspired the hit musical and blockbuster adaptation, is one of a number of books recently banned in some Utah school districts.

The state’s education board said the book had been banned because it contained “objective sensitive materials.”

Newsweek has contacted the Utah State Board of Education via email for comment.

Why It Matters

Book banning in the U.S. has been accelerating in recent years, with PEN America having recorded 6,870 instances of books being pulled from school libraries across 23 states and in 87 public school districts from July 2024 and June 2025, according to a report called “Banned in the USA.”

That report found that the majority of instances of banned books were in three states—Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.

PEN also warned that book censorship has become “rampant and common” in the United States.

What To Know

Three books have been added to Utah’s list of banned books in schools. Each of the three are removed in the following districts: Davis, Tooele, and Washington.

The book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire is one of them. While no specific reason has been given for the book being banned, a note at the top of the Utah State Board of Education’s list states “The titles below have been determined to contain Objective Sensitive Materials in a final determination.” 

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult and The Perks of Being a Wallflower have also been added to a list that totals 26 banned titles.

Beyond the Utah ban, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was the sixth most-banned book of the 2024 to 2025 School Year, according to PEN. It is tied with The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Maguire told MassLive in December 2024, around the time of the film’s release, that the book is not for children.

The novel’s substance is much darker than that of the film. In an extensive interview given to the outlet Them, also in December 2024, Maguire said, “I wanted to write about evil, about the murder of [British toddler] Jamie Bulger and the war in Iraq, the Desert Storm War, the ‘coalition of the willing,’ and seeing a headline referring to Saddam Hussein as ‘the next Hitler.'”

Beyond this, Maguire said in the interview that his retelling was also inspired by the AIDS epidemic.

Despite the subject matter not being suitable for children, book bans spark concern irrespective of the book’s content.

What People Are Saying

Kasey Meehan, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read program and an author of the report, said in a statement following the release of the “Banned in the USA” report: “Censorship pressures have expanded and escalated, taking on different forms—laws, directives, guidance that sow confusion, lists of books mislabeled as ‘explicit’ materials, and ‘do not buy’ lists.

“A disturbing ‘everyday banning’ and normalization of censorship has worsened and spread over the last four years. The result is unprecedented.”

What Happens Next?

More states could follow suit to ban this book or similar ones as we move into 2026.

PORTLAND — The Utah Jazz currently have the worst defensive rating in the NBA (122). If they finish the season that way, it would be the third straight year with the dishonor of having the worst defense in the league.

Of course, there are some caveats that are necessary to point out. Like the fact that this team has been bad by design and built, in large part, to lose games. And, there has been an emphasis on getting offensively gifted players and fostering their development.

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It’s also important to point out the lack of Walker Kessler this season and the amount that the Jazz have to try to cover up for what he provides on defense. But even with Kessler, a good defensive player, the last couple of years the Jazz’s overall defense has been very bad.

On offense, the team is generally trending in the right direction — the Jazz had the 7th best offensive rating for games played in December. The emergence of Keyonte George as a massive scoring threat helps that.

“It’s crazy, for how good our offense has been, how little we actually talk about it as a group,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “Defense is what we’re attacking every day, and it’s what we’ll continue to attack until we get it right.”

Personnel

It’s not like the Jazz players haven’t been continuously told that they need to be better on that side of the ball. They know where they’ve ranked and they know where they are now compared to the other 29 teams.

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But, do the Jazz actually have the personnel to play good defense in the NBA?

“I think any group of people can perform to a certain level,” Hardy said when asked that question. “I don’t want to put a limitation on our group at all on that side of the ball. If I didn’t believe in the ability for a group of people to outperform the sum of their parts, or if I didn’t believe in the ability for individuals to grow and get better, then this would be a horrible profession for me. I go to bed with that belief. I wake up with that belief.”

You’ll notice that wasn’t a “yes.”

The Jazz’s point-of-attack defense has been abysmal throughout the rebuild. George has improved this season, but not to the point that he has been a good defender. Statistically he’s still been a negative defender, along with Isaiah Collier, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams and Kyle Filipowski.

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The Jazz are hopeful that Ace Bailey can become a positive defender, but he’s still so young and is still trying to adjust to being in the NBA. His growth on defense is something to worry about in the years to come. There’s some grace that Filipowski deserves considering how much he’s been playing the five this season, where he is known to have deficiencies as a defender.

