The Utah Utes football team has everything going for them in 2023. They have elite coaching. They have an enormous amount of star power returning from last season. They have added key pieces from the transfer portal to shore up their depth. Everything seems to be lining up for the Utes to have a special season.
Utah will kick off the season tomorrow night against the Florida Gators, marking the first time an SEC team has entered Rice-Eccles Stadium. Beyond that game, the #14 Utes will likely face its toughest schedule in school history, with games against four ranked teams at the start of the season, including Oregon State, USC, Oregon, and Washington. UCLA, Florida, and Baylor also received votes for the AP Poll.
In other words, for Utah to have a special season, they’re going to need to have its best team in school history, and this just might be that season.
What Makes This Utes Team So Special?
The Offense
This team has all the makings of a championship squad. It has playmakers on offense, with QB Cam Rising (who will play most of the season, perhaps even tomorrow night) leading the way, this offense should eclipse last year’s average of 38.6 points per game.
The running game will be explosive. RB Ja’Quinden Jackson has had a full offseason to prepare himself to lead the backfield after switching over from quarterback last season, and the early reports and impressive spring game performance indicate that Jackson will be a major problem for opposing defenses. Look out, he’s not just an elite runner, it turns out he’s a pretty solid receiver, too.
However, what makes this Utah team so special is the insane depth throughout the depth chart. Jackson will be outstanding, but the Utes will also have Micah Bernard, Jaylon Glover, and Chris Curry returning, as well as several capable freshmen.
At receiver, Utah will have an impressive group of weapons available to Rising. DeVaughn Vele, Money Parks, and Makai Cope are all returning, and the Utes have also added Indiana’s Emery Simmons and Florida State’s Mycah Pittman to the mix. Beyond that, incoming freshman and early enrollee Mickey Matthews is already proving to be a threat.
Utah just saw a tight end get drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean the cupboard is empty. Quite the opposite. Brant Kuithe is close to a return, and the Australian Rumbler Thomas Yassmin will return as well. If that’s not enough to put fear into opposing defenses, the Utes also added Auburn’s Landen King from the transfer portal, and brought over Miki Suguturaga from DE to fill the “pain inflictor” role left behind by Logan Kendall.
At quarterback, Rising will be returning for his second full season as Utes starting signal caller, but will now have more depth behind him than ever before. Prior to his injury in fall camp, Brandon Rose looked fantastic throughout spring practices and the spring game. With the added reps following the injury to Rose, Nate Johnson has turned the corner and is expected to be a part of the game plan tomorrow night. They’ll also have the always-reliable Bryson Barnes back for another season.
Finally, the offensive line might be the best of all the groups on the offense, and that’s saying something. Head coach Kyle Whittingham reported during spring practices that they already have 10 reliable guys they can count on in the trenches this season. RG Sataoa Laumea might be the best of the bunch, and in the Pac-12 for that matter, and a future NFL first-round pick.
Three of the four other likely starters all have starting experience, including Keaton Bills, Johnny Maea, and Micheal Mokofisi. The other expected starter, true freshman Spencer Fano, wowed the coaching staff in fall practices and beat out other solid rotation players with previous starts. Beyond that group, Falcon Kaumatule, Alex Harrison, Jaren Kump, Tanoa Togiai, and Kolinu’u Faaiu should all get plenty of time on the field as well.
The Defense
If the offense sounded good, wait until you hear about this defense. This defense, which led the PAC-12 in 2022 in points allowed (20.4) rushing yards allowed (107 ypg), and was second in passing yards allowed (218.3 ypg) is going to be even better.
Kyle Whittingham has been vocal about how good the defense is looking coming into the season.
“At every level, we’re talented, we’re deep,” he said. “The front is physical, athletic. The linebackers are active and tough, and the secondary, we’ve got a bunch of ball hawks back there, and some really good tacklers at the safety spot, so I think the defense really has a chance to stand out for us this year.”
