Utah QB Byrd Ficklin refused to ditch 'family' for NIL pay day
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The Utah Utes are weeks away from opening the 2026 football season in Salt Lake City. Morgan Scalley will have one of the best quarterback rooms in the country during his first season as head coach. One of his up-and-coming contributors on offense is QB Byrd Ficklin.
The sophomore quarterback had the opportunity to leave Utah and pursue a starting role elsewhere. Instead, Ficklin decided to stick around to learn from Devon Dampier and grow under new offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven.
Michigan had offered Ficklin a considerable NIL deal to stash him as a backup behind former five-star Bryce Underwood. With Kyle Whittingham leaving for Ann Arbor, he wanted to snag as much talent as possible. But Ficklin wasn't willing to leave and abandon what he had started. He recently explained his decision to stay and said the Utes are his family.
"We’re basically brothers at this point," Ficklin told Deseret News about his relationship with Dampier. “I mean, you can’t just ditch your own family. That’s how I see it. These guys have took me under, from coaches to players to even the staff in the training room. It’s just been an all-out family and I know I couldn’t just leave them.”
Ficklin is Utah's insurance policy and wild card all at the same time. If Dampier goes down due to injury, he has a good grasp of the offense and has the ability to be a game changer. He's also involved in the offense as a "Swiss Army knife" option, who had 13 touchdowns last season. After becoming one of the more important figures in Utah’s offense, Ficklin will try to match his production from last year.
Ficklin's first-ever start couldn't have been scripted any better. He abused Colorado and gave the nation a preview of Utah's future. After accounting for 291 yards of total offense and three total touchdowns, Ficklin led the Utes to a 53-7 win over the Buffs at home. The encore against Baylor, with 166 rushing yards and two scores, was equally impressive.
After Whittingham bolted for Michigan, there were no guarantees Dampier or Ficklin would return this year. However, Scalley and his staff retained both. That alone speaks volumes on how much the players trust the process. It’s rare for a good team to keep key players through a coaching transition. Especially when seven-figure contracts are put on the table.
For Ficklin, the decision to stay centered around where he felt the most comfortable. Utah quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson and McGiven will utilize the strengths of both quarterbacks.
Ficklin is in line to become Utah’s starting quarterback next year. But he's also soaking up as much knowledge as he can before the transition happens.
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