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SALT LAKE CITY — Only 11 days stand between now and the start of the Utah football season. With that, we will be spotlighting two players that will be wearing No. 11 this season in Kylie Fitts and Raelon Singleton.
Kylie Fitts, SR, defensive end
A transfer after spending his freshman year at UCLA, Fitts has made a near-seamless transition to what is always an intimidating Utah defensive line. After sitting out a season due to NCAA transfer rules, Fitts came into 2015 with high expectations and didn’t disappoint, registering 41 tackles (eight tackles for loss) and seven sacks. His four forced fumbles led the Pac-12.
Standing at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, Fitts can certainly get after the quarterback, but one of his specialities is batting down passes at the line. Last season, he totaled 10 pass deflections.
His production shouldn’t come as a surprise, as he was a four-star recruit by Rivals and Scout coming out of Redlands East Valley High School. He saw only limited action as a Bruin and took full advantage of his role as a junior with the Utes, which included 11 starts.
Listed on the Bednarik Award watch list for the best defensive player in the country, Fitts will once again be a leader of what is sure to be another strong Ute defense. If he can have another productive campaign in 2016, combined with his size and length, don’t be surprised to see Fitts climb up NFL big boards by season’s end.
Here are some of Fitts' highlights from last year's game against his former team, UCLA.
Raelon Singleton, SO, wide receiver
Another player originating from Texas, redshirt sophomore Singleton is finally getting his chance to show what he can do after redshirting his first season in the program due to injury. Last season, he showed flashes of his talent, but never really cracked the regular rotation.
But thanks to a strong fall camp, Singleton finds himself backing up what may be Utah’s best receiver in Tim Patrick and is sure to find the field this upcoming season. You can see in Singleton's highlights from his senior year of high school that he certainly has the skills and length to be effective in the Pac-12.
Still a young player, the 6-foot-3 receiver will have a role on this year’s team, but his best days may not come until after 2016. Twitter: @GriffDoug
