Ethan Day Knows There are Big Shoes to Fill on the Utah Defensive Line

Defensive end Ethan Day might be one of the newest faces on the Utah defense for the 2026 season, but he continues to act and attack things as if he has been with the program for ages. Day called his brief time at Utah a ‘way different experience’ after practice on Tuesday.

“I get game-changing coaching here. It’s great to be with the guys on the field and get after it in fall camp,” Day said. “Practice was great. It’s good to be back on the field. The guys are all moving around well, getting back in shape and moving around on the field.”

Day had quite a few suitors when he entered the portal back in December after coming off a career season with North Texas. But the way that everyone connected with him was a big reason he will don the Utah helmet this fall.

“The way they get people. The team here is great. This was the first school I went to where I’m like, these coaches actually like believe in the players, and they’re really about it. I felt like with a quarterback coming back, with Devon being back. I was like, that’s that’s a no-brainer for sure. Also having them have NFL D linemen each year. That was kind of a big pull,” Day said.

Day and the rest of the defensive end room are heading into 2026 with the understanding that there has been a high bar set coming off last season.

“There’s a lot of big shoes to fill from last year. I think as a D line, we need to come out and show ourselves. We have a lot of overlooked guys. Coach Scalley pulled up the board with all the preseason Big 12 guys, and only one Utah guy in there. So that’s just a chip on the shoulder of the whole team to come after it this season,” he said.

With the race for Mayor of Sack Lake City wide open, Day has been in the lab since the end of spring ball. He wanted to know every area where he could be better for this season.

“I just met with my coaches, saw what some of my flaws were in the spring and then worked on them, tried to figure out what I can do to get better, and translate that into the fall, going into the season,” Day said. He added that he has spent time this offseason crafting his pass rush for this season, particularly his speed-to-power move.

Just like with members of the offense, Day had nothing but great things to say about the new strength and conditioning program under Steve Saunders.

“Coach Saunders, he was with the D line originally, and I believed in him from the beginning. I do some side work with him, and I feel like he’s improved my game a lot physically. Like, this is the best I’ve felt physically and the best weight I’ve been at too,” Day said.

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