Utah News

Despite a recent spate of storms yanking Utah’s snowpack out of record-low levels, forecasters say they have given up on any chance of a winter rebound.

“We were holding out hopes at the turn of the calendar year, back in January,” said Glen Merrill, a hydrologist at the National Weather Service’s Salt Lake City office. “Now, we only have March and the first week or two of April to bounce back, and it’s just too late in the season to have confidence in recovery at this point.”

By the time February rolled around, an unusually warm winter had left Utah with a historically low snowpack. The series of storms that blew through last week, Merrill said, boosted mountain snow levels to 65% of normal.

“We’ve added a little over 2.5 to 3 inches of water in our snowpack, and that’s gotten us above that record low,” Merrill said. “We’re still very low.”

Some stretches of the Beehive State are faring better than others. The Bear River Basin — which encompasses Cache Valley and other northeast portions of Utah — has a snowpack at 81% of its median for this time of year, according to the Utah Department of Natural Resources. In central Utah, though, the Lower Sevier Watershed sits at 35% of median.

The watershed that includes Salt Lake and Utah counties, meanwhile, is currently at 60% of median for this time of year.

In many of this season’s biggest storms, snow has normally fallen only above 8,000 feet, Merrill said. Because of the unusual warmth, everything lower has gotten rain.

“If you look at our precipitation for the water year, across the state of Utah, it’s near normal,” he said. “We’ve gotten the precipitation, it just hasn’t fallen as snow like it typically does at those low- and mid-elevation areas.”

Rick Majerus unleashed one of his patented rants, while a 6-foot-7 figure remained motionless on the practice court.

“Look at Al. Al’s not going to get out of his stance. Al’s not going to put his head down,” Majerus shouted at his coaching staff and players, as he pointed toward the frozen figure.

The unmoving man was Alex Jensen, the Runnin’ Utes legend and then Majerus’ assistant coach at Saint Louis University.

Jensen remained in the stance for 10 minutes.

“Al was like a statue,” former Billikens assistant and current ESPN analyst Paul Biancardi told The Salt Lake Tribune. “He never moved. It was funny at the moment, but afterwards I was like ‘this poor guy.’”

It’s been almost two decades since that moment. Jensen, who was just a first-time assistant coach then, has worked his way up from a college assistant to the G League to the NBA and now the head coach at his alma mater, Utah.

Jensen is back in the Jon M. Huntsman Center, trying to lead his program back to the glory days it once had under Majerus.

But the Runnin’ Utes are currently 10-18 and 2-13 in the Big 12.

“I knew it was going to be a lot,” Jensen told The Salt Lake Tribune of his expectations when he first took the job. “Our only goal is to be here and make it good. So it gives us the luxury of taking our time and doing it right.”

Jensen’s first season hasn’t gone as he would have liked.

Some — like Biancardi did years ago — might even feel bad for him.

Jensen remains unwavering, though. He’s sticking to the posture and purpose that he knows to be true to build the Runnin’ Utes back up the right way.

‘Special place in his heart’

Keith Van Horn was on his way to becoming a Utah legend and an NBA lottery pick.

But in Majerus’ eyes, he could never live up to Jensen’s standards. The often complex and tyrannical head coach, who led Utah to the 1998 Final Four, reminded Van Horn that after every missed box out and rebound.

“Jesus, Keith,” former Utah center Michael Doleac remembers Majerus yelling at Van Horn with his thick midwestern accent, “your savior is at a bus station in London right now.”

Jensen was, indeed, in London serving on his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after playing his freshman season from 1994-95. Majerus refused to offer any of his players special treatment.

But “he always had a special place in his heart for Al,” Doleac said.

Majerus gave Jensen the nickname “Al” because he reminded him of the late great Marquette coach Al McGuire, with whom he played under and later coached. Jensen’s Ute teammates often made fun of the 6-foot-7 forward, calling him Majerus’ “adopted son.’

“There were only three people Rick got teary-eyed talking about,” said former Runnin’ Ute Jeff Johnsen. “It was Al McGuire, his mom and Alex Jensen.”