There’s a lot of hope riding on Hendricks, who was drafted in large part because of his defense, but lost last year to injury and has yet to recover the reaction time or quickness required to be the kind of defender the Jazz need at his position.

Some of the Jazz’s best defenders this season (and that’s not saying much) have been Svi Mykhailiuk, Kyle Anderson and Jusuf Nurkić, and those are not the players that the Jazz desperately need to see defensive improvement from.

The future

At some point in the near future, the Utah Jazz are going to have to face the fact that they have a major problem on defense.

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“Defense is tiring. Defense is not fun,” Hardy said. “But defense is what gives you the opportunity to win. We can’t show up to the games thinking that we’re just going to outscore everybody. That’s an unsustainable approach. And right now, where we are as a team and as a program, we’re trying to build sustainable habits, a sustainable approach for long term success. Our focus on the defensive side of the ball, individually, has to go up.”

It’s not like the Jazz’s defense needs to be better to win games this season. We all know that’s not the ultimate goal of the front office. But if they were to try to win games next season with this exact roster, the defense would be a problem.

And there’s blame to go around. The Jazz front office has not drafted defensively sound players, Hardy has not been head coach of a good defensive team, and the players on the team have not shown that they care enough on that side of the ball or that they can improve to a reasonable level.

It’s possible that with winning being the goal, the players would care more, that Hardy would coach differently, that players would buy in, etc. But that’s not concrete evidence for us to work with right now.

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On Monday night they gave up 137 points to the Portland Trail Blazers, a bottom-10 offensive team. It was just the latest, in a multi-year string of poor defensive outings. The Jazz’s defensive issues are not going away anytime soon. So something has to change if the Jazz want to be a good team in the future.

2025 was an eventful year for Utah Athletics.

Kyle Whittingham’s decision to step down as Utah’s coach after 21 years, then ending up as the head coach at Michigan a week later certainly tops the list, but the other nine stories were also noteworthy.

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Coaching comings and goings were a major theme, from Whittingham stepping down and longtime volleyball coach Beth Launiere retiring to Utah hiring Morgan Scalley as its new football coach and Alex Jensen as its new men’s basketball coach.

Of course, the Top 10 wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Utah Athletics nearing a landmark private equity deal, which broke the seal on private equity investment in college athletics.

Here is the Deseret News’ look at the 10 biggest University of Utah sports stories of 2025.

Kyle Whittingham steps down and takes Michigan job; Utah hires Morgan Scalley as head coach

By far the biggest story of the year in Utah sports was Kyle Whittingham stepping down from Utah after a 21-year run as head coach. A day later, Morgan Scalley — the program’s longtime coach-in-waiting, was announced as the program’s new head coach.

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A week later, Whittingham accepted the head coaching job at Michigan — his first job outside of the state of Utah since 1993.

The coach-in-waiting plan was originally made for there to be a smooth transition from Whittingham to his successor, Scalley. When Whittingham took the Michigan job, all bets were off.

Whittingham, of course, wanted the trusted coaches he has been around to go with him to Michigan, and the money — and allure of coaching for one of college football’s premier programs — was too much for most to pass up.

In all, Whittingham took six coaches with him to Ann Arbor — offensive coordinator Jason Beck, offensive line coach Jim Harding, tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham, receivers coach Micah Simon, quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr. and defensive ends coach Lewis Powell.

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Even longtime strength and conditioning coach Doug Elisaia made the move to Michigan with Whittingham.

The coach departures threw a wrench into Utah’s hope for continuity under Scalley, and as a result, there will be five new coaches on staff next year.

Whittingham was supposed to coach the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska to finish off his Utah career, but after taking the Michigan job, Scalley’s debut was moved up.

Scalley won his head coaching debut, 44-22, to kick off a new era for Utah football.

Utah Athletics nears deal with private equity

While Whittingham’s decision ranks No. 1, Utah’s private equity deal has a claim for the top spot, and could have wide-ranging effects for the future of college sports.

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Other schools — and conferences — have discussed private equity partnerships, but Utah was the first school to rip the band-aid off. More schools are likely to follow.

Though the agreement still needs to be finalized, which University of Utah president Taylor Randall says will happen in early 2026, the partnership between the university and private equity firm Otro Capital is set to generate at least $500 million for the Utah athletic department, per Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.