The defensive line is stacked. Any of defensive end’s Jonah Elliss, Van Fillinger, Connor O’Toole, Chase Kennedy, and BYU transfer Logan Fano could start throughout the year, and the ability to rotate that kind of talent will be a luxury.
The Utes will have all of the defensive front return from last season, with defensive tackles Simote Pepa, Junior Tafuna, Keanu Tanuvasa, and Aliki Vimahi plugging the gaps in the trenches.
The linebackers will have both Karene Reid and Lander Barton return as starters, and they’ll be joined by Stanford’s leading tackler a year ago, Levani Damuni. Behind them, Justin Medlock, Sione Fotu, Josh Calvert, and Owen Chambliss should also make an impact.
The secondary lost a major piece in CB Clark Phillips III, but will have four corners with starting experience ready to fill the void, with Zemaiah Vaughn, JaTravis Broughton, Faybian Marks, and Ole Miss transfer Miles Battle ready to take the field. Keep an eye on Elijah Davis as well, who was making big strides in the spring and fall practices.
Playing alongside them will be returning safety starters Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki, as well as Nate Ritchie, who started in 2020 before leaving on a church mission. Freshman Jono Hall also made a big impression since joining the team, and should see some time in the secondary this season. They’ve also added FS Briton Allen from USC via the transfer portal. He’s had to battle through injuries throughout his career, but he could be a big surprise this fall.
There’s several other impact pieces in the defensive backfield, like converted nickel back Tao Johnson, and true freshmen Smith Snowden and CJ Blocker, who should have some opportunities to get into games.
The Special Teams
It appears that the Utes finally found a solid kicker in Colorado transfer Cole Becker. He hit 85% of his field goals last season, hitting every try within 39 yards, and he was 5/6 within 49 yards. Whittingham also said that punter Jack Bouwmeester was looking improved in the spring.
Utah will have all three starters returning to bring back punts and kicks as well. Pittman has returned 34 punts in his career, averaging nearly 10 yards per return on those plays, and he’ll likely get the nod to return punts this season. Vele was used as the primary punt returner last season, returning 26 kicks for 246 yards, so he is another solid option.
The Utes didn’t return many kickoffs (only 8) last season, but Parks had 4 returns for 81 yards, and Bernard returned 3 for 71 yards. Vaki is also listed on the depth chart to return kicks.
The Consistency of the Coaching Staff
Whittingham will be returning for his 19th straight season as head coach of the Utes, making him the longest-tenured coach in the Pac-12 and the second longest-tenured coach at the same school in all of the FBS.
Beyond Whittingham, there’s a ton of long-term coaching experience returning. Morgan Scalley is back for his 8th season as defensive coordinator, and 16th as an assistant. OC Andy Ludwig is back for his 9th season (5th year this time around). Jim Harding has now been the offensive line coach for 10 straight seasons. Sharrieff Shaw is back for his 12th season coaching cornerbacks. Freddie Whittingham is returning for his 8th year as tight ends coach, and Lewis Powell has now coached the defensive line for 8 seasons as well.
Wrapping Up
On paper, everything appears to be falling into place at the right time for the Utes. They’ve won back-to-back PAC-12 titles, and nearly every position in 2023 will be filled by a player with starting experience. They’ve got loads of talent backing up those veteran starters when injuries hit. They’ve got a room full of coaches who have successfully churned out successful teams and NFL talent for a decade.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see 10+ players from this team get selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. Guys like Laumea, Bishop, Kuithe, Rising, Jackson, Fillinger, Vaughn, Barton, Reid, Damuni, and Battle may all be locks, unless some of them decide to come back.
Sure, the competition is fierce, and some analysts are putting USC, Oregon, and Washington ahead of the Utes, but I’m not sure how aware they are of how complete Utah is as a team. It’s going to be hard to find a weakness on this team, and wherever it reveals itself, this coaching staff has talent in abundance to find ways to fix it quickly.
Colorado may be the team spouting out “We comin'”, and USC and Oregon have all of their typical preseason hype, but it’s the Utes that the rest of the PAC-12 should be worried about.
Straight Up Utes 