After Jensen left the U. to play pro basketball overseas in Asia and Europe, Majerus stepped down from the program in 2004, citing health issues.

The duo couldn’t stay apart for long after that. Once he was done with his playing career, Jensen joined Majerus at Saint Louis.

Jensen often drove Majerus to the pool in the mornings at Saint Louis. Majerus made Jensen run full-court drills with players in practice.

“They had a father, son; player, coach; boss, co-worker type of relationship,” said Oklahoma coach Porter Moser, another one of Majerus’ former assistants at Saint Louis.

Jensen says he still carries those memories and lessons with him today.

“I don’t think anybody can argue that there has ever been a better teacher in the game than Coach Majerus,” Jensen said. “That was a great foundation for me to have.”

He still rattles off some of his mentor’s quotes when he gets the chance.

“He [Majerus] used to have a phrase that he’d always say: ‘Everything we do makes sense,’ ” Jensen recalled. “There’s always going to have to be a purpose in what you do.

“The people that are successful do just that.”

A player’s coach

Alex Jensen’s Utah program currently remains a big project.

But he’s worked on something like that before.

Long before becoming a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert was a lanky and unfinished prospect selected with the 27th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

But he had all the potential.

“Rudy was this big unknown,” former Utah Jazz assistant Mike Wells said. “But then Alex builds this relationship with him, and we get to see somebody blossom as a player and become a cornerstone of the franchise.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find Gobert without Jensen in Salt Lake City. They were always watching film or bruising each other under the basket after practices.

“Alex, I felt, was an excellent partner for saying no to Rudy,” former Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said. “There were some tough messages from Alex. But Rudy always knew that Alex cared about him deeply, and he had his best interest at heart.”

Each summer of Gobert’s near-decade with the Jazz, he could be found working out on his hometown court in Saint-Quentin, France, with none other than Jensen.

The two made it an offseason tradition to visit the city 80 miles northeast of Paris. Together, they’d work at Gobert’s youth basketball camps. Then they would hit the gym and hone Gobert’s skills as a defensive stalwart.

Rinse. Repeat.

“He was the one that was primarily working with me,” Gobert told The Tribune. “It was an opportunity for me to get up and care for the kids and sometimes still get better and still work out.”

During the down years of Gobert’s first few seasons, Jensen often hosted the French big man at his home for dinners.

When there was downtime in France, Jensen shared stories with Gobert about how he met his wife, Natalie Jensen, his life’s journey and more. Basketball hit the back burner then.

“Over the years, our relationship got stronger and stronger,” Gobert said.

Those fleeting moments helped foster multiple deep playoff runs in Salt Lake City years ago.

It certainly helped Gobert become the player he is today.

“His knowledge is very valuable,” Gobert said. “I always thought he would become a head coach.”

‘Take my time’

At dinners with Majerus, Jensen and the rest of the Saint Louis coaching staff, the former Utah head coach would always remind his assistants of one major fun fact about his favorite player.

Jensen never lost a home game in Salt Lake City under him.

“He told us that 26 times,’ Moser said.

Jensen can still brag that he didn’t lose a single game at the Huntsman Center as a player. But he’s now lost eight games there as a head coach.

“The first year is never — and it’s not an excuse — easy,” Jensen said recently. “You hope when the next year rolls around and people come in, they can sense … how things are done, and what expectations are, which has gotten better over the years.”

The Runnin’ Utes have had their fair share of ups and downs this season. They’re 10-18 overall. They’ve only won two games in the Big 12 so far. Some conference losses have been close. Others have been blowouts.

“You always want to win,” Jensen said after Utah’s 66-52 loss to No. 2 Houston recently. “This is a good game for us to realize how far we need to go, and how much we need to work on.”

Utah’s players can feel Jensen’s impact, too.

“We can really compete with everybody,” Utah forward Keanu Dawes said. “We just have to put it together for 40 minutes.”