Utah created a new entity, Utah Brands & Entertainment, which will oversee revenue sources, including trademark licensing, event-related revenues, sponsorships, ticketing and more.

Utah’s athletic department has the majority of seats on the new Utah Brands & Entertainment board, and Utah Athletics will solely control the hiring and firing of coaches, scholarship management, player management, revenue-sharing membership and compliance.

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The infusion of cash comes at a time where athletic departments are in need of money. Schools are now dishing out $20.5 million to athletes per year, with that cap rising over time.

Alex Jensen hired to coach alma mater

Alex Jensen, then a Utah Jazz assistant, was on the shortlist when the Utah men’s basketball job opened up in 2021, but he withdrew his name from consideration.

When the job opened again in 2025 following Crag Smith’s firing, the timing was right.

Jensen was named the program’s 17th head coach, drawing widespread approval from fans. The former Jazz and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach has a tough road ahead of him — Utah hasn’t made the NCAA tournament since 2016 — but Utah’s administration feels that he is the right man for the job.

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Jensen, who starred at Utah in its 1998 runner-up season, brings over a decade of NBA experience to the job. He was integral in the development of former Jazz star Rudy Gobert, and Utah believes in his ability to develop players.

Utah has a completely new roster and the rebuild will require patience from Ute fans. Utah is off to an 8-6 start, but faces a daunting Big 12 schedule. The Utes won’t be favored in many Big 12 games, and started conference play with a 97-78 loss to No. 1 Arizona.

Utah football wins 11 games, but falls short of Big 12 title

After a 5-7 season a year ago that was marred by injuries, the 2025 season — Utah’s second in the Big 12 Conference — was necessary to get the program back on track.

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Whittingham decided to come back for what would turn out to be his final season at Utah.

“I couldn’t stomach going out on that, with that season, as frustrating as it was, and as discouraging as it was,” Whittingham said at Big 12 media days this July.

“It just didn’t sit well with anybody, but most of all me and so I thought, ‘Hey, that’s not going to be the final act of my deal. I got to come back and try to get the ship right and get back on track.”

After an offensive revamp — more on that below — Whittingham made good on his promise to “right the ship.”

The Utes won 11 games — just the fourth time in school history Utah has won 11 or more games in a season — and capped off the season with their first bowl win since 2017 in Scalley’s head coaching debut.

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Two losses to Top 15 teams Texas Tech and BYU prevented the Utes from reaching the Big 12 championship game, so the team’s ultimate goals were not realized, but an 11-2 season is still successful, no matter how you slice it.

Utah ski team wins 17th national championship

Another year, another national championship for the Utah ski team.

Utah claimed its fourth national championship in five years, finishing strong on the final day of nationals.

Joe Davies finished the men’s 20K freestyle with a time of 43:33.9, over a minute ahead of second-place John Steel Hagenbuch of Dartmouth (44:44.1), to help boost the Utes to a 56-point lead ahead of the women’s 20K freestyle.

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Behind a second-place performance by Erica Laven, who finished the race in 50:49.6, a fifth-place finish by Selma Nevin (51:30.6) and a 19th-place finish by Celine Mayer (53:51.5), the women’s team put up 78 points to finish first in the event and bring home the NCAA championship.

After a narrow loss to Colorado in the 2024 championship, the Utes were back on top in 2025.

Utah hires Jason Beck and offensive revamp takes center stage

Utah’s offense was not only fun to watch after a dreadful 2024 season, but it was one of the most productive offenses in the entire country.

Offensive coordinator Jason Beck, running back Wayshawn Parker, quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin and a veteran offensive line, among others, transformed Utah’s offense in 2025.

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The Utes finished the season ranked No. 4 in the country in both scoring offense (41.2 points per game) and total offense (482.9 yards per game). Beck leaned on the offensive line and Utah’s running backs to power the Utes to the second-best rushing offense in the country, which averaged 266.3 yards per game.

Utah set two school records in 2025 — rushing yards in a season (3,462) and rushing touchdowns in a season (41).

Beck was creative, using cornerback Smith Snowden and linebacker Lander Barton on offense early on, but played to Utah’s strength, which was rushing the ball.

The offense wasn’t perfect, as evidenced by showings against the Red Raiders and Cougars, but it was a massive upgrade for the Utes. Beck would be just a one-year rental for Utah, as he followed Whittingham to Michigan after the Las Vegas Bowl.

