Big 12 Snapshot: Utah Utes

Good morning. I’m introducing a new series intended to take a look at each team in the new Big 12. I’m not sure how many I’ll get done each week, but the only way for me to really know about these teams is to actually do the research so I can be relatively informed when the season hits. So I spent time doing the research this weekend. There are links to everything below so if there isn’t a link, then I didn’t write it, but I always link back to the originator of the content. I wanted to take a quick look at the team: get a feel for the best players; look into their portal class consisted and how they ranked overall; a look at the 2024 recruiting class; and ending on the graphic from Sharp College Football.

Snapshot: Much is dependent on the health of quarterback Cam Rising, who sat out all of last year due to injury, but in 2022 he threw for over 3,000 yards, had 26 touchdowns and just 8 picks while completing 65% of his passes. Sam Huard transfers in from Cal Poly to help with quarterback play, which held them back last year if Rising is not healthy. The defense is the strongest part of this team. Linebacker Levani Damuni returns after 87 tackles last year as does cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn who had 53 tackles, 6 passes defended (9 the previous year) and a pick. Head coach Kyle Whittingham maybe steps into the Big 12 as the best coach in the conference and has built a reputation as a tough hard-nosed team. In my opinion, this is the team to beat in 2024 and they rightfully are picked to win the Big 12 (again, in my opinion).

Do the Utes play Texas Tech? Nope.

Returning Starters: Offensive returning starters – 7 (75% of offensive production); Defensive returning starters – 8 (70% of defensive production).

Transfer Portal Arrivals: 11. Biggest need appeared to be at wide receiver, tight end, defensive line and defensive back. Because the Utes didn’t dip too much into the portal makes you think that they are pretty well okay in terms of roster and development, which is not a surprise.
RB Anthony Woods (from Idaho)
WR Dorian Singer (from USC)
WR Damien Alford (from Syracuse)
WR Taeshaun Lyons (from Washington)
TE Carsen Ryan (from UCLA)
TE Caleb Lohner (from BYU)
DL John Henry Daley (from BYU)
DL Paul Fitzgerald (from Utah State)
DB Kenan Johnson (from Georgia Tech)
DB Alaka’i Gilman (from Stanford)
DB Cameron Calhoun (from Michigan)

On3 Transfer Index Score: +4 (Big 12 high is +68 with Colorado and low is -30 with Houston)

Spring Portal Grades: A

Key additions: Sam Huard, QB (Cal Poly); Damien Alford, WR (Syracuse); Paul Fitzgerald, EDGE (Utah State)

Key subtractions: Koli Faaiu, IOL (Texas A&M); Chase Kennedy, EDGE (Arizona)

Outlook: Utah bolstered its offense for the present and the future during the spring window. Alford joins the Utes after leading Syracuse with 33 catches for 610 yards and three touchdowns last season. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound receiver should be a nice target for returning starting quarterback Cam Rising, who is entering his seventh and final season.

Utah was also able to find Rising’s eventual successor, landing a commitment from former five-star recruit Huard. Last season, Huard started nine games for Cal Poly, completing 60.9 percent of his passes for 2,205 yards and 18 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. The rising redshirt junior has two years of eligibility remaining.

Utah’s biggest loss comes in Faaiu, who started the last eight games at center. The 6-foot-3, 326-pound lineman was expected to retain his starting spot had he stayed.

Pac 12 2024 Recruiting & Big 12 2024 Recruiting: The leader of this class is four-star quarterback Isaac Wilson, who has superstar potential and put up huge numbers in high school. So it’s no surprise that the Utes also did well in signing four-star receivers David Washington and Zacharyus Williams among others.

We all know Utah is going to develop some three-star sleepers as well, which has been coach Kyle Whittingham’s M.O. for years. One to watch is three-star in-state ATH Davis Andrews, who’s expected to play in the secondary. He’s really impressive and could be the gem of this recruiting class.

Grade: B-

Sharp College Football Beta Rank Deep Dive: The offense was mid last year, but they didn’t have Rising all year long. Obviously, they could run the ball, but just really inconsistent quarterback play and still won 8 games. Defensively, Utah is stacked, negative plays, a superb run defense and a pass defense that’s not too far behind. As an an aside, Whittingham is set to retire soon (maybe after this year) and the defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley is already in place and supposed to replace him.