The Runnin’ Utes’ season isn’t over yet, but Jensen is already putting together his roster for 2026-27. The Utes recently earned a commitment from an intriguing international big man, Fynn Schott.

Jensen is just starting what he hopes is a return to the days of the Runnin’ Utes playing postseason basketball.

Like all those years ago — once a younger, beardless coach stuck in a pose to be the example for his mentor Majerus — Jensen remains steadfast in the same principles that he believes will bring the Runnin’ Utes back to relevancy.

“I’m going to take my time. I’m going to do it right,” Jensen said.

“I’ve held true to those values, so nobody can say that that’s not what I’ve done. That’s the way you build an organization.”

Utah continues to grow its reputation as the state of sport, and the country is finally noticing.

A recent article from The Athletic published this week called Utah “a sports boomtown” with its multiple professional teams and as the future home of a second Winter Olympics in 2034.

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While the majority of the article explored Utah’s efforts to land an MLB team, Miller Sports + Entertainment president Michelle Smith believes the NWSL’s Utah Royals “fit in right at the top” in the state’s “sports boomtown” reputation, she told the Deseret News Thursday at the team’s kit launch event.

Smith has been a vocal champion for the Royals, even raising her hand in a meeting and saying, “Hey, I really think we need to keep the Royals” when there was an opportunity for another buyer to purchase the team.

Smith saw value in the Royals, especially within the community, as well as the power that came from both the Royals and Real Salt Lake working together to elevate each other, she said.

For Smith, it’s important for the Utah Royals to use its platform as a women’s professional team to make an impact on the community whether it’s through players building a love of sports in youth or giving back to the community with service projects at every home match.

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“I am so excited that Utah gets to be the stewards of women’s professional sports and not just soccer, but softball and volleyball,” she said.

The tumultuous history of the Utah Royals

Utah Royals FC first came to Utah when Dell Loy Hansen purchased the club in November 2017 and relocated it from Kansas City ahead of the 2018 season.

It was the professional home for U.S. women’s national team stars Christen Press, Kelley O’Hara and Becky Sauerbrunn. But over the course of three seasons, the Royals never reached the playoffs.

In December 2020, Hansen sold the team to an ownership group led by Chris and Angie Long, which moved the club back to Kansas City following the 2020 season.

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The Royals would return to Utah a few years later, but this time as an expansion club bought by Real Salt Lake owner David Blitzer and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith as a minority owner.

Unlike the original iteration of the club, the new Royals didn’t inherit any personnel and had to start from scratch.

The 2024 Utah Royals featured a new sporting director, head coach and an entirely new roster assembled through the NWSL entry draft, free agency and one lone player through the expansion draft: captain Paige Monaghan (the other expansion draftee, Elyse Bennett, was traded days later).

The Royals struggled on the pitch in their inaugural season, leading to a coaching change midway through the season.

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Then-assistant coach Jimmy Coenraets was named interim head coach after the firing of Amy Rodriguez. Coenraets was later named head coach a week and a half before the season finale.

A new era for the Utah Royals

A month into the 2025 season, the Royals and Real Salt Lake underwent an ownership change when the Larry H. Miller Company purchased majority control of the teams with Blitzer staying on as a minority owner.

Defender Kate Del Fava was drafted by the Royals in 2020 and is the only player on the team who has played for both iterations of the club.

On Thursday, Del Fava said the current Utah Royals “really doesn’t” feel like the same organization she began her career with.

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“It feels totally different this time around,” she said. “This time around, it just really feels like it’s one club, it’s one Utah, it’s one community. And it feels like the women’s side is just as invested in as the men’s side and it’s taken just as seriously, and they’re just as proud to have us here representing the state.”

The support of the team’s current ownership was evident Thursday when Michelle Smith became emotional during her remarks.

“I think any time you have a part of ownership get up and get choked up talking about the team, that really motivates the girls,” Del Fava said.

Monaghan also spoke highly of the Millers at this season’s Royals media day.

