Hopefully they can keep Larry Simmons.
He was starting come into his own, really nice to see.
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Also based on what I’ve seen, Alex Harrison is expected to get another year of eligibility and stick with the Utes. He has missed two full seasons due to injuries, so the waiver should be a slam dunk.
Appeared in 8 games with 130 snaps at Center this past season.
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I see that Nate Johnson has re-signed. I actually think he has been quite underused here. As a QB, he left a lot to be desired in 2023, but the kid is super fast and dynamic. It seems like every time he had the ball in his hands, be gained at least 10 yards. I’d love to see him used much, much more in 2026.
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I see Jonah Lea’ea hopped on the Whitt train. Good luck and I hope the splinters won’t hurt too much.
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I thought we’d make a bigger splash sooner with access to the Otro money. As they say in the South, perhaps I was a little confused.
From the Scalley intro, more precise info from Harlan:
“There’s a lot of work going on right now to finalize that; take it to the trustees, I think, later this month or the first part of next; and we’re already doing a lot of organization within the department on all the different units that we showed in the slides,” Harlan said. “So we’re talking to the individuals involved and all that, and we’re doing a lot of prep work with the real belief that we’ll get the deal done. As far as what it will change for us, I think the most specific thing I’m excited about is we’ve really advanced in our NIL efforts.”
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Sounds like the actual benefit is not in this recruiting window….and could still encounter legislative hurdles.
So many moving parts. For now I’ll just going to expect next year to be a reset year. If we beat BYU I’ll be happy enough.
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Yeah, I thought I read it wasn’t meant to start until later this year and even then ramp up. But again, I also think no money from this is going directly to player NIL. Not one-time payments but things that will help increase revenue and not just help ‘pay the bills’.
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Hearing Byrd is staying
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He reiterated it on his X account this morning.
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Rumors DD may be re-signing, as well.
There were other rumors that Miami was tempting him with a suitcase of money, so… fingers crossed.
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The Utes picked up two DTs from the portal today, Moe from SJSU and Wallace from Tennessee. These guys were two of their top targets, and DT is obviously a position of need.
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Looking at 24/7 the current count is 8 incoming, 17 in portal of which only 7 have new homes. I’m not feeling too bad about this.
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I’m not sure how that partnership can increase NIL. Going forward, schools will have the Revenue Share ($22.5 mil.) allowed under the House settlement from which to pay players.
Can this new partnership provide money above that? It appears Harlan believes it can, but I don’t see how since the U is a partner. I guess it can help get to the $22.5 and maybe that is enough to convince the boosters/donors with money to add money/opportunities to NIL. (Ma’ake - I’ll give $25 a month if you will).
1 Like
I was thinking pesos… but I’m in!
Don’t know exactly where the legal thinking is coming from, but this:
Can universities directly pay college athletes for NIL? – Deseret News
Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, said the law would allow universities to pay their athletes for NIL whether or not the settlement is approved.
Far be it from me to cite a Legislator as an authority. (Read “disclaimer”)
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In other sad news Moa has entered the transfer portal. It’s paywalled but here is the 247 article
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Yet another reason why I refuse to get excited about a single player until they step foot on the field at RES and contribute in a meaningful way.
Also, it’s hilarious to me that players now enter the transfer portal before attending even a single in-season practice for the school they committed to.
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[quote=“Ma-ake, post:194, topic:9831”]
I was thinking pesos… but I’m in!
We aren’t UTEP, yet.
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He’s apparently going to Michigan, as has long been rumored/ expected. He had supposedly already signed a NIL agreement, so if the U really wants to they can take a page from the UW playbook and threaten legal action.
Thing is, the WR room still looks really solid. Might be better to spend the money to bolster the trenches.
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That kid will now have “committed” to three different schools before ever putting on the pads a single time. 
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This is a sick and twisted comparison - don’t judge the artist by the art, OK! - but in a semi-wake way this reminds me of Henry Lee Lucas, who was on death row, but figured out he could get trips out of prison by confessing to other murders he didn’t commit.
By no means am I comparing Moa to Henry Lee Lucas., but maybe we shouldn’t be so critical of him - maybe he just likes being pampered and traveling.
1 Like