Kyle Whittingham and the Utes bring major pieces back after an injury-riddled 2023. Can Utah assume the favorite position in its new conference?
For those who might not have been tuned into Utah Utes football in 2021 and 2022, you'll be reminded quickly why they enter the 2024 Big 12 season as conference betting favorites. Last year was devistated by injuries, including to their star QB, top three receiving options, and a handful of other key contributors. This year, Utah returns those players and looks to resume its dominant national status as a 10+ win team and CFP candidate.
You might recognize Whittingham's predecessor: Urban Meyer. In just two seasons, Meyer went 22-2, winning two bowl games. He handed the reins to Whittingham and the rest is history. It took just four seasons post-Meyer for Whittingham to reach his heights, going a spectacular 13-0 in 2003 and closing Utah's tenrue in the Mountain West on a 33-6 run.
Other players to go down to season-ending injuries included top receiver Mycah Pittman, top linebacker Lander Barton, running back Micah Bernard, and edge rusher Logan Fano. At one point in the season,And yet, Utah finished 8-5. The offense was tough to watch – its most exciting player was converted safety Sione Vaki, who played both sides of the ball. Vaki rushed for 330 yards, hauled in 203 receiving yards, and also recorded 51 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, two sacks, and an interception.
The receiving room is truly the Big 12's most underrated and one of its very best. Pittman returns alongside Money Parks and USC transfer Dorian Singer, a former all-conference receiver at Arizona. Jaylon Glover rises as the likely lead back alongside Bernard. In 2023, Glover picked up 585 rush yards and a pair of scores, but appears poised to be a breakout player in Salt Lake City.
Perhaps the unsung unit on the defense is the backfield. Over the past couple years, Utah's seen extreme highs and extreme lows. They've sent multiple defensive backs to the NFL, but also had to plug in RB Bernard to try and cover a first-round WR in Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the 2023 Rose Bowl. This year, the secondary trends in the "highs" direction.
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