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“I think when you strive for perfection and you arrive at greatness, that’s a pretty great place to be, so, I think, obviously, they’ve (the Millers) done that in the community. They did that a while ago with Utah Jazz, obviously, the Bees and now us,” she said. “So to be a part of that is what you want in elite sports. So I think it starts in the top and funnels down. So selfishly, I’m so excited that I get to reap that benefit.”

Monaghan pointed to the infrastructure the Royals have built, comparing it to her college days at Butler University.

She said while she was in college, she liked getting extra individual reps with her coaches, but with only “two coaches, they didn’t have time to do that,” which left Monaghan to do them on her own.

That’s not the case with the Utah Royals, according to Monaghan.

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“Now, we have this infrastructure where I can do everything I can to be the best I can be, and I have the resources to do that,” she said.

Monaghan’s and Del Fava’s sentiments about the Miller ownership group are part of Michelle Smith’s hopes for the club’s future.

“I hope that we create an environment and a culture for these women athletes to feel like they’re valued and they’re seen and they’re respected and they have an incredible career and can look back and say, ‘I couldn’t have played for a better team. … I couldn’t have played for a better club and a better ownership,’ and that will continue to build into their DNA as they continue to carry on in wherever their journey takes them.”

What’s Michelle Smith’s other hope for the Royals to accomplish on the pitch?

“Obviously, my greatest hope is that we can get a title, for sure. There’s nothing more fun than to experience the success on the field, especially at that level,” she said.

According to Shams Charania (through agents), the Utah Jazz have signed Mo Bamba to a 10-day contract.

This likely comes because of the loss to Jusuf Nurkic, who is out for the season. Bamba was on the Jazz roster to start the season and now makes his return. We’ll see if this will turn into a larger contract, but we may be seeing multiple 10-day contracts as the season goes on.

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Bamba has not been able to find a home in the NBA, and it’s unlikely this is a long-term thing. That said, Bamba is a true center, something the Jazz do not have on their roster. This allows the Jazz to use their young players with a true center in certain lineups. The closest thing they have to that right now is Kyle Filipowski, but he doesn’t look like a long-term fit at center for Utah. We may not see Bamba at all, but it is a nice option for Utah to get a lineup on the floor that vaguely resembles what we might see next season.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Reese Dixon-Waters had 20 points in San Diego State’s 89-72 win over Utah State on Wednesday night.

Dixon-Waters went 6 for 13 from the field, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 5 from the free-throw line for the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4 Mountain West Conference). Taj DeGourville scored 12 points and added eight assists. Pharaoh Compton shot 5 of 7 from the field and 1 for 3 from the line to finish with 11 points.

Michael Collins Jr. led the way for the Aggies (23-5, 13-4) with 18 points. Mason Falslev added 14 points for Utah State. Adlan Elamin also had 12 points, six rebounds and two steals.

San Diego State outscored Utah State by six points in the second half, while DeGourville led the way with a team-high 11 second-half points.

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Newton • Valjay Rigby bent down, plucked a stalk of hard red winter wheat and rolled it between his fingers as he surveyed the 1,500 acres his family has farmed and ranched for five generations in northern Utah.

Much of the land on his family farm, Rigby Ranch, is planted with alfalfa, wheat, safflower and other small grains. But Rigby said farming has grown increasingly tough as costs climb and supply prices have doubled.

To help the nation’s struggling farmers, President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion federal aid package in December.

Rigby, who also serves as president of the Utah Farm Bureau, expects to receive a portion of the funds. Still, he said Utah producers are unlikely to see much of that relief at a time when expenses remain high and profit margins thin.

“It’s just to help us get by until some of the other programs come in,” Rigby said. “For me personally, it’s going to be enough to cover my fuel bill. So, it’s not a windfall or anything.”

The aid comes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program. Farmers are eligible if they reported their acreage to the agency by Dec. 19.

The agriculture department announced Feb. 20 that enrollment opened Monday and runs through April 17. Producers who applied online could receive payments as early as Feb. 28, the department said.

