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LAS VEGAS — Kyle Whittingham described the last month as "hectic."
That certainly sums up the last few weeks well.
It could very well describe the 2023 season, as well.
Even before the regular season came to an end, redshirt freshman quarterback Nate Johnson declared his intent to enter the transfer portal and was unavailable for the team's home finale against Colorado.
It was the beginning of what has been 15 players to date entering the transfer portal from Utah. With no New Year's Six bowl game on the docket, unlike the last couple of seasons, Utah was not immune to turnover before the season officially ended.
"We will also have more portal guys added in the next two to 10 days, and we will continue to fill out the roster," Whittingham said Wednesday.
To add to that, Devaughn Vele, Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki, among others, declared their intent for the NFL draft and will be unavailable for the Las Vegas Bowl Saturday. And if that wasn't enough to juggle, Whittingham and staff added 19 new players to the 2024 roster Wednesday as part of the early signing day period and through the transfer portal.
Fortunately for Whittingham, the early signing period featured "no drama" — at least in the way of committed recruits flipping to another team, even though teams tried.
Welcome to the new era of college football.
"You're juggling a lot of balls in the air, and trying to get ready for the game, practice, game plan, recruit — recruit your own roster now with NIL and make sure you try to keep those guys around," Whittingham said Friday. "So there's a lot going on, but it's been a great week, and finally now it's time to settle in and just focus on the game."
Hectic or not, it's the life of a college football coach now.
But would it be as hectic if the bowl game mattered more? Do games outside of the playoff and New Year's Six even mean anything to the coaches and players? Outside of being a glorified exhibition game, what's the value?
For the coaches at Utah, a bowl game — no matter its level of importance in the hierarchy of the sport — is always an opportunity to get more time in with the team before a long offseason. Spring camp and individual practices help, but live game reps matter, especially for the younger — or more accurately described as depth — players.
"We've always looked at the additional bowl practices as opportunities for younger players to develop, and with the portal and the things that are moving on right now, it does kick that up to the next step," Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig said. "So I don't see that changing in the near future."
"The bowl game itself, I mean, for me, it's another opportunity to practice, another opportunity to get our younger players more reps, because next September will be here in 10 minutes; it'll be here fast, so there's no lack of enthusiasm, at least I think for coaches," Utah cornerback coach Sharrieff Shah said.
Outside of that, the bowl game still matters to the veteran players, too. For senior Miles Battle, it's another opportunity to put more of his game on tape for a potential NFL team to look at as he prepares for the draft.
"I feel like any game is a big game that you get to play extra past the regular season," Battle said.
The type of bowl game doesn't matter, added linebacker and team captain Karene Reid.
"I wouldn't say the bowl game is messing with our mentality," Reid said. "I think if anything, the portal is doing more of that than what bowl we're in, so it's the same for us."
Shah said the distractions will be there, though — maybe in a way different than any season before it for the players.
"I think it's just harder for the boys, because this is a new process having to deal with so many moving parts right now," Shah said. "It wasn't like this last year. I think this will become the new norm.
"It would be absolutely unreasonable, or it wouldn't be fair of me to say, 'Oh, yes, just business as usual.' No, having kids focus on the game, the game plan and what we're doing rather than reading their Twitter page and figuring out, 'Oh, this guy just left,' or, 'Coach, is this guy coming over.' So it's hard. It's harder to keep focus, and that's when you need the leadership of your team to help us."
Shah credited Reid, in particular, for helping the team focus on who was with them now and not worrying about outside influences.
How focused the team is will be made evident Saturday (5:30 p.m. MST, ABC), but the hectic nature of the sport will remain and will become the new normal for games — especially for ones outside the playoff and New Year's Six.