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Dampier, the Big 12’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year, played injured in some of Utah’s games but still guided the Utes to offensive success.

Dampier threw for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns with five interceptions on 63.75% accuracy in 2025. He also rushed for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns.

With a month off from games in the lead-up to the Las Vegas Bowl, Dampier had time to heal, and it showed in a 44-22 win over Nebraska. Dampier threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 148 yards and three scores in his best performance of the season.

After a “running back by committee approach” to begin the year, Parker established himself as RB1, rushing for 981 yards and six touchdowns.

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The Utes’ attack was powered by an offensive line that featured three seniors and two NFL draft picks in Caleb Lomu and Spencer Fano, who won the Outland Trophy and was a unanimous first-team All-American.

Beck was at Utah for just one year, but he made a big impact and breathed new life into the Utes’ offense.

Utah gymnastics finishes fourth at nationals

The Red Rocks qualified for their 49th consecutive appearance at the NCAA gymnastics national championships in 2025, continuing an astonishing streak as the only program to appear in every national championship.

While that impressive streak lived on, so did another one for the Red Rocks, who haven’t won a national title since 1995.

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Utah finished in fourth place, behind Oklahoma, UCLA and Missouri. While the Red Rocks came up short of their ultimate goal, it was still another season among the nation’s best.

Freshman Avery Neff was the standout gymnast for the Red Rocks in 2025 while fighting through injury, earning All-American and Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors. During the regional semifinals, she earned an all-around win.

Utah women’s basketball makes NCAA tournament amid sudden coaching change

Gavin Petersen was given the reins of the Utah women’s basketball program just four games into the season after Lynne Roberts left to become head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.

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Despite the sudden change, Petersen steadied the ship and finished 22-9 as Utah made the NCAA tournament for the fourth year in a row.

Though the Utes lost in the first round to Indiana, Petersen handled a difficult situation well and proved why he was the right choice to lead Utah.

This season, the Utes are off to an 11-4 start, including an 87-77 overtime win over No. 8 TCU on Saturday.

Utah announces it is likely to move to new arena from Huntsman Center

In March, Utah’s board of trustees voted unanimously to allow campus leaders to explore alternative sites for the Jon M. Huntsman Center.

The historic arena, which hosted the Magic Johnson-Larry Bird national championship in 1979 and Utah athletics events since 1969, will likely soon be gone.

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“We have evaluated the most strategic approach to the future of the Huntsman Center, and it is exciting now to see clarity within President Randall’s comprehensive vision to create College Town Magic on our fantastic campus,” said Utah Athletics director Mark Harlan.

“This unprecedented project will positively impact future generations of U students, and today’s announcement is simply the start of a process that will include an even brighter future for our athletics facilities as a key piece of this plan, including the relocation of the Huntsman Center.”

University of Utah president Taylor Randall announced plans for a renovation of Utah’s campus, which would require “relocating” the Huntsman Center — a.k.a. building a new arena.

“I want to make it clear that we have not decided where the new arena should go,” said Randall. “We need to study the economics, the location, the parking, the access and events will continue at our current Huntsman Center until a new arena is constructed.”

Beth Launiere retires after 36 years as coach of Utah volleyball

Whittingham wasn’t the only longtime Utah coach to leave the school in 2025. Longtime volleyball coach Beth Launiere announced her retirement after 36 years at Utah.

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Launiere shaped Utah’s volleyball program, leading the Utes to 689 wins and 20 NCAA tournament appearances. The Utes won six Mountain West titles and advanced to the Sweet 16 four times, most recently in 2019.

The three-time Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year awards and 2019 Pac-12 Coach of the Year produced 16 All-Americans.

In her final season, Launiere and the Utes made the NCAA Tournament, finishing the season with a 15-15 record with wins over No. 23 BYU and No. 13 Kansas before losing to the University of Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAAs.

“After 36 years as the head volleyball coach at the University of Utah, I have made the difficult decision to announce my retirement,” Launiere said in a school press release.

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“While it is not easy to walk away from a lifetime’s work, I am ready and excited to begin the next chapter of my life. Thank you to the hundreds of players whom I have had the privilege to coach, and the many assistant coaches, support staff and administrators who were my daily collaborators to build this program into what it is today.

