What can Utah Utes expect from WR position this season?

As Kyle Whittingham fielded questions from reporters Wednesday during his scheduled press conference from Big 12 media days in Dallas, the conversation started to steer toward Utah's revamped offense.

The head coach of the Utes spent a solid portion of his 12 minutes in the spotlight praising his starting quarterback Devon Dampier, calling the New Mexico transfer a "coach on the field" for the leadership he exhibited throughout spring practice, while also highlighting first-year offensive coordinator Jason Beck and his creative play designs.

In regard to Utah's stout offensive line, Whittingham wouldn't go as far as saying its the best frontline in the country — he'll leave Phil Steele for that take — though he did hint at it being the best group he's had during his time in Salt Lake City.

"We should be the best offensive line since I've been at the University of Utah, which has been forever," Whittingham said at Big 12 media day. "We're going to lean on them heavily, and if they play like we think they're going to play, that's going to be a huge plus for our offense."

With a talented dual-threat quarterback under center, running a familiar playbook behind two projected first-round draft picks and three upperclassmen on the interior, there's a lot to like about the Utes' offense on paper. There's cohesion along the offensive line, an established relationship between quarterback and play-caller and a talented tailback in Washington State transfer Wayshawn Parker to establish Utah's ground game.

And as for the wide receiver room?

"That's probably the biggest question mark on the football team right now," Whittingham said. "As far as the hierarchy, who's going to be wide receiver one, two and three, etc., we didn't come out of spring with any true pecking order. We've got a lot of good players there."

Utah has a wide receiver battle on its hands

The Utes reeled in five wide receivers via the transfer portal this offseason; six including Utah State transfer Otto Tia, though the Utes decided to move the 6-foot-4, 220-pound redshirt senior to an H-back position following spring practices.

"He's a guy [who's] got a lot of ability," Whittingham said of Tia. "We just felt in this scheme, and what Jason saw through the first couple of weeks of spring ball, it was a benefit to him and us to move him into the tight end spot."

Utah's other additions at wideout include Creed Whittemore (Mississippi State), Justin Stevenson (Wyoming), Larry Simmons (Southern Miss), Tobias Merriweather (Cal) and Ryan Davis (New Mexico).

Davis brings the most experience to the table as a seventh-year player and has an existing connection with Dampier from their New Mexico days. Davis hauled in 54 catches for 747 yards and three touchdowns while primarily lined up in the slot last season.

On the outside, Merriweather is an intriguing deep-ball threat with his ability to highpoint the football at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds. Stevenson, listed at 6-foot-1 and 189 pounds, is a solid route runner who excels at creating separation from defensive backs and is a willing blocker in the run game.

Whittemore will likely factor as one of the Utes' more high-profile transfer additions of the winter cycle. The 5-foot-11 redshirt sophomore was the No. 28 wide receiver available in the transfer portal when he committed to Utah in December, according to 247Sports.

The Utes continued to satisfy their positional needs through the portal heading into the spring, with the departures of Dorian Singer, Money Parks and Zach Williams leaving the wide receiver room pretty thin on experienced talent. Utah's two notable returners — redshirt sophomore Daiden Zipperer and redshirt senior Luca Caldarella — combined for 10 total catches last season.

Whittingham stressed how vital it was Utah added receiver depth in the lead-up to the annual spring game back in April. Three months later, his biggest priority shifts toward fitting all the pieces together.

"We've got a lot of good players there," Whittingham said. "The most important thing that we can do at fall camp is to sort those wide receivers out and determine who are going to be the go-to guys."