Payments are calculated per acre and vary by crop, with the highest amounts going to cotton and rice — two crops rarely grown in Utah.

About $11 billion is earmarked for row crops, while the remaining $1 billion goes to specialty crops not covered by the FBA program.

“We appreciate the help,” Rigby said. “It’s just — there’s some external things that have happened in the last year, or last couple years, that have really just affected the price that we’re able to sell our products for. And we want to produce food for people.”

Corn Belt states collecting the most

An analysis by the American Farm Bureau shows the biggest payments are headed to Texas, which could see $1.1 billion.

That’s followed by Iowa at $893 million, Kansas at $888 million and Illinois at $832 million.

Overall, Midwest and Corn Belt states are expected to collect $6.9 billion — about 64% of the total — while Southern and Southeast states are projected to receive roughly $2.8 billion, or 26%.

Western states and the Northeast have fewer eligible acres, said Matt Hargreaves, vice president of communications for the state’s farm bureau, so their share of the FBA program is smaller.

In Utah, if every qualifying farmer applied, Hargreaves said the state could see around $9 million in payments.

‘I couldn’t afford to do it’

Allen Staker runs a 700-acre farm in Emery County, where he grows mostly wheat, corn and barley, with a bit of alfalfa.

He expects to see some relief from the federal bridge payments, he said, but the past few years have been tough. Fertilizer alone last year cost him $100,000, and the price has more than doubled over the past decade.

Staker stays afloat by raising cattle, which provides a more steady income when crop prices and yields aren’t enough to cover expenses.

“If I had to depend on just the crops,” he said, “yeah — I couldn’t afford to do it.”

Rigby said Utah farmers are losing money on their crops because the prices they can get aren’t enough to cover rising costs.

He used to be able to sell alfalfa for around $300 a ton, he said. Now, buyers won’t pay more than $150.

Part of the problem, he said, is that dairies — his main alfalfa customers — can’t afford to pay more, since the price of milk is lower than the cost to produce it.

‘A historic agriculture trade deficit’

Mounting financial strain on America’s farmers prompted a bipartisan group of former USDA officials and farm leaders to write a letter to the House and Senate agricultural committees earlier this month, warning that the industry is at a breaking point.

“Farmer bankruptcies have doubled, barely half of all farms will be profitable this year, and the U.S. is running a historic agriculture trade deficit,” the letter read.

“There are few tragedies greater than the loss of a family farm, representing not just a loss of livelihood but a loss of a way of life for rural families,” the letter continued. “And when American farmers suffer, the entire rural economy is impacted — from schools, to churches, to main street businesses.”

A similar message was shared in January, when 56 agriculture groups urged Congress to do more. The bridge assistance is a meaningful step, they said, but it falls short.

Together, they warned the funds “do not cover the extensive and cumulative losses that farmers have absorbed over the last several years.”

“Even after including crop insurance, farm bill programs … losses for principal crops and specialty crops remain deep,” the letter reads.

Spencer Gibbons, CEO of the Utah Farm Bureau, said he expects farmers will see more meaningful relief later this year, but he worries about those who can’t wait that long.

Staker, in southeastern Utah, said many operations are already stretched thin.

“We need somebody to understand that if we’re going to produce food for this nation,” he said, “we’ve got to be able to afford to do it.”

Note to readers • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.

Rust was the word of choice for Utah Mammoth players and coaches following their 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

It had been 21 days since their most recent game, and while they attempted to get back into game form with plenty of practice time, it’s just not the same as an actual NHL game.

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Here’s the story, as well as the things that the Mammoth need to do to get their momentum going again.

Quick catchup

Colorado Avalanche: 4

Utah Mammoth: 2

If you like goals, all you needed to see was the second period. All six of this game’s goals came during the middle frame.

Brock Nelson thought he’d opened the scoring in the first, but his goal was called back after a Mammoth coach’s challenge determined that he’d interfered with goaltender Karel Vejmelka. He’d later rectify that, though, with his 30th goal of the season after Parker Kelly and Victor Olofsson had already struck for the Avalanche.