“I will miss the daily interactions, but I know our relationships will last a lifetime. It has been an honor to represent one of the greatest universities in the country. I will forever love Utah and will always be a Ute!”

The Utah Mammoth have traded defenseman Juuso Välimäki to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations.

Välimäki, 27, has been through the ringer the past 11 months:

• After being selected to represent his country, Finland, at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, he didn’t get to play a single game.

• Four days after the tournament concluded, he was placed on waivers to be assigned to the AHL.

• In his first AHL game, he tore his ACL, causing him to miss 10 months of hockey.

Since returning from his injury, Välimäki has recorded three points in three games with the Tucson Roadrunners, Utah’s AHL affiliate. Seeing as he already cleared waivers, he is eligible to play immediately for Carolina’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

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In 43 NHL games last season, Välimäki scored two goals and five points. He was selected 16th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2017 NHL draft.

Why did the Utah Mammoth trade Juuso Välimäki?

It’s no secret that “future considerations” is typically a more polite way of saying there’s no return involved in a trade. Why would the Mammoth do that?

There are two possible trains of thought. The first is that they free up $850,000 of cap space and $1,062,500 in actual money. While these things do matter, the second reason may have been the primary one: opportunity.

The Mammoth have seven legitimate NHL defensemen on their roster, with two young guns, Maveric Lamoureux and Dmitri Simashev, in Tucson pushing to make the big league. And in the event of several injuries, they can still call upon veterans like Scott Perunovich and Kevin Connauton. The chances of Välimäki jumping the line were slim.

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On the other hand, the Hurricanes are dealing with several injuries on the back end, including one to Jaccob Slavin, widely considered one of the best defensive defensemen out there. There’s much more space for a player like Välimäki to come in and make a difference in Carolina — and the Hurricanes, who sit in first place in the Metropolitan Division, could use the insurance that a guy like him brings.

Teams will sometimes do their players favors when they realize there isn’t going to be a fit there. That’s what this trade seems like.

The Utah Jazz are 3-7 in their last ten games, with two of those wins being against the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs. Those Spurs being the team that just dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder the game before. The Jazz now find themselves at 7th in the standings on Tankathon.com and are on a solid track to keeping their pick and even giving themselves great odds to jump into the top four come lottery night.

This tracks with what Zach Lowe said on his most recent podcast when talking about the Jazz.

In the pod, Lowe mentions that he had talked about the Jazz going for the play-in, knowing that they would do everything they could to keep their pick. On top of that, he mentions the Utah Jazz likely making trades involving their older veterans to help with keeping the pick.

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Lowe also discusses the odds that Utah keeps their pick if they are in the 7th spot (87%) and the 8th spot (60%). Those odds are pretty scary if you’re the Jazz and the primary focus of this season is going for a top pick/keeping your pick while developing youth for another season. More likely, Utah will try to drop even more if they can. Personally, I would feel much safer if the Jazz could get their final spot to 5th or 6th by lottery night, and that looks very possible. With the Nets and Hornets right there with the Jazz in the standings, you can see that happening pretty easily. Utah still has to play the Western Conference, and the Nets and Hornets cannabilize in the Leastern Conference night after night. Things are looking good for the Jazz to keep that pic,k which makes next season look like a lot of fun with all the young talent the Jazz are accumulating.

University of Utah football fans have plenty of former Utes to cheer on in this season’s NFL playoffs.

The postseason field is set after Sunday’s Week 18 action, and with it, there will be 39 players with Beehive State ties who are on playoff rosters for the 2025 playoffs.

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That is five more than 34 Utah ties who made playoff rosters last season — and the most since the playoff field expanded from 12 to 14 teams in the 2020 season.

The Utes lead the way in playoff representation among Utah schools, and by a large margin. There are 20 former Utes players on postseason rosters this year, a significant uptick from 11 last season.

There are also 19 players with Utah ties who played high school football in-state that made the NFL playoffs.

And since there is at least one Utah tie on every playoff roster, it’s guaranteed that a tie to the state will be a Super Bowl champion this season.

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Utah ties in 2025 NFL playoffs, by school

Note: Players can count towards multiple Utah schools. Players who have played at two or more Utah schools, whether at the high school or collegiate levels, count toward every school they have played at for at least one season.

