Report: Utah set to hire its new defensive ends coach

Utah’s latest addition to its coaching roster is Inoke Breckterfield, who will be the Utes’ new defensive ends coach, according to a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Practice footballs sit in a cart as the Utes and the Trojans prepare to play at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.
Practice footballs sit in a cart as the Utes and the Trojans prepare to play at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Morgan Scalley is one step closer to filling out his inaugural coaching staff.

Utah’s latest addition to its coaching roster is Inoke Breckterfield, who will be the Utes’ new defensive ends coach, according to a report Sunday by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Breckterfield replaces Lewis Powell, who coached the defensive ends for 10 seasons at Utah before leaving for the same position under Kyle Whittingham at Michigan.

Breckterfield brings 16 years of defensive line coaching experience to Utah. He got his start as a defensive line coach at Weber State and has coached the position at UCLA, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Washington and Baylor.

At Pitt, he coached Aaron Donald, who went on to enjoy a highly successful NFL career that featured a Super Bowl championship, three-time Defensive Player of the Year honors and eight All-Pro appearances.

Breckterfield also helped develop eight-time NFL Pro Bowler and 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers while coaching at Wisconsin.

Breckterfield coached the defensive line at Wisconsin from 2015-2020, and in that time period, the Badgers’ defense finished in the top 10 in the country in points allowed five times while also finishing in the top 10 rushing defenses five times.

Wiconsin’s defense while Breckterfield was coach finished in the top 25 nationally in sacks two times. Additionally, Washington ranked in the top 25 in rushing defense and in sacks in one of Breckterfield’s two seasons in Seattle.

After six coaches left Utah for Michigan this offseason — 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 Powell — Scalley has been hard at work assembling his own staff in the midst of the transfer portal opening.

With the hire of Breckterfield, Scalley’s coaching staff is nearly complete. Here’s a look at what Utah’s 2026 coaching staff looks like:

  • Head coach: Morgan Scalley
  • Offensive coordinator:Kevin McGiven
  • Running backs: Mark Atuaia
  • Wide receivers:Chad Bumphis
  • Offensive line: Jordan Gross
  • Tight ends: Still needs to be filled
  • Quarterbacks: Likely McGiven, who has also coached the quarterbacks in the majority of his stints as offensive coordinator.
  • Defensive coordinator: Colton Swan
  • Defensive tackles: Luther Elliss
  • Defensive ends: Inoke Breckterfield
  • Linebackers: Colton Swan
  • Cornerbacks/special teams: Sharrieff Shah
  • Safeties:Derrick Odum

Should McGiven coach the quarterbacks, Utah needs just one more coach — tight ends — to round out Scalley’s coaching staff.

Category: General Sports