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SALT LAKE CITY — The future of the Pac-12 may be in flux, but Utah football is days away from opening up its fall camp period ahead of the 2023 season.
Kyle Whittingham enters his 19th season as head coach at Utah, and will attempt to claim the first-ever three-peat in Pac-12 history (it could also be the only opportunity depending on the murky status of the conference's future after 2023 following Colorado's recent departure to the Big 12).
Regardless of the drama off the field, football is soon to return. Utah had a busy offseason and welcomed to the program nine players from the transfer portal, and added 19 players to its first-ever Top 25 recruiting class.
Some players may have an immediate impact on the 2023 season, while other players may take a little longer to make their presence known. Here's a look at where Utah added some depth and who is likely to be a standout player as the team reports for fall camp Monday.
Offense
Utah continues to make subtle improvements each season on the offensive side of the ball, and the 2023 roster is no different. Whittingham utilized a balanced approach to bring in players from the transfer portal to help immediate needs (wide receiver) while looking to recruits to add depth to various positions.
One of the most important positions was at quarterback, where Utah added three-star freshman quarterback Mack Howard to the 2023 roster. The Oxford, Mississippi, quarterback enrolled in spring and got an early jump to his collegiate career, but he's buried behind at least three quarterbacks to start this season. His impact will be minimal to start, but he gets to learn from offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig.
Though not specifically on offense, Utah also added Colorado placekicker Cole Becker to the roster from the transfer portal. Becker has a strong leg and can consistently kick touchbacks (fans immediately celebrate) and has a good record and range as a placekicker.
Wide receiver
No position on offense needed more help than the wide receiver room. Whittingham made mention at the end of the season and in spring that this position group was essentially going to be remade to include players that would help Utah get better.
The Utes kept proven commodities, such as Devaughn Vele, Money Parks and Makai Cope on the roster, but the coaching staff went shopping in the transfer portal and had success. Utah brought in Indiana transfer Emery Simmons and Florida State transfer Mycah Pittman to add veteran talent, while also adding freshmen Mikey Matthews and Daidren Zipperer.
Simmons and Pittman combined for 738 yards and four touchdowns in their one season at their respective schools last season and have the potential to make an impact early in an area of the offense Whittingham has been trying to develop for years. But Matthews, who enrolled early, turned heads in spring and is someone the coaching staff already sees big things out of in his career.
Is this the year Utah finally breaks out on the outside? Time will tell, but the talent, on paper, has improved.
Tight end
Utah's position du jour on offense seemingly got better in the offseason with the transfer portal additions of Auburn's Landen King and Snow College's Dallen Bentley, who should fill in nicely in a room that includes proven players Brant Kuithe and Thomas Yassmin. King has only six receptions to his name, but can serve as a viable replacement for Logan Kendall or in the receiving game.
Bentley has some experience at the junior college level, where he had 114 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. He'll likely be a depth player behind Kuithe and Yassmin initially, but he could see the field this season, too. Also joining Utah is freshman C.J. Jacobsen from Meridian, Idaho.
Running back
The rich keep getting richer. Utah has arguably its deepest and most talented running back room in program history, but that didn't stop the Utes from adding three players to the room as part of the 2023 recruiting class. Four star back John Randle Jr. leads the group, followed by fellow blue chipper Dijon Stanley and Michael Mitchell.
While the trio will be buried behind a multitude of players ahead of them, fall camp could see one or more players making an impact and getting some occasional time on the field this season. At the very least, Utah has more assets in an already loaded room — that's never a bad thing.
Offensive line
Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding wants 8-10 players ready and capable of being a starter on his line. He's done well to develop depth with this position group and got a home run of a recruit in Spencer Fano. The Provo native, who was also the top recruit in the state, enrolled early to get a jump on the season, and it's seemingly paid off; he's already impressed in his short time and is making a push for a starting role.
Joining Fano is fellow freshmen four-star offensive tackle Caleb Lomu and three-star offensive tackle Roger Alderman. The two are expected to provide depth to a deep room.
Defense
Defensive back
Losing Clark Phillips III to the NFL is difficult to replace for a defensive back unit that has relied on his talent for the last three seasons, but Utah quickly answered the call when it picked up former Ole Miss corner Miles Battle at the end of December. Battle joined Utah in spring and made his mark, but fall will be an integral time to get him acclimated on the two-deep roster.
Joining Battle from the transfer portal is former USC safety Briton Allen, who will add immediate depth to a room that should have some intrigue this fall. On top of that, Utah adds two four-star freshmen corners in CJ Blocker (New Caney, Texas) and Smith Snowden (Lehi, Utah), who could make a push to be added to the team's two-deep roster this fall, and safety Johnathan Hall, who enrolled early.
Linebacker
Utah got a steal of a deal at linebacker when former Stanford defender Levani Damuni announced his commitment to Utah in December. The former Ridgeline High product was Stanford's most impactful player last season, where he led the team in tackles with 76 and one interception. Damuni has veteran experience at the Power Five level, but he'll have a short time to learn Utah's system before the season starts.
Outside of Damuni, Utah signed three-star linebacker Owen Chambliss as part of the 2023 recruiting class. He enrolled early and has already been a part of Utah's system. It's a deep room, but Chambliss has the potential to make Utah's two deep.
Defensive line
Joining his brother at Utah is former BYU defensive end Logan Fano, who enters the program as a redshirt freshman. Fano is expected to compete for a starting spot at defensive end, but will no doubt be a contributor to an already deep defensive line.
He's joined by two 2023 signees in defensive end Jonah Leaea (Las Vegas, Nevada) and defensive lineman Stanley Raass (Kahuku, Hawaii). The two will likely be depth players to the defensive line in 2023 and be more of a factor to the defense in later years.