Utah ties on this year’s NFL playoff rosters

• University of Utah: 20 (10 active roster, 1 injured reserve, 9 practice squad).

• BYU: 7 (3 active roster, 4 injured reserve, 0 practice squad).

• Utah State: 5 (2 active roster, 2 injured reserve, 1 practice squad).

• Weber State: 2 (2 active roster, 0 injured reserve, 0 practice squad).

• Southern Utah: 2 (0 active roster, 2 injured reserve, 0 practice squad).

• Snow College: 2 (2 active roster, 0 injured reserve, 0 practice squad).

• Utah high schools: 19 (9 active roster, 6 injured reserve, 4 practice squad).

How 39 Utah ties in this year’s playoffs compares to the past five years: 34 in 2024 season, 27 in 2023, 28 in 2022, 34 in 2021, 34 in 2020.

How it compares by school, past five years:

Other Utah ties of note in this year’s NFL playoffs

Of the 39 Utah ties in the 2025 playoffs, three are Pro Bowlers this year.

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That includes Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (BYU and Orem High), Seattle Seahawks wide receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed (Weber State) and Denver Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles (Utah, Snow College and Westlake High).

Former University of Utah and Timpview High wide receiver/return specialist Britain Covey is the lone reigning Super Bowl champion with a Utah tie.

He won his first Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, and after briefly joining the Rams during the offseason this year, he is back in Philadelphia as the Eagles prepare for another playoff appearance.

Here’s a look at each of the Utah ties on NFL playoff rosters this year. Players are on a team’s active roster unless otherwise noted.

AFC playoff teams

No. 1 seed: Denver Broncos

• Garett Bolles, OT, Utah, Snow College and Westlake High

• Jonah Elliss, OLB, Utah.

• Karene Reid, ILB, Utah and Timpview High (injured reserve, designated to return).

• Caleb Lohner, TE, Utah (practice squad).

• Kyrese Rowan, WR, Utah State, Utah and Roy High (practice squad).

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No. 2 seed: New England Patriots

• Khyiris Tonga, DT, BYU and Granger High.

• Miles Battle, CB, Utah (practice squad).

No. 3 seed: Jacksonville Jaguars

• Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah.

• Tim Patrick, WR, Utah.

• Ja’Quinden Jackson, RB, Utah (practice squad).

No. 4 seed: Pittsburgh Steelers

• Jaylen Warren, RB, Utah State, Snow College and East High.

• Miles Killebrew, S, Southern Utah (injured reserve).

No. 5 seed: Houston Texans

• Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham High.

• Ajani Carter, CB, Utah State (injured reserve).

• Leki Fotu, DT, Utah and Herriman High (practice squad).

• Junior Tafuna, DT, Utah and Bingham High (practice squad).

No. 6 seed: Buffalo Bills

• Cole Bishop, S, Utah.

• Jackson Hawes, TE, Highland High.

• Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State.

• Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah.

• Mitch Wishnowsky, P, Utah.

No. 7 seed: Los Angeles Chargers

• Andre James, C, Herriman High.

• Marcus Williams, S, Utah (practice squad).

• Thomas Yassmin, TE, Utah (practice squad).

NFC playoff teams

No. 1 seed: Seattle Seahawks

• Connor O’Toole, LB, Utah.

• Rashid Shaheed, WR, Weber State.

No. 2 seed: Chicago Bears

• Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah.

• Braxton Jones, OT, Southern Utah and Murray High (injured reserve).

• Noah Sewell, LB, Orem High (injured reserve).

• Xavier Carlton, DL, Utah and Juan Diego Catholic High (practice squad, injured).

No. 3 seed: Philadelphia Eagles

• Britain Covey, WR, Utah and Timpview High.

• Cameron Latu, TE, Olympus High.

No. 4 seed: Carolina Panthers

• Brady Christensen, OT, BYU and Bountiful High (injured reserve).

No. 5 seed: Los Angeles Rams

• Puka Nacua, WR, BYU and Orem High.

No. 6 seed: San Francisco 49ers

• Jakob Robinson, CB, BYU, Utah State and Orem High (injured reserve).

• Fred Warner, LB, BYU (injured reserve).

No. 7 seed: Green Bay Packers

• Chris Brooks, RB, BYU.

• Jordan Love, QB, Utah State.

• Zayne Anderson, S, BYU and Stansbury High (injured reserve).