‘I know he’s in the city that loves him’: Why Byrd Ficklin returned to Utah

Utah quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA football game against the Kansas State Wildcats held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News In the transfer portal era, Byrd Ficklin is an anomaly.

Since the advent of the transfer portal, the position most impacted by college football’s new order has been quarterback. Mostly gone are the days of Alabama having Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa on the same team or USC having Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart in the same quarterback room, though Oregon will pair starter Dante Moore with Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola this year. In the new age, there’s little patience for quarterbacks to stay at a school, develop and wait their turn — with a limited number of years to play college football, more and more quarterbacks are transferring to a place they can start as soon as possible.

According to a story from CBS Sports , 60% of Power Four starting quarterbacks in 2025 transferred at least once in their careers, making what happened at Utah this offseason remarkable. Utah starting quarterback Devon Dampier elected to return , giving the Utes their leader and signal-caller back in Morgan Scalley’s first season as head coach. Last year, while playing through injury much of the season, Dampier guided the Utes to an 11-2 record capped off by their first bowl win since 2017.

Paired with offensive coordinator Jason Beck, the New Mexico transfer threw for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns with five interceptions on 63. 75% accuracy and rushed for 835 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns as Utah set school rushing records. As Kyle Whittingham, Beck and others left for Michigan, Dampier’s decision to stay with Scalley and the Utes gave the first-time head coach some needed continuity.