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Dylan Guenther tied his career high in goals, scoring his 26th and 27th of the season against the Avalanche. One came on his signature power play one-timer, which he hasn’t used as much in recent months.

Martin Nečas seemed to take inspiration from Guenther’s one-timer, scoring an identical goal later on in the period on an Avalanche power play. Going into the game, the Avalanche and the Mammoth were respectively the worst and second-worst power play teams, so it’s coincidental that they both scored with the man-advantage when they faced each other.

Tidbits and takeaways

Logan Cooley’s return doesn’t guarantee anything

Mammoth fans were greeted with hopeful news ahead of the game: Logan Cooley and Alexander Kerfoot were back and healthy, while the league’s leading scorer, Nathan MacKinnon, would not be suiting up for the Avalanche.

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If there’s ever such thing as an easier game against the league’s best team, this was it. But the Mammoth just couldn’t pull it off.

Head coach André Tourigny offered an explanation in his postgame interview.

“When Cools went down, everybody thought, ‘… What will happen?’ Are we not something like 16-11 without Cools? Because everybody did what they had to do,” he said. “… Everybody just bought in (to) how they had to play and we were successful. So (it) doesn’t matter who you have in the lineup if you have that aggression, that intensity (that) characterizes us, it won’t work.”

Cooley dazzled on a number of occasions throughout the game — including an ankle-breaker on Zakhar Bardakov — and registered his first point since Nov. 28. But Tourigny was not impressed with the overall game of the 21-year-old.

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“Like everybody else, I think I saw a lot of rust and tough decisions with the puck and not playing fast at all, with and without the puck,” he said.

From a full-team standpoint, Cooley agreed.

“You could tell there was some rust out there, and I don’t think it was just small details,” he said. “It was losing battles, not coming back quick enough, not defending in front, little things like that that are our identity and what makes us successful. And we didn’t do that tonight.”

Momentum is paramount

The question going into this game was whether the upper hand would belong to the well-rested team or the one that sent eight players to the Olympics. Tourigny didn’t have an answer to the question before the game, but once the puck dropped it became clear.

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Utah enjoyed a great deal of momentum in the weeks heading into the break, with 12 wins in their last 17 games. They attempted to keep that momentum going by holding extra-long practices as soon as they were allowed, but they still struggled out of the gate.

Their next test isn’t an easy one, either. They host the fifth-placed Minnesota Wild, who, like the Avalanche, had eight players in Milan.

Utah has a 4-0-1 all-time record against Minnesota. If they can get back to their winning ways on Friday, maybe they can build that momentum back up.

Puck luck plays a factor, too

Bounces have been a major talking point in the hockey world this week. It’s a game of inches, and it was only a matter of inches by which MacKinnon and Devon Toews both missed their grade-A scoring chances in the gold medal game, allowing Team USA the opportunity to win it in overtime.

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It was similarly a matter of inches by which Utah lost this game, even with the major flaws that Tourigny pointed out. Lawson Crouse drilled the crossbar on a partial breakaway, while Clayton Keller and another Mammoth player hit posts on excellent scoring chances.

All night long, the puck seemed to bobble at the exact moment guys went to shoot. It affected Keller on the power play and it probably saved another Nelson goal.

“The (ice) sheet wasn’t the best, I don’t think,” Guenther acknowledged after the game. “I mean, we haven’t played here in like three weeks, so I think it’s hard. But, again, they’re playing on that too and making less plays and maybe keeping it a little bit more simple.”

Goal of the game

Dylan Guenther’s one-timer

The power play one-timer just might be the most effective play in the modern era of the NHL. It takes great skill to pull it off consistently, but a lot of guys are able to build their careers on it.

This article was first published in the Ute Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Wednesday night.

Five former Utes are in Indianapolis this weekend for the 2026 NFL Combine as they take the next step toward a professional football career.

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Scouts, general managers and coaches from every NFL team will be on hand at the combine, with on-field testing running from Thursday to Sunday. Prospects will participate in a series of drills and interview with teams, giving them valuable insight on players.

