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SALT LAKE CITY — Senior tight end Dalton Kincaid put everything on the line to suit up for a chance to play one last time in the Pac-12 championship game.
The Las Vegas native had suffered multiple serious injuries over the last few weeks of the season, including a shoulder injury that kept him out of a game; but he wanted to be out on the field with his teammates again — even though he was a game-time decision following an injury he sustained against Colorado the week prior.
His role was limited — four catches for 40 yards — but it was enough in a 23-point win over USC.
Kincaid had proven over the course of the season that he was one of the best tight ends in college football as Utah's leading receiver and finished with 890 yards and eight touchdowns on 70 catches. Though his plan was to prepare for the NFL draft, where his stock had grown considerably this season, a second straight Rose Bowl came first.
But the injuries he sustained late in the season were too much, and Kincaid declared his intention to bypass the Rose Bowl and rehab in an effort to be ready for his NFL journey. He'll still be at the game and will help the team in its preparation for the game, but he'll be absent on the field.
"Dalton was physically unable to perform ... and he would be here if he could," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "It's killing him not to be here, but he just couldn't do it. We didn't want to put him in harm's way. He's got the combine that's not too far after the Rose Bowl, so Dalton will be missed."
Utah will be without its two leading tight ends in the biggest game of the year — Brant Kuithe sustained a season-ending injury against Arizona State earlier in the season — which leaves opportunities for other players to step up.
No one is more impacted by that than Thomas Yassmin, the Australian rugby player who came to Utah in 2018 and had to learn the game of football before he could see meaningful minutes in a game. But even as he developed and learned the game of football, he was still buried behind two of the best tight ends in the country.
It wasn't until midway through the 2022 season that Yassmin started to showcase his skills on the field — a moment five seasons in the making. The crowning moment for Yassmin was a 60-yard touchdown catch as part of a career-high 81 receiving yards on two catches against USC in the Pac-12 championship game.
The week before, Yassmin leaped over a Colorado defender on his way to a score.
"It's awesome, honestly," Yassmin said. "I mean, it's been a long road for me. I've been here four and a half years and only sort of really started to see action in the past six games. So it's really good to be out there and just show people what I can do finally. I'm gonna continue to do that and continue to do the best I can out there.
"I wish the opportunities come under different circumstances, but it's always next man up, and I've got this opportunity beneath me, so I've just got to make the most of it right now."
💪 @TYassmin21 ARE YOU KIDDING?@Utah_Football makes it a 2 score game 😤 pic.twitter.com/LEphhNMUsI
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 3, 2022
Though he's listed as a junior due to the COVID season, Yassmin intends to leave the program after this year — he hasn't made an official decision yet — and the Rose Bowl is his last opportunity to add to his moment as the featured receiving tight end in the offense.
He's done enough on the field to show he's ready for the opportunity, and he's earned the trust of his teammates in that role.
"We've been working together since 2019 scout team and it's always been productive," quarterback Cam Rising said. "He's a phenomenal player, just got to get the ball in his hands and watch him do the rest."
"It's something that we've seen develop for a while now, and it's great to see him finally reaping the rewards, getting that respect that he deserves, because he's one hell of a player," wide receiver Devaughn Vele said. "I'm just so happy for him that he's getting the success that he deserves."
Yassmin was the guy that had the most to learn and waited the longest to showcase it, and now it's his time to shine for the Utes. He won't be alone, Whittingham said, but he's the one with the most proven skills on the field this season, outside of Logan Kendall, who has been a fixture in Utah's offense as a primarily blocking tight end.
Whittingham described Yassmin as being "a big factor" for the team going into the game, while adding that Kendall in his role, as well as Munir McClain and Taniela Pututau will see opportunities to make an impact on the field as Utah goes for its first Rose Bowl win.
"I think we're all still obviously excited, but we've been there, we've seen it, we know what it's like, we know what the atmosphere is like, the environment," Yassmin said. "So, right now, we're going in there and we're playing another game. I think that was just the case with the Pac-12 championship; we're going there, just another weekly game for us."
It may be another game, but it's an opportunity for relatively unknown tight ends to have their moment on one of the biggest stages.
