​New Utah offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven.
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Utah Athletics
Utah offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven feels like he has the weapons for a successful offense. Now comes the fun part: game planning for opponents and deciding when and where to utilize his playmakers.There’s a sense of optimism about the offense from Utah’s coaching staff heading into the 2026 season. The return of quarterback Devon Dampier, who threw for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 835 yards and 10 scores, is a big reason for it, but McGiven feels like Utah has playmakers all over the field.That hasn’t always been the case at Utah, especially in the receiver room, but it’s the aspect of the offense that McGiven feels most confident in as he prepares for his debut against Idaho on Sept. 3.“I think when the ball’s distributed, you’re not really in a panic in terms of whose hand it’s going to fall in,” McGiven said.That’s a big step forward from previous Utah offenses.It all starts with Dampier and his ability to extend plays. McGiven gave the senior quarterback perhaps the greatest compliment an offensive coordinator can give a player.“You don’t have to be perfect as a play caller because he just kind of makes things right when things break down,” McGiven said.“No, obviously I want to put him in good situations, but that is one of the key components to the ball moving and we’re able to see that in practices when he just kind of takes over or something kind of breaks down and he’s still able to make something out of it.”Throughout the offseason, McGiven has seen Dampier make progress in all aspects of his game, from leadership to decision making to his processing within the offense.“I’m really anxious to see it all come to fruition,” McGiven said.In the backfield with Dampier will be Wayshawn Parker, who rushed for 981 yards and six touchdowns on 149 carries. Parker was in a rushing tandem with NaQuari Rogers for the first half of last season, but this time around, he’s the undisputed RB1. That’s not to say he’ll be the only running back to get touches — Utah’s coaches have been pleased with the progress from Steve Chavez-Soto and Daniel Bray — but Parker will clearly be a focal point in McGiven’s offense.“To me it’s more just centered around your personnel. We have Wayshawn back there and Wayshawn needs to take on his share of the load and he needs to be able to showcase that and have those opportunities,” McGiven said.“You also got Bray back there that you can use in some similar ways as Wayshawn, some different ways as Wayshawn in terms of the skill set. So to me, it’s not so much about running and thro