Drills include the bench press, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle, and a good performance can send players up draft boards.

Linebacker Lander Barton and defensive end Logan Fano are first up on Thursday, with tight end Dallen Bentley taking the field on Friday and offensive tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu closing things out on Sunday.

Here’s a look at where each former Ute ranks on various draft boards, along with a scouting report from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, as they head into the combine.

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Spencer Fano, offensive tackle

• 2025 stats: 84 PFF grade, no sacks allowed, only five pressures allowed

• 2025 honors: Outland Trophy winner, unanimous first-team All-American, Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, All-Big 12 first team

• PFF Big Board rank: 18

• Mel Kiper’s positional rank: No. 2

• NFL.com prospect grade: 6.44 (will eventually be plus starter)

Scouting report:

“Fano lacks ideal proportional build but compensates with loose hips, quick feet and high-end athleticism. He has the tools to mirror speed rushers, wall off the top of the pocket and find a late anchor when taking the worst of a bull rush. He needs to stay square longer to prevent inside moves and refine his punch approach/timing. His athletic profile is designed for move-based blocking schemes where he can pull, reach and climb while beating opponents to the spot with quickness/feel for hitting landmarks on time. He gives good effort as a downhill blocker but issues with pad level and core strength lead to him being overtaken as the rep progresses. Fano’s level of NFL success might be tied to scheme fit and individual matchups.” — Zierlein

Caleb Lomu, offensive tackle

• 2025 stats: 68.4 PFF grade, no sacks allowed, eight pressures allowed

• 2025 honors: All-Big 12 first team

• PFF Big Board rank: 29

• Mel Kiper’s positional rank: No. 5

• NFL.com prospect grade: 6.36 (will eventually be plus starter)

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Scouting report:

“Two-year starting left tackle who is still in the early stages of his development. Utah’s run game leaned heavily on movement and misdirection, preventing Lomu from firing out and showing his power. His run blocking trails his pass protection, but improved pad level and a nastier demeanor could close the gap. In protection, he shows good balance with adequate foot quickness, landing quick, well-timed punches and using a firm grip to control rushers once he’s in. His anchor was rarely stressed by power and his athletic recoveries are average. Lomu flashes but is still under construction. His play could improve rapidly with strength gains and additional coaching.” — Zierlein

Dallen Bentley, tight end

• 2025 stats: 76.9 PFF grade, 48 catches for 620 yards and six touchdowns

• 2025 honors: All-Big 12 third team

• PFF Big Board rank: 181

• Mel Kiper’s positional rank: No. 3

• NFL.com prospect grade: 5.84 (average backup)

Scouting report:

“With just three catches over his first two seasons at Utah, Bentley’s 48 grabs in 2025 came as a surprise. He has the build of an in-line tight end but mostly uses his size to occupy defenders instead of digging into blocks. A heavy portion of his catches came against zone, so he will need to refine his route running and contested-catch technique to prove he can win on his own. Bentley’s NFL future could depend on his ability to play with more tenacity and technique as a run blocker since his catch production from 2025 might not translate.” — Zierlein

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Logan Fano, defensive end

• 2025 stats: 78.7 PFF grade, 44 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections

• 2025 honors: All-Big 12 second team

• PFF Big Board rank: 262

• Mel Kiper’s positional rank: “Just missed” top 10

• NFL.com prospect grade: 6.36 (average backup)

Scouting report:

“An edge defender with pro size and strength, Fano is capable of playing standing up or with a hand down. He plays with a blend of hurry and heart that keeps him keyed in on the action. However, urgency can become impatience, which pulls him out of position and opens him to counters/misdirection. He’s quick but lacks upfield juice to challenge the edge. His rush plan is too predictable and overly reliant on feet over hands. He’ll shine on special teams and has toughness to defend a pro run game, but Fano needs to improve as a rusher to become a three-down player.” — Zierlein

Lander Barton, linebacker

• 2025 stats: 61.7 PFF grade, 55 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one pass deflection; six catches for 44 yards and a touchdown

• PFF Big Board rank: 266

• NFL.com prospect grade: 5.94 (average backup)

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Scouting report:

“Barton saw a slight downturn in production and consistency in 2025. He lacks ideal short-area quickness and agility for the NFL game but it’s good enough for backup consideration. He needs to play with better block slip and take-on to make his job easier. Barton’s handful of snaps and targets as a tight end might create some H-back roster flexibility to go with his linebacker label.” — Zierlein

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The mid-2000s Utah Jazz are often overlooked by fans when discussing that era of the NBA. After all, the Western Conference was already home to the league’s powerhouses, such as the dynastic San Antonio Spurs, the Seven Seconds or Less Phoenix Suns and the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers.

Still, the Jazz quietly built one of the most balanced and efficient teams in the league. At the center was Deron Williams, who spoke on the “Out The Mud” podcast to share what made them ahead of their time.

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A perfectly-built team

Selected third overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, Williams, a complete guard whose facilitating skills allowed his deceptively quick athleticism to reign supreme on offense, was stepping into a structured system under Hall of Fame head coach Jerry Sloan, and a city reeling from the retirement of John Stockton just two seasons prior.

Despite the pressure, Williams explained that his first couple of years were just him playing basketball in its rawest form, made easier by the roster structure that let him fit in seamlessly.

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“When you come into the league, you just hooping, man. You don’t know about the politics, the s—t that’s going on in the league,” he said. “So my first like three, four years it was just pure basketball, hooping, not giving a f—k. And playing with those guys, the team was kind of built perfectly, you know?” 

“Me and Booz clicked with the pick and roll. We had Memo (Mehmet Okur), who was kind of ahead of his time — like Memo playing right now? Memo going to make a couple hundred,” added Williams.

When looking deeper at Utah’s roster at the time, fans could realize just how modern their roster construction really was. Williams formed an efficient tandem with Carlos Boozer, who was then a two-time All-Star due to his tenacity around the boards and reliable mid-range jumper.

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Completing the frontcourt was Okur, a 6’11 stretch big man who shot 37 percent from long range his whole career. At a time when traditional centers dominated the paint and had not yet been expected to be viable weapons outside of it, Memo could space the floor, which made Sloan’s offense a peculiar riddle at the time.

Then there was Andrei Kirlenko, who was and is still considered one of the most underrated and underappreciated players in league history. AK-47 earned multiple All-Defensive Team honors due to his undeniable ability to protect the rim and defend both big men and guards. Not to mention that he led the league in blocks per game with 3.3 in 2005 as a forward.

“And AK, just, if he could shoot, he would have been one of the best players in the league, hands down,” Williams declared. “He played hard defense, lock up, could pass that thing, can rebound, block shots. He could do everything except shoot consistently.”

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Related: “I’m telling people… pay attention to Boston” – Reggie Miller says Celtics are scariest team in the East even without Tatum

Williams believes they would’ve beaten the Cavaliers in the 2007 Finals

While fans may think Williams is overrating the team a little too much, his comments still hold weight, especially given that they reached the Western Conference finals in 2007 after missing the playoffs the previous two seasons.

The postseason run was far from easy. The Jazz knocked off the Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming-led Houston Rockets in the first round in a grueling seven-game series before dominating the We Believe Golden State Warriors, who beat the one-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round, in six games in the second round.

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Their run ultimately ended in the conference finals against the Spurs in five games, who went on to sweep a young LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. For Williams, the team and their momentum were so good that he believed they would’ve won the championship if they had found a way to get past San Antonio.

“If there was no San Antonio, I think we could have beaten Cleveland that year,” he stated.

The Jazz would remain one of the most dangerous teams in the West in the years that followed. Though they never broke through for a championship, those Utah teams are still notable for embracing depth before the league ever truly did.

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Related: “Better than the Redeem Team” – Deron Williams explains why 2012 Team USA was superior to the 2008